This week I took on the challenge of doing a juice detox.
Why?
Just because. Because I wanted to see how I would feel at
the end of it. I wanted to see if I could do it. I wanted to see if removing
certain things from my diet would help with the rather cranky skin that I have
right now. I also wanted a bit of a kick
start into some healthier eating habits after recently falling into some bad ones.
I didn’t do it to lose weight and didn’t weigh myself, but
there has certainly been a reduction in my waistline. I know this because my
work pants fit properly with a shirt tucked in, rather than a shirt hanging out
to hide the feral muffin top. Anyone else ever have that?
Things I thought beforehand
- I am a strong person and will not be beaten by hunger
- It’s only three days, I can do anything for three days
- I don’t like green juice, I hope there isn’t too much green.
- I also don’t like beetroot juice, I hope there isn’t too
much of that.
- I will rest and relax and laze in the bath while my body
restores itself to a new me.
- I hope it will kick start me into making better choices with
what I put in my mouth.
Things that happened.
I was never actually hungry.
On Day 1
I consumed every bit of my juice, that is 3.6
litres of juice, or quite a lot of fruit and veg (6 kgs worth). While I wasn’t physically hungry, my mind
kept telling me that it was time to eat, that everyone else was enjoying a meal
and I was silly not to join them.
In the end I took a shower while the household ate dinner. I
had cooked it, and it was a delicious beef casserole, not that I tasted it, but
it smelt so good. Mentally I found it
difficult not to eat it. At this stage I was also starting to doubt myself. Another
two days seemed like a really long time. There was a part of my brain saying
things like “a little bit won’t hurt” and “who would even know”.
I went to bed, second guessing why I was doing this stupid
detox.
But, it is only three days. You can do anything that causes
discomfort for three days.
Day 2
When I woke, my first thought was, I need to
drink juice again. I don’t really feel like juice.
But once I got the kids organised and had the convenience of
just drinking a juice that had been freshly made and delivered to my door, I
was more than happy to have juice again. It is all made so easy for you.
It would also seem I am quite fond of green juice, but the juice with
the parsley in it was my least favourite.
I am also happy to report that beetroot juice is better than
it sounds.
At the end of Day 2 I was still not feeling hungry I had not even been able to consume the full amount of juice provided. Day 2 was pretty easy.
Day 3
I did not rest and relax, as per the suggestions from Schkinny Maninny and by Day 3 when I was at work
running around I was starting to feel a bit funny. It was a weird feeling, I
wasn’t hungry, I didn’t feel like eating, but I also felt very tired. When I
got home later that day I ended up eating a handful of grapes while I sat down
for awhile, this got me back to feeling ok. Schkinny Maninny recommend that you
eat a small amount of fresh fruit or vegies if you are feeling really
hungry.
Considering I had heaps of juice
that I was yet to consume I really should have drunk that, I am not sure why I
didn’t, possibly my body was just exhausted, it was now Wednesday arvo and the
last time I had eaten real food was Sunday night. But a few grapes got me through.
I never got to take the bath.
This is all the juice I had left over at the end, which I drank on Day 4.
Life is busy and juice detox or not, there are kids to feed,
wash and dress and get to swimming lessons and dance classes, plus there are work commitments that need to be met. I don’t have the
luxury of just sitting around watching tv for three days, drinking juice.
As the night went on, I was feeling good!
What else?:
By Day 3 I was consuming a lot less. I never finished any of
the 600ml bottles on day 3, I just wasn’t that hungry. I kept them all in the
fridge and was able to stretch this detox to a fourth day, by simply adding in
a salad for lunch on day 4 and a very small dinner meal. On Day 5 I woke thinking about what I could
eat. I wanted everything, but at the same time I didn’t want anything that was
going to ruin the feeling that I had.
I felt fantastic.
It’s hard to explain. My skin has remained
acne free for the week (this is a big deal to me) I have slept really
well, I feel positive of mind and overall, I just kind of feel happier. I think
this sounds a little hippy la la ish, but by feeling good on the inside, it
seems to have affected my mental health more than I considered possible.
What didn’t I like:
Juice is sweet, there is a time that comes each day where
your mouth feels grubby. Schkinny Maninny describes this as ‘gutter mouth’ it’s
pretty much your body getting rid of toxins. I found
that a peppermint tea helped.
I also think I would like to try the juice and soup combo that Schkinny Maninny offers,
just as a way to not have so much sweet juice. And, I really like soup – I
could trick myself into thinking it was a meal.
Last notes: I loved the savvy marketing. The detox was made as easy
as possible to complete. Delivered to my door each morning, they had considered everything I might need to know and were
regularly in touch, with post cards in my esky of juices and emails each
morning, they also included a golden comment that businesses everywhere could
learn from – they said they are not perfect, that they are still working to
make the product better and to do that, they welcome your feedback, whatever it
is. A business that listens with open
ears to what the target audience wants will go far.
Would I recommend a juicy detox?
Yes. I would suggest you
try and schedule it in when you have fewer commitments if you can, but either
way, you will find the customer service, the juice product and all instructions of
a pretty high standard. If a detox is something you have been considering,
Schkinny Maninny is worth a look.
Schkinny Maninny is in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Feel free to ask any questions regarding the detox, I will answer if I can.
Disclaimer:
Sckinny Maninny provided me with the juice to review, I was
under no obligation to write a blog post on the juice, however there was so
much interest from my instagram and facebook that I am sharing what I
thought. I was not paid to write this
review.