The Juice Detox

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

1. I am a strong person and will not be beaten by hunger
2. It’s only three days, I can do anything for three days
3. I don’t like green juice, I hope there isn’t too much green.
4. I also don’t like beetroot juice, I hope there isn’t too much of that.
5. I will rest and relax and laze in the bath while my body restores itself to a new me.
6. 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.