This is the third in a series of four related cleanse posts.
See the others here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4
In addition, read this:
The Ultimate Guide To Doing a Juice Detox or Cleanse
from www.positivehealthwellness.com
10 Lessons Learned, Days 1-5 of 15 Day Reboot with Joe
plus pictures!
(See Cleanse 101 and Day 1 Report posts if you haven’t already)
1. I do like to chew food and when I chew a gigantic salad, I cannot put on a measly 1 Tablespoon of salad dressing!
2. When I’m not eating any grains and barely any protein, I need at least 1/2 an avocado a day to stay satiated.
3. Even the first 5 days, which do incorporate some chewable food, were enough to feel “rebooted.” My husband said it best. “When a bowl of cheerios seems like an indiscretion, where before it would have been a box of cookies, you know you’ve rebooted.”
4. I lost 4 pounds in the first 5 days, but I needed a break. After 5 days I was hitting a wall. Rather than go into the full on liquid-only stage for days 6-15, we took a little break for Shabbat. Our Friday night dinner was pretty darn healthy, but it felt like a feast, after the week on the Reboot. We had lentil soup, salad and the Reboot recipe of acorn squash with sauteed onions and mushrooms. Wow. 3 items in 1 meal? Such pigs! Lol…
5. I like to enjoy my food. There is a difference between getting high on sugar and flour, and simply enjoying your food because it tastes good. Some of the juice recipes were incredibly bitter. I had to doctor them to make them even remotely palatable. To give Reboot credit, some of the recipes would probably have tasted better as juices. However, I’m vitamixing them. See Cleanse 101 post for more info.
6. I liked having my meals ready made and planned for me. Then, when I was busy (especially as this week was Mommy Camp!), I had a smart choice waiting for me in the fridge.
7. This does not work traveling unless you’re able to hit a local juice bar, and sometimes there isn’t one.
8. When in doubt, eat a green vegetable! I am so focused on vegetables right now, having protein in the form of beans, nuts or tofu seems extravagant. I have started to do that though because I do need protein and don’t have a need to go 15 days without it.
9. Instead of doing the extreme 15 days first, it’s going to work better for me to simply incorporate the smoothies/juices for breakfast and lunch each day and then eat a real dinner: a salad, cooked vegetable and some form of vegan protein. For instance, I added black beans to the acorn squash reboot recipe and it was amazing. I can also eat lentil soup or have tofu and sauteed or steamed greens, for just a few examples. I’m hoping I can continue to lose weight with this modified plan.
10. I have a lot of menu planning and grocery shopping to do! The 15 day Reboot plan has a number of juices that are options for the liquid days 6-15, that weren’t in the first 5 days. I’m keeping an open mind and plan to try most of them this week. The Reboot website also has lots of recipes for actual meals where one chews food! I don’t normally advocate focusing on calories. However, since I know I’ll be eating all good food, and I’m busting through a weight-loss plateau, I think I will use the Reboot website to help me create menus that are 1200 calories per day.
Someone asked me if I felt very different on the cleanse, since I do already eat so well. I do. It’s similar to when I went from vegetarian to vegan. I just feel cleaner inside. I definitely have more energy and a clearer head. I’m not leaping off of tall buildings in a single bound, but I feel good. I feel like I’ve just been throwing every nutrient possible at my body and that’s always a good thing.
I’ve been drinking the smoothies and soups, etc. from the plan this weekend but not following it exactly. I’m eager to see how this week goes if I follow it exactly during the day and then eat a ridiculously healthy and clean dinner. Simply skipping grains and sugar will add up quickly in my weight loss efforts. I am all for moderation. I’m just trying to accomplish a specific weight loss goal right now (you know, lose all the baby weight before my son turns 3!). I think even though I am cutting out food groups, like grains, a diet of fruits, vegetables, tofu and beans is about the healthiest way a person could lose weight.
I look forward to hearing from you. What are your juice fast/cleanse experiences? What do you think the healthiest way to lose weight is?
