My Juice Cleanse Experience from Tribal Juice

Before the Cleanse: I’ve never done a juice cleanse before. Frankly, I was one of those people that used to scoff at juice cleanses, thinking it was a fad. The idea of no solid food for 3 days was enough to make me say no. Repeatedly. Without hesitation.  I mean, come on. The blog is called Deep Fried Fit if that’s any indication about my eating habits. I was already on a health kick and wanted to try something new. So after meeting Brenton from Tribal Juice and sampling some of the juices, I was offering myself up as a guinea pig just to see if I could actually finish a 3-day cleanse. I had little faith in myself that I could complete it. I’m sure most of my friends didn’t think I could do it either.

With very little knowledge about cleanses other than you go to the bathroom a lot, I did not know what to expect.

Rules of the Cleanse: I would be consuming 6 juices a day. One juice every 2-3 hours. Brenton was kind enough to throw in some nut milks since I would be working out too. The cleanse came with tips and suggestions to help me stay on track. No caffeine, but tea was suggested to help curb hunger as well as to drink lots of water. If I REALLY need to chew on something, I could have raw veggies like celery and bell peppers. Basic, low sodium broths were ok too, but obviously for maximum effect try to resist. Having the option to eat raw veggies or sip on soups played a major factor in keeping me on track. The bag of carrots I carried with me everywhere was like a security blanket from starvation.

Day 1 – This was probably the hardest day for me. I started on a Monday and it so happened to be a snow day. I thought it might be easier starting a cleanse in the comfort of my home. The positives would be the proximity and privacy of my bathroom. In actuality, without the distraction of work, it was harder. My mind kept wandering toward food. I could smell the delicious aromas of pho and other home cooked meals from the kitchen and I could feel my resolve slowly whittling away.

Made it through Day 1! Whew

I had my first juice at 8am and felt strong in my determination. By 3 pm, I was starting to feel queasy. My body felt jittery and it was hard for me to focus on one thing. The juices were filling, but not satisfying. However, I did become more aware of my “hunger”. It was eye-opening to feel how much my body wanted to eat just for the sake of eating and not because I was actually hungry. I held out till about 4pm before I had small cup of beef broth. I did throw back a few cherry tomatoes around 7pm and sipped on more broth around 10pm.

Day 2– My second day was surprisingly much easier. I woke up feeling quite refreshed and awake. I didn’t feel as groggy or sluggish as I normally do either. Being busy at work is something I’ll attribute to the ease of day 2 of the cleanse. Since I didn’t have to worry about breakfast, lunch or dinner, I was able to get through the day by sipping on my juices. I was actually worried the cleanse would effect my concentration at work, but to be honest I felt more productive. I didn’t experience as many hunger pangs as I did the day before.

Kicked Day 2’s ass! Easy peasy!

Another thing I was worried about was energy level. I’ve heard that because you are consuming fewer classes there would be a drop in energy. Also, you aren’t supposed to do intense workouts while on the cleanse either and I had a spin class scheduled in the evening. I somehow managed to do the class with energy to spare and in good spirits! Getting through Day 2 felt great.

Day 3 – My final day on the cleanse wasn’t bad either. I did feel a dip in my energy level though. It’s probably from depleting all of my energy the day before with that spin class. I also felt cranky. I went to a coffee shop where the store policy did not allow outside drinks and I all but wanted to shank the person telling me to put away my juice. Without even knowing it, my entitlement kicked and I was mad that someone was throwing me off the juice schedule. Woo-sah. #Hanger. By the end of the day, I was so proud of myself was making it!

Completed my juice cleanse and felt really proud of myself! Go me!

The Next Few Day– Woke up and felt great. I felt refreshed and healthier. I also felt I could continue on a fourth day of the cleanse if I really wanted. I slowly introduced solid foods into my system. After all the hard work and self-control I had the past few days, I didn’t want to ruin all that progress with a hearty greasy meal. For the next couple of days after the cleanse, I wasn’t eating as much as I’m used to and still incorporated a juice here and there. I did feel low on energy and even crabby at times. That’s probably the only downside.

The Juices: Tribal Juice offers 100% coldpressed juices. I like the tastes overall and think they are great for meal substitutes if you are on-the-go. I really liked having The Medicine Man for breakfast one morning. It’s surprisingly kept me full till lunch time.

Breakfast ya! Medicine Man is all Vitamin C!

For the cleanse, there were a few with lime in them that I wasn’t fond of, because I had to drink whole bottles back to back. I could taste some of the bitterness in the lime rinds in The Smudge and The Beats. When I got my 3 day cleanse, all the bottles had numbers on the caps 1-7. I should’ve done a better job of separating the days and making sure the selection was more varied. All the juices were sweet and most had apples in them. I’m definitely a savory person, so the beef broth did help me a lot. I’m a fan of the Medicine Man, The Native, and their newest flavor they tested on me. Can’t wait for those to hit the shelves. I also really loved the nut milks. It had almonds, dates, sea salt and vanilla extract. That stuff was amaze-balls. Perfect drink to the end the day. I would love to see more adventurous juices. I’m a fan of tangier and even spicy juices. Would definitely help break up the monotony of the sweet stuff going on.

Let’s Talk Dirty: The part about the cleanse I was worried about was the bathroom issue and how it would affect my day. I didn’t want to be mid-meeting and have to rush to the bathroom. The point is to detox your body and get rid of all the bad stuff. The cleanse is supposed to supply your body with the nutrients you need and give your digestive system a break. Day 1 was the toughest day. Let’s just say I didn’t want to make any sudden movements or laugh too hard. I didn’t have any issues on Day 2 or 3. I think that particular experience is different for everyone. It’s all dependent on what’s in your body. Fortunately, I was already on a clean-eating/meal prep diet two weeks priors to starting this cleanse and I think that helped a lot too. I started the cleanse on a Monday, but I would actually recommend for newbies to start on a Sunday, while you’re at home. Don’t start with a one day cleanse, definitely aim for three. If I had stopped after one day, I think my experience would be much more negative and I wouldn’t have seen any positives.

The Takeaway: It’s all mental. What I loved about doing this cleanse is how I felt afterward and how it changed my relationship with food. It was like someone hit a reset button in my brain. After a gluttonous holiday season, getting back into meal prepping is insanely difficult. My cravings and hunger pangs were out of control and doing this cleanse has helped me get back on track. I have fewer craving and I eat smaller portions. I can actually tell when my stomach is full and stop eating. I also weighed myself to find that I lost 4 lbs and noticed a difference in my waistline and face. Without getting you guys too excited, I’m assuming this is mostly water weight and I’ll probably get it back once I resume my normal eating habits. I do feel lighter, healthier, and more determined to keep this health kick going. I would totally do a cleanse again.

Also, what helped me get through this cleanse would be all the support I received from my friends. Special thank you to Mellissa and Brenton for talking me off the ledge when I really wanted to give in and eat. If anyone wants to try a juice cleanse after reading about my experience or have done other cleanses, I’d love to hear about it! Comment below and let me know how you felt and what you did to get through it.

In order to write about the Tribal Juice cleanse experience, Deep Fried Fit received a 3-day complimentary juice cleanse. All opinions expressed are her own.