my #StartFreshii Juice. Cleanse. Energize. experience!

the results from my 1 day #StartFreshii juice cleanse are in: i survived, woo hoo!  in all honesty, it wasn't that bad.  i'm definitely saying that cause it was only 1 day though, haaaa. when those hunger pangs kicked in i was totally transported back in time to my 1st bikini competition prep. good times, lol! mix that in with a couple "come on, Leah..just a few more hours. you can do this. focus." moments and that was my day in a nutshell.  i explained on Periscope (are you following me yet? have you checked out the app? leave your ID below so i can look you up!) that i'm breastfeeding and can't afford to go longer than one day to keep from putting a big dent in my milk production (gotta keep those calories up!).  plus, i'm a group fitness instructor and although light exercise (yoga, walking, stretching)  is ok when detoxing, strenuous activity is not recommended.  bummer.  anyway, i've gotten the 'do you juice? do you detox?' questions over the years and can finally say, 'Yes! i've done one!' however, i have always turned them down in the past because:

• fearful of feeling way too hungry (and crappy) to deal
• i prefer eating calories over drinking them
• cannot be sustained long-term
• prohibited strenuous exercise (booooo.)
• generally low in protein

what i do believe they are great for:

• complete system reset
• rid body of toxins and excess waste
• improved complexion, hair & skin (clean eating cleared my skin up completely by the way...no more Proactive!)
• promotes/jump starts healthy lifestyle changes
• increased mental clarity, energy, stamina
• a healthier, nourished colon

when the #StartFreshii Challenge was presented to me, i finally decided to take the plunge! i love Freshii cause they offer a variety of healthy, nutritious, fast-food items for people on the go. i just wish they had a drive through! the decor is fun, bright, and contemporary, and kid friendly items make this the perfect healthy family eatery.

again i did the 1 day, but if you decide to give this a whirl yourself, you've got 3 or 5 day options too.  pick the one that best suits your lifestyle and schedule for best results.

i ordered some oatmeal for the boy's breakfast.

adorable presentation! and i am thrilled they both love oats so much.

  my eyes!! i was LOVING all that beautiful, healthy color! the smoothies were labeled and to be consumed in a certain order every 2.5-3 hrs;  the detoxifying Metaboost salad was to be eaten at the end of my day.

1. Green Energy - apple, cucumber, kale, lemon, carrot, romaine, spinach (my fave!)
2. Carrot Zinger - carrot, apple, ginger
3. Mighty Detox - pineapple, cucumber, celery, apple, ginger
4. Red Power - beet, carrot, lemon, ginger (2nd fave!)
5. Metaboost Salad - field greens, spinach, kale, carrots, mango, edamame, almonds, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette

staying busy between meals was going to be key in getting me through this! we explored the city a little before running errands.

one of the calming fountains at a small, contemporary park just down the street.

the sun was out but thankfully there was still a nice breeze at 10am! so Chiso got to run around and play a bit as i finished up juice #1.  i sipped all of them suuuuuuuper slow.

Q: what is THE very first thing that pops into your mind when you read that question? comment below.

A: before i die...i want to live out and fulfill His purpose for my life. that's #1. i will remember and cherish these days forever!!! so grateful to be able to do what i love with the people i love.

after that, errand time.  running around in the Texas heat and jumping in and out of the car with kids is a workout in itself. whew.

i said all that to say that at 2pm, i cracked.

lol! keeping it real! i'm used to eating over 2k cals a day so i was really going through it at that point.

i just hope there was nobody sitting in their car watching me tear this salad UP. wasn't it pretty though?

 after that, i felt like i could actually finish this thing strong.

3rd juice done with one left to go as we finally headed home.  you're supposed to drink 8-10 glasses of water in between 'meals' when doing a cleanse as well. i did my best.

by 6pm? DONE. finished a lil early, haha.  the Freshii cleanse pamphlet did suggest that if hunger overtakes you, increase your water intake, drink a herbal tea, or reach for raw or lightly cooked fruits and vegetables.  that said, i had grape tomatoes and half a cucumber before finally getting in bed around 10pm.  the next morning i felt lighter, and my mid section's skin was noticeably tighter.  that's what cutting out refined sugars does for me though, immediately. my tummy and waist are the first to respond when i tweak my nutrition.

takeaways:

• this was a mental battle more than anything! once i woke up the next morning with no pressure to stick to the cleanse, i wanted to keep going. go figure.
• not having to chew overall made it feel like i had not eaten a thing = hoogry
• great for resetting/restarting your system.  i am now motivated to keep my refined sugar intake low and my raw fruit/veggies intake high. this is when i feel and look my best.
• not great as a lifestyle (possibly once a week at best) or for fat loss.  the diet is already low in protein and calories and the body goes into starvation mode after a while which conflicts with the fat burning process.
• unless you have your own juicer at home and get a great, cheap deal on produce, juicing can get rather expensive.
• we CAN do anything we put our minds to

fyi! many times the media choses to focus on the short-terms results produced by these cleanses.  know that your results won't last if you don't make it a point to move more and maintain and healthy, low-no processed diet.

i highly recommend you accept the #StartFreshii juice cleanse challenge! all 4 juices are delish and refreshing but my fave was definitly #1. tell me about your cleanse/detox experience below.

le

my how you've changed

POW!!!

not everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, i get that. if your goal is weight loss/maintenance though, this applies to you too.

real quick:

  i tweeted a pic of my breakfast earlier this week:

yep, that's it.  until my trainer says otherwise, this is what it'll be!  oats, egg whites, fruit, and green tea.  i was eating this for bfast already, so no big change there.  and also no need to tweet that over and over again, boring.  i had to cut out my beloved brown sugar for now, but i've been adding the bananas, a splash of vanilla, and cinnamon to my oats and i don't miss it.

SO,

i've been sticking to my new diet for a little over a week now and amongst a handful of changes, here are the 4 you should know about:

1. there has been a nice surge in my milk production outta no where.  take note, b-feeding mommies.  and again, this was just from dropping white sugar/processed foods, and eating healthy, well-balanced meals alone.  that's it.  i was hit with Mastitis twice last year, once in each breast.  the first time i was prescribed penicillin which got rid of it, but my production really suffered.  talk about emotional- i was terrified it would dry up completely and it scared me enough to turn to natural supplements, e.g. fenugreek.   i was also downing mother's milk tea all day long and doing everything i could to save my liquid gold.  i see now that i didn't even have to go to such great lengths.  if you put premium fuel into your body, expect it to run and operate at its best, simply put.

2. my wedding ring is loose.  i've lost a few inches (mainly in my waist/hips) and i'm tighter and firmer all over.  my workouts have remained the same for now,  so again, this only proves that your diet is A REALLY BIG DEAL, yall!!  as annoying as they are, there's a reason J-Hud is singing all over your tv screen in those WW commercials *eye-roll*.  remember  i conducted that little experiment this past April two weeks before my birthday? no sugar (only from fruit) or processed foods.   i got similar results then too, but my diet was not nearly as strict as it is now and the results are pretty fantastic.  i kept on snacking after my bday passed, well, just cause i can. lol.   you don't have to go cold turkey, but drinking soda twice a week instead of once a day WILL make a difference over time.

3.  my sugar craving levels have dropped from uncontrollable to mild.  i honestly can't remember a time when i didn't  crave sugar, especially following a meal.  this is a new feeling; one i didn't think existed for me.  will i eat a donut if you put it right down in front of me?  maybe.  prolly.  but this time it feels more like, 'yeah i see it.. i'll get some if i want some though.'  very empowering.  also, my attitude is not as crappy these days :)

4. **tmi** helloooooooooo regularity!  no detail needed.  Chiso is regular too now though- bless his heart and our noses.  this feels like a junk food detox.  i see that processed foods can really back up your plumbing.  that's prolly cause they're NOT NATURAL.  you think?  or maybe they started out natural, but fillers, hormones, preservatives, and other stuff we can't pronounce were added.  sad situation.

my food scale has arrived!

i'm honestly considering re-selling this thing after the competition is over (although it might not be my last;)) cause weighing my food is just not crucial for everyday life.  i'll stick with this nifty chart.

25 bucks on amazon.com.

i hope you've had an amazing week so far!

tell me, what's the first small change will you implement in your diet?

le