Intro
Ok. So this is how it is. And can I please start by saying that I am in no way connected with Juice Plus in any capacity. I am not a rep, just a new customer trying out another diet in a bid to lose those pounds, and so everything I write it here is completely truthful and unbiased. I am not trying to sell you anything! I'm doing this because I tried to find something like this online when starting out, but there wasn't really anything that hadn't been written by a rep trying to push the product, or sales of.
I've started at 11 stones 4 pounds, which at 5' 7'' gives me a BMI of 23.4 - within the healthy range, but at the top of it, and I did not want to go into that next section. My goal is to lose the 1 stone I lost last year and re-gained over this summer, plus another half a stone to a stone, and tone up, particularly around my tummy and legs. My other aim is to eat healthier. I feel I have gone off track lately, and have been ignoring my food intolerances (wheat, sugar, lactose, fructose and alcohol are the main triggers of my IBS). So I want to eat , feel and look better too.
I'm currently on Day 5, using the shakes only, so I'll combine my experiences during these first few days in this post, and try to pop in at least every day or two after to update. Feel free to share the journey with me using the comments section :)
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Day 1 - September 1st 2014
Breakfast - Vanilla shake with almond milk
Lunch - Chocolate shake with hazelnut milk
Dinner - Salmon, mashed sweet potato, kale and broccoli
Snacks - Carrot sticks, hummus, 1 apricot.
I'd prepped my shakes and snacks the night before, because there was no way I was gonna have time to do that on a manic Monday morning! Normally on a work day I either wouldn't have breakfast, or I would grab a toasted teacake smothered in butter and a coffee from the canteen - yeah, I know, not the healthiest option, especially given my intolerances! Lunch would be a sandwich or a salad, and I'd either top up mid-afternoon with popcorn (my weakness) or a chocolate bar. Dinner more often than not ended in fast food or takeaway. And I felt rubbish for it. But not today. I started with a drink of water with a chunk of lime in, then quite enjoyed my shake at my desk, it was really quick and easy to make, which is a big plus for me, and it tasted better than I expected too, same for the chocolate shake, yummy! The carrot sticks were a bit boring, despite my love of veggies, although even though my colleagues were serving pizza from my desk I was happy to munch away, which was strange, and dinner I enjoyed - it's the sort of meal we would eat if we'd just done a food shop and had the time to cook. I found it really hard not having my morning coffees, and forcing myself to drink 2 litres of water throughout the day (oh, the constant toilet trips!) but I did it. And that was day 1, not too frightening really!
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Day 2 - September 2nd 2014
Breakfast - Vanilla shake with almond milk
Lunch - Chocolate shake with hazelnut milk
Dinner - Chicken breast with seasoning packet, mashed sweet potato, kale, green beans and broccoli
Snacks - Carrot sticks, hummus, 1 apricot
Only day 2, so my shakes, snacks and dinner are not looking too different to day 1, but hey, it's new and I have fresh veggies to use up! Today I woke with a huge headache, and it nearly made me reach for a coffee but I resisted and took painkillers instead. It was soon gone. I also felt really hungry today, there was just no satisfying my appetite or tiredness, I felt so run down. And man, the bloating, I felt really uncomfortable by the afternoon, but I had read to expect that and kept going with the plan and water intake. I did find this day quite hard going, but luckily my determination was still high. And I'm quite enjoying getting home from work at a reasonable time now I have switched roles and cooking a decent healthy meal with my husband - who I'm also hoping will use this to get healthy and lose weight as well.
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Day 3 - September 3rd 2014
Breakfast - Vanilla shake blended with almond milk, raspberries and dessicated coconut
Lunch - Chocolate shake with hazelnut milk, warmed
Dinner - Stir fry vegetables with low calorie spray oil and peppered steak pieces, alpro dairy-free yoghurt
Snacks - Carrot sticks, hummus, whole almonds
Decided to mix things up a bit today, literally, and add some fruit to my shake, which was nice. The coconut was a mistake though as it was a bit chewy! I need to get coconut oil instead really. My lunch-time shake was yummy warmed up, like a coffee-chain hot chocolate but much healthier. The peppered steak for dinner was a mistake, it was far too hot and spicy, so I put that aside and used the calories left to have a small portion of dairy-free yoghurt, which again was much nicer than I thought it would be. I didn't feel so hungry today, still bloated though, but it's nothing I couldn't handle.
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Day 4 - September 4th 2014
Breakfast - Vanilla shake with almond milk
Lunch - Chocolate shake with hazelnut milk
Dinner - Chicken breast, seasoned, sweet jacket potato, green beans and broccoli
Snacks - Carrot & cucumber sticks, hummus, whole almonds
I know the food is a bit samey, but I'm trying to use up the veggies I've bought, which all came in large quantities, before they go bad. Also, it's just been convenient while working full time and feeling a little lethargic - not surprising given the low calorie intake. But on the plus side my skin is already looking so much better, much clearer and brighter - it must be the 2 litres of water I have been drinking daily, plus all the vegetables and cutting out the rubbish, it really is working wonders. The bloating is subsiding too, hurrah!
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Day 5 - September 5th 2014
Breakfast - Vanilla shake with almond milk
Lunch - Chocolate shake with hazelnut milk
Dinner - Salmon seasoned, mashed sweet potato, sweetcorn
Snacks - Carrot & cucumber sticks, hummus, Nakd bar (purely dates & cashew)
Still enjoying the shakes, they are really easy and quick to make and convenient for work. I have bought a shaker, one of those drinks containers with the metal whisking ball in, and it has made such a difference, there are no longer clumps of powder in the drink. I'm finding this diet is making me really thirsty though, so drinking my 2 litres of water per day is really easy, and more besides. I have been adding fresh lime pieces to give it flavour, and I haven't missed coffee or juice at all. The bloating is almost gone too, as well as the tiredness. I know working all week it has been relatively easy so far - it's the weekend that will be the real test of faith! The other possible side effect is that I haven't been sleeping well, I have been having dreams, when I don't normally dream, and this is meaning I'm not getting quality sleep. Not sure if it's the water intake, but whatever it is, I hope it settles down soon.
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