I’m heading into day 3 of the 9 day Isagenix system…

The first 2 days were cleanse days – essentially lots of liquids and a few small Isagenix “snacks” per day (I referenced the flavored wafers in my first post). I will say those periodic wafers helped satisfy hunger a bit. Last night I had to have 6 unsalted/raw almonds to curb my hunger while I watched my husband eat a yummy meal. I felt semi guilty for a moment – but then I read that it’s ok to have a small snack like that if you really need to. All in all, I think I made it through the first 2 days successfully. I worked-out both days too.

I definitely peed more than usual – but other than that my stomach felt fine. When I’ve done juice cleanses in the past those have tended to upset my stomach. I was certainly hungry most of the last 2 days but it was tolerable…it helps that I’m doing this for the first time with a buddy (Hi Shannon!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole cleanse thing is interesting – on one hand I like the ‘idea’ of cleansing your body/system and reducing your typical intake…especially to kick off a healthier eating plan. However, it’s not very realistic (for me). I was pretty much a hermit the last 2 days…I refused to go out after work. I had to distract myself a lot as not to cave into temptation. I hate watching/smelling my husband cook. And at one point I think I was tempted by my dogs chewy treats – wtf? Not sure what I’d do if I had kids and they were snacking all around me. I guess, it just makes you exercise super self control. And that’s something that certainly takes practice. But hey, if you can spend 2 days on a rigid plan – doesn’t that make you feel like you can make more moderate adjustments on an everyday bases? I think so.

According to the scale I’ve lost a couple lbs – I realize that’s water weight. I’m trying not to focus too much on the scale because I’m more interested in judging progress based on how my pants fit and the ‘after photos.’ I’ve remained relatively the same weight for the last 2 years…but since I’ve lost muscle my clothes have gotten tighter and I don’t wear certain things that I used to wear. I truly believe the scale isn’t the best measure of fitness/health.

In a nutshell – what I learned so far:

• This is a great program to kick off before a big event or even after a vacation/holiday when you’re READY to make a change and commit
• It’s great to have a partner in crime (at least the 1st time around) to keep you motivated and accountable
• There is a lot of satisfactions at the end of the day when you’ve stayed on track throughout  the day – it’s a great feeling – and that feeling will keep you motivated 
• Although I haven’t eaten much – the snacks/liquids have helped me manage the last 2 days – I feel pretty energized, surprisingly 
• Buy some different herbal (non caffeinated or sweetened) teas – I love cinnamon tea at the end of the day. The warm liquid makes you feel fuller – I liked having a few options to choose from. I was switching up between iced and hot – it helped me feel like I was ‘tasting’ something
• Avoid doing your cleanse days on holidays/occasions where you have something big planned…it’d be difficult to go to a restaurant or cook-out on this cleanse (at least for me). I think I’d be pretty miserable. I like the idea of starting earlier in the week (Mon or Tue) when little else other than work is on the calendar
• If you find yourself constantly thinking about food – grab a good magazine (not a food one though!) or watch funny YouTube videos! Or, I busted out some beauty samples and gave myself a good at-home face scrub/treatment…it felt nice the next morning to wake up to glowing skin
• I found that because I couldn’t really eat when I got home – I spent more time playing with my dogs and chatting with my husband…vs. mindlessly munching tortilla chips on the couch. I thought that was a big win!
• My mouth tasted horrible yesterday but I avoided gum – I kept drinking water and tea but it was still a weird feeling – so yea, that was not the greatest side effect
• Get yourself a good, travel friendly water bottle. go ahead, buy one of those fancy glass ones! you’ll need one and the novelty of a new, funky water bottle will make you more apt to drink from it!

I can’t wait until approx. 12noon when I can eat my first real meal in 2 days – grilled chicken, brown rice, and broccoli!!! ❤ ❤