Why I did a 3 day cleanse

Man, do I feel better! Idk what my deal has been this year, but I am finding that I have been yo yoing more than I care to admit. I was getting really REALLY comfortable in the lax lifestyle and honestly, it did nothing but reflect in every other area of my life! I by NO means have gained my 30 pounds of weight back, but I’ve been hovering over the 5-9 pound weight gain for awhile.

There is no denying that I’ve been on this health and fitness journey for over four years. For a few weeks this year, I had convinced myself that I was “burned out.” But let’s face it, it’s SO easy to convince ourselves that something isn’t working or we need a break just because it got HARD or because we aren’t committed and got LAZY. It’s so easy when we are DOWN to justify why we are DOWN. Isn’t it?

I was getting to the point of rock bottom. I’ve been to rock bottom before. It was a long time ago, though, and that rock bottom looks a little different than this one. THAT rock bottom was truly my lowest place. But since then, I’ve really upped my standards for MYSELF, so my rock bottom now wasn’t as detrimental.

However, I was noticing some patterns.

I was getting sick more often.
My weight and bloat was fluctuating between 5-9 pounds.
That inner voice that I haven’t heard in a LONG time was reminding me about 900x a day how unhappy I was with myself.
I was judging myself in pictures vs looking at those pictures and thinking about the memories that were created in them.
I was seeking outside validation from close friends and family, “ Do I look okay in this?” “Does this make me look fat?”

Idk about you, but what I listed above has TOXIC written all over it. But what’s crazy is that I spent so much of my life living there! And let me tell you this, the day you walk out of your room in an outfit and you don’t need approval from anyone because you know you freaking look amazing and feel amazing, that’s the day you win, my friends. It’s the day when you realize that your voice and opinion is what matters MOST, not someone else’s, and for some of you, that simple concept will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. It did for me ..

So now that I just got super vulnerable and shared all that with you, I want to share what’s giving me my groove back. Let me start by saying I am a TRUE believer that the ONLY way to health and fitness success LONGTERM is truly a lifestyle change. I believe we need exercise and to move our body daily in some way shape or form. I believe and KNOW that nutrition is 80 % of the game. I KNOW that half of the world is nutrient deficient and the reason they hang on to so much weight isn’t because they are not capable of losing it, but because their body is CRAVING for a balanced and whole food approach to nutrition. I know that support matters. Sure, there are people that start this journey on their own. Heck, I did! At the time, my husband was still eating Mcdonalds everyday while I was prepping grilled chicken and vegetables listening to oprah and trying to change my life. But staying with it? That takes habit and discipline till it becomes second nature. And very rarely are we building habits unless there is some accountability involved. It’s HARD to break habits when no one knows what we are trying to do. Why? Because it gives us an OUT that when things get HARD we can quit on ourselves and no one will ever know. It’s one of the reasons I love coaching! It’s the ULTIMATE habit builder. :)

Anyways, with saying all that, that’s the solution. That’s the ONLY WAY. But I know myself, and I needed to shake things up. I needed to literally ROCK my entire body and let all of the bad habits SURFACE and face them head on like a ninja. So I did a 3 day cleanse. And NO, you guys, this isn’t a juice diet. (insert eye roll ) Why do people do those anyways? Side note: Did you know that “juicing” actually strips all of the GOOD nutrients from the fruit or veggie? Don’t juice an apple, okay. Eat the damn thing. It’s way more beneficial.

Here’s a video to share exactly what I did:

So what were my thoughts?

Honestly, for me, it was necessary. So something I haven’t told you before is that this is my FIFTH time over the last few years doing the 3 day refresh, but the truth is, I am only successful ⅖ times!

Yep, the first time I did it, I HAD to commit so I could truly be a testimony to show others if it was worth it, and this last time I finished it as well.

What happened in between? What happened with the three times I failed? Truthfully, I chose to do it when I didn’t need it. I chose to do it when I was already disciplined, so each time, I’d convince myself at the end of day 3 to eat a protein filled dinner that night.

So if you’re in your groove, no, I don’t recommend it.

This past week has been my most enjoyable experience to DATE. Like EVER. Did I LOVE IT? Absolutely not! But I actually wanted RESULTS this time, and I was excited to see a quick 5 pounds fall off in 3 days. It boosted my confidence, it reminded me that I was capable of seeing a program though, it excited me to wake up and eat healthy and continue on my path back to my best self.

So Why didn’t I love it?

Because I am used to eating A LOT OF FOOD. While I am super busy being a full time mom to a toddler and running a business from home, the hard part is all the meals I am preparing for my daughter! I am constantly surrounded by FOOD. For example, she had cauliflower crusted pizza for dinner last night and what I REALIZED through that was how lenient I had got with picking at her food and eating her leftovers.

With the 3 day refresh, I was HUNGRY. You are consuming about 950 calories, and for someone who works out hard and wants to keep my metabolism up, I am eating about 5-600 more calories than that.

But for the average Joe? No one ever complains about hunger.

My 3 day refresh meal plan?

Day 1:

Breakfast: Shakeology/ ice/ water/ ½ a banana blended.

Mid morning fiber shake

Mid morning cup of decaf tea

Lunch: avocado, banana, and serving of vegetables with a vanilla shake that’s filled with protein to help me stay full.

Afternoon snack: serving of veggies and serving of healthy fat.

Dinner: Vanilla shake, and a dinner option from my provided nutrition guide. It varies from a big salad to stir fried veggies, to a cucumber/tomato salad. + a cup of vegetable broth if needed

Because I am simple, I ate the same thing all 3 days! My grocery bill for 3 days was about 20 dollars. LOL!

My results?

139.4 down to 135.5 : I am actually SHOCKED because I should be starting my period tomorrow, and if you’re anything like me, it’s retention central for the next week, so I can’t imagine if I wasn’t. However, I am only 6 pounds away from my normal weight and I have a feeling after flow passes, I’ll be about 4 pounds away from “goal.”

More than that? My bloat has decreased SIGNIFICANTLY, something I’ve been struggling with for awhile now! My energy is through the roof. I feel like I am thinking more clearly. My confidence is up. I slept like a BABY the last two nights and that’s WITH my husband being gone and I typically don’t sleep well without him.

I feel like it’s important to share my mindset through this before I wrap up. I think it’s important for you to know how much I struggled. I want you to know that LITERALLY over 20x the first two days, I wanted just a lick, just a bite, to “one swiss cake roll in the pantry won’t hurt.” Yes, I should’ve thrown all my Father in Laws treats away when he left, but I saved them assuming my husband would eat them when we got home.

But here was my thought process behind the struggle. I reminded myself it was only three days. I reminded myself that I was doing a great job and that this was so easy in comparison to some actual HARD things I had gone through in my life. I didn’t sit around and read reviews or even engage with anyone who would comment, “ HAHA !! GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!!” and it wasn’t because I knew they weren’t rooting for me, but because I knew how sensitive my mind was, and if even ONE person convinced me it was stupid, I’d fail. I stayed the course, I shared my journey, and most importantly, I achieved my goal of TRICKING MY BRAIN.

You see, for me, when i’m “OFF” my game, even following my normal/lenient meal plan seems difficult. So instead of trying to hop back in it and failing, I wanted to completely SHOCK my mindset and body. I wanted to dive into something that I KNEW would crush my bad habits but more so make me APPRECIATE my normal balanced and healthy meal plan.

So this morning when I woke up and a whole grain waffle, 2 scrambled eggs, and a banana was on my breakfast menu, it felt like the ULTIMATE treat.

One of my FAVORITE things about the refresh? It’s emphasis on WATER. In just three days I am already back in the habit of chugging a huge glass of water first thing in the morning and when I feel hungry for a craving that ISN’T good for me, I chug water and I am immediately satisfied.

My final example to that: While you can have black coffee on the refresh, I chose to not. So this morning on my morning trip to target, I told myself I would treat myself to a nice warm coffee with a splash of almond milk. This was a win for me, because I actually wanted the “healthy” coffee and not my usual caramel mach. But instead of just treating myself, I told myself I could reward myself after I chugged my first bottle of water. So I did. ( I’m working on hydrating better) and what do ya know!!! I was so satisfied from that, that I didn’t even grab a coffee. Instead, I came home, shook up my pre workout, and now I am writing to you and about to go press PLAY.

This was long, but necessary. I want you to know that I am human, that I get in ruts, and I wanted to share in depth some of the struggles I,too, go through. You are never in this alone.

If you’re looking for help in starting your fitness and health journey, please don’t hesitate to click here ! I mean it when I say I’M HERE TO HELP because no one should have to change their life alone.

<3 much love,

NAT

Natalie BaileyJune 28, 2018Comment