One Girl's Blue Print Cleanse Diary
Summer marks the beginning of a new metamorphosis for Chicagoans—the city comes alive after a long hibernation; restaurants fling open their windows, farmers' markets spring up, the lake-shore hums with constant activity and for me the start of summer seemed an ideal time to take the leap and do a cleanse. I wanted purge all the heavy meals and sinful culinary indulgences I racked up this winter. And what better way than a short juice cleanse to get me back on track and ready for summer?
I first heard about the Blue Print Cleanse from a friend who mentioned she was doing a cleanse. I didn't think much of, but we made plans to meet for lunch the day after she ended her three-day cleanse. She turned up for lunch literally glowing. Her skin was luminous and hydrated, her eyes were bright and she looked amazing. Plus she exuded a calmness that was enviable. In awe of her fabulous renewal, I told myself I would do the cleanse too. For three days, I told myself, I would conquer my propensity for coffee, my passion for chocolate covered granola bars and my adoration of cheese. And I did. But it was no picnic in the park. I kept a diary during the cleanse to share it as the honest, nitty-gritty truth about how it feels to cleanse from the inside out.
Pre-Cleanse
The Blue Print Cleanse claims that it "gives the digestive track a chance to rest and recover while replenishing the body with vital nutrients.... and gently rids your body of impurities and helps it regain balance." The key to the cleanse is to drink the fresh pressed, unpasteurized juice blends each day for between 3-7 days. Nervous about commitment and my own stamina, I signed on for the shortest possible number of days—three. The Blue Print Cleanse uses a hydraulic press which extracts 3-5 times more vitamins and minerals than a regular juicer and is unpasteurized and raw. Each day, the BPC juices deliver the equivalent of 15-20lbs of fruit and vegetables. Each juice is conveniently labeled so you know which order to drink them in.
The nice Blue Print people warn me via email a few days before my cleanse I should start eating more fruits and veggies with meals and phase out meat, coffee, alcohol. I do none of the above.
Day 1.
My juices arrive that morning in a huge box, cold-shipped priority overnight. I unpack what seems like far too many juice blends to drink in three days time. Six juices of sixteen ounces per day for three days, that's eighteen juice blends. I'm confident, smug even, of course I can do this. I crack my first juice at 10am. It's yummy. Very green tasting, full of lettuce, celery, cucumber, apple, spinach, kale and so on... And to my astonishment, it's quite good, even slightly sweet. I have no trouble tossing it back. The second juice goes down nice and smooth around 12:30, but I am starting to get hungry. I drink herbal tea at Starbucks. A Venti and then I order another.
By 1:00 p.m., I'm chewing gum; lots of it. I daren't ask the Blue Print people if gum is allowed, although they do encourage questions and even provide a cheat sheet if you feel you have to eat something. Recommended "cheat" foods include a few celery stalks, a couple of slices of cucumber and a half a cup of black coffee, none of which could make a dent in my ballooning hunger.
The third drink is downed by 2:00 p.m. The fourth, which is quite light has a sharp heat from the cayenne pepper and is down the hatch by 3:30. I don't touch another drink until 6:30; but I am keenly aware of my growing hunger. The green apples at the gym stare out at me beckoning as though they were a three-layer chocolate cake. Ravenous, I slog through juice five, which is again, very green and not at all difficult to drink, particularly with my stomach grumbling. I can't wait for my cashew milk drink, the last of the day, which turns out to be the best of the six juices. I'm on the home stretch of day one. I don't feel any different, just hungry. I fall into bed early and sleep like a log.
Day 2.
I wake up feeling peppy; chug half of the first juice blend and happily bike off to the gym. I go through my regular routine working out, return home to finish the last of juice 1. No hunger pains so far today. As I sit working at my desk sipping herbal tea, hunger sneaks in slowly and then begins to multiply. At 11:30 a.m. I get up and have green juice numero two. I'm satiated, but only for about a half hour. I'm hungry again by 12:15. I open green juice three and take dainty sips before heading out for afternoon appointments. A new feeling creeps in, one of victory. I'm doing this cleanse come hell or high water. At 4:00 I gingerly sip the spicy lemonade that is drink four of the day and I chew a big fat mouthful of gum.
Later that evening, I order a green tea as I chat with a girlfriend. We talk about the cleanse. She says anyone can do something for three days. Yeah, I audibly agree, but doubt is creeping in. Can I really do this? My stomach growls. I open and steadily drink green juice five. After leaving my girlfriend to go home for a real dinner, the kind that you chew, I go for a long walk; I feel better. When I get home, I drink two glasses of water with lemon. And shortly after I gleefully open the cashew milkshake and slowly savor it over the next half hour. I look at myself carefully in the mirror. Does my skin look better? I think it might...
Day 3.
Day three starts out like the last two with a bit of hot water with lemon followed by juice one. But what happens next, is definitely not on par with the previous two days' schedule. I had foolishly volunteered to help a friend. While the lifting was pretty light, it was a blustery day, and the winds made the experience even more uncomfortable. By mid-day, I'm feeling less than stellar and not so happy about being stuck in an elevator sandwiched between bookcases and end tables. I want to sit down with a cup of tea and a book. I drink juice 1 and 2 and part of 3 before 1:00 p.m. to keep up with the pace of the move.
Post move, I regretfully turn down the invite for a late lunch from my girlfriend and instead head to Starbucks where I drink a massive herbal tea and read a magazine. I have schedule an acupuncture appointment at Exhale Spa and I head over a bit early to use the steam room and relax. On the way there I down juice four.
The steam room feels wonderful and I follow it up with glasses of cucumber water and lounge about. I meet with Kathleen, my acupuncturist and the most dynamic energetic woman I've met in ages. I tell her about the cleanse and she decides we should work on my digestion to go along with the cleanse. She places needles into meridian points in my feet, shins, stomach and hands. It's not painful, just oddly relaxing.
I leave with more energy than I've had all day and again, surprisingly my hunger obsession seems to have gone on a vacation. Once home, I drink juice five. I do some writing on the computer and within a half hour, I'm famished. I drink tea, no luck, the hunger lingers. I open up and drink half of the cashew milkshake. I'm panicked. It's only 6:00 and I've downed the last juice. Will I make it? At 7:00 I watch a movie on my laptop bed with my husband. He says, he thinks I'm crazy. I ignore him, although secretly I'm having similar thoughts. Until I notice that my stomach is uncannily flat. "Progress," I tell myself, "See it's all worth it, almost there."
Post Cleanse Day 4.
I wake up the next day and feel good—no I feel stellar, amazing, vindicated! I've made it through the cleanse! The lovely Blue Print people email me about getting back on to regular food after the cleanse. Per their suggestions, I have fruit for breakfast and drink tea. I meet a friend for lunch and order a small salad, that surprisingly I can't finish. I'm full. It feels wonderful to be eating solid foods again, but I find that I'm craving smoothies and green juices.
And yes, my skin does look incredibly hydrated and my eyes seem brighter. I look rested. My stomach is flatter, and my pants fit a bit better than three days ago. The beauty results that I witnessed in my friend are all there. Hooray!
But the most amazing and unpredictable result of the Blue Print Cleanse is that I feel as though someone has pressed an internal reset button. I have a new respect for my body and am more careful as to what I'm putting in it. I'm not mindlessly noshing on snacks while staring off into space. I'm aware of how I feel. I think before I eat. I’m utterly in control of my appetite and my food. It's a powerful feeling and it's all come about in a surprisingly short amount of time.
Blue Print Cleanse will deliver to any city in the US via Fed Ex overnight. In NYC, you can pick up or deliver.
https://store.blueprintcleanse.com/#orderpage
The cleanse can also be picked up at Exhale Spa in Chicago. www.exhalespa.com
