I am very poor at looking after myself and it has really become noticeable over the last year. A combination of working from home and not setting myself proper time for breaks so that I can eat well and my workload being massive has meant that I have been eating really badly, gained weight and lost so much energy.
For me when I am in a downward spiral I like the idea of taking time to press reset. To realign the way I think about health and my body. This is why I think juice diets are amazing. They allow your digestive system to have a break as well as helping to combat some of those cravings that we are often slaves to.
I ordered the 5 day Jason Vale juice diet mainly because I have always followed Jason Vale recipes in the past but in the absence of a good juicer I thought this would be the most ideal option. The 5 day plan consists of four juices per day, a ginger shot and an emergency bar should you feel like you really need it. All the juices come frozen so you can defrost and start when you need too. My advice is remember you will need some freezer/fridge space before ordering.
After sharing on my instagram my DM folder soon filled up with messages and questions. Here were the most common ones.
Do You Feel Hungry?
In all honesty no I didn’t. What I did feel were cravings to eat though. If you have children then stepping away from the left overs is particularly tough! In my experience day three is the hardest out of them all. I have no idea why. Maybe initially you are excited and then by day three you really miss food. At this point however my cravings have changed and I actually start dreaming about salad.
How Much Weight Do You lose?
This will vary massively person to person and it is fair to say the majority of the weight loss is water weight. However as I previously mentioned you start to reeducate your body and crave healthier foods. Once the juice diet has ended you should be in a better place to start eating healthy choices. I think you would feel pretty rotten to immediately introduce refined sugar into your diet after giving yourself a break. I lost 4lbs (On day three I ate a quinoa burger so I did fail slightly.)
What Do The Juices Taste Like?
They are really nice. Most of them contain fruit like apples which make them sweeter. Some have a thicker consistency to others but there aren’t any lumps in them so they are easy to drink.
How Will I Feel?
There is a potential that you may have headaches from caffeine withdrawal and on day one I had low energy. However I woke up on day two with so much more energy than I had had in weeks. I feel like the effects of giving your body so many nutrients are visible really fast.
Juice diets aren’t going to be for everyone. Personally I love the idea of not having to think about what I should/shouldn’t be eating. I enjoy the discipline that is part of this type of diet and I love the immediate results you see. Most of us agree the number on the scale dropping is a big factor in encouraging us to continue to make healthier choices. Alongside feeling energised, cleaner and like we have jammed packed our body with nutrients.
Overall I was really impressed with the Juice Master plan and I would definitely do it again in a few months. Now to start meal planning to keep on track!
I am not a health professional. I can obviously only talk about my personal experiences with this juice diet. If you do have any concerns then of course talk to a health professional before trying this type of programme.
If there are any questions I haven’t answered please let me know!
Cara
