Last Presidents Day weekend, I went on a 3 day juice cleanse to get off to a good start for 2013. I was, as usual, overweight but high blood pressure was also threatening me. I was drinking energy drinks, coffee, alcohol, pre work out drinks and taking fat burning pills. I focused on eating protein and vegetables were a side dish.
The cleanse was tough but not too bad.
I lost 7 pounds on the cleanse and haven’t drank any caffeine since other than an occasional green tea. I don’t touch fat burning pills or pre work out drinks. I stopped drinking for about 6 months. Vegetables were my new main dish and red meat the enemy. I played tennis 5-6x a week, sometimes more, got up by 5:30am daily and lost 30 lbs total. I did great till the football season hit. Then, I traded in 2-3x tennis matches a week for sitting down and watching football. I figured out I added anywhere from 10-15 hours a week sitting down and preparing for extra shows or watching games. I went back to poor eating and drinking habits on the weekends. I gained 20 pounds.
I went back to see Roy Atkinson at Tree City and decided to do another juice cleanse and start earlier this year.
Day 1
I started on a work day this year and noticed I was sluggish by noon. I got a burst of energy to get through the show at 6pm but felt tired by the end. I didn’t have any caffeine withdrawal headaches this time so that was a plus. But, the “cleansing” part of the juice fast kicked in and I was going in and out of the bathroom every 30-45 minutes for “#1” thing or “another”( #2). The juices tasted better this time. Maybe it was because Roy was mixing in more tasty ingredients then the previous owners. Still, the juices are nothing to look forward to and it took me sometimes up to 30 minutes to drink 16oz. By the evening, I felt irritable. Normal talking voices were bothering me and I was freezing. I was nodding off and on to sleep but rallied to watch Oklahoma beat Alabama and then fell asleep for good by 10:30pm. I wore socks, sweats, a t shirt and long sleeve pullover to bed. I NEVER DO THAT.
Day 2
I slept longer than usual that night. I skipped playing tennis early Saturday and tried to conserve my energy. I had more hunger pains then Year 1. I cooked breakfast for my family and even went to a restaurant while they ate dinner. It wasn’t that bad. I had decent energy but the diarrhea was a little more frequent then Year 1 so I couldn’t go too far from the throne. I watched 3 football games and fell asleep early. I never really had any big energy bursts for chores. I went out for about 2 hours for a family picture portrait and then to a restaurant. I sat the rest of the time. I wasn’t as cold but still had cold hands and feet.
Day 3
I awoke at 5:15am, my normal time, and felt back to normal. I had a burst of energy, so I took a wheat grass shot and played tennis for about 45 minutes. I got light headed while playing and figured that was enough. My hunger pains kicked in as did some stomach cramping. As the day progressed I got more and more energy. I did chores in and out of the house for about 4-5 hours. My diarrhea went away and even the juices tasted almost good. That was a first. I was able to stay up till about 10pm but had to sleep till 7:30am the next day. That is completely not normal.
Post Cleanse
I have returned to food. For the next 3 days, I will eat bananas, almonds, quinoa with amino, apples, pears, stir fried veggies in olive oil and some potato. I drink water all day and can have some fresh juice. My cravings are limited and I am off to losing weight with an easy 5-7 pounds already down. My energy and focus are good. Go try a 3 day juice cleanse. 
