Review: Juice Cleanse

I've always been so curious about juice cleanses. Do they actually work? Will I really have more energy from drinking a bunch of vegetables? and most importantly- obviously -will I lose weight? 

Here's my thoughts if you'd like to hear:

I bit the bullet yesterday and tried it. I went to Mend Juicery in the Riverwoods shopping center in Provo. It was that, or a more hipster place in downtown Provo called Ivie Juice Bar, which I've been to before and had the Acai bowls which are A+ (though overpriced). I went with Mend. 

It was both horrible and wonderful.

You drink one juice every two hours starting at 8am, and on each alternate hour when you don't have a juice, you're supposed to drink 16oz plain water. No other food except that juice.

This "So Fresh and So Green" was my first juice at 8am. They number them for you so you know what order to go in. It tasted SO. GROSS. I think it was the mint that really put it over the edge. I just guzzled it as fast as possible with a straw. It tasted like cabbage soup and apple juice... topped off with toothpaste. This made me very wary for what lay ahead.

I was mildly full for about 20 min. Then, I got pretty hungry. I drank water, but it didn't help really. In total honesty, I did eat a quarter piece of bread with butter. Then, I just dealt with it till 10am till juice #2, which was a DELICIOUS TREAT compared to the above. It was orange, grapefruit, lemon, and ginger. I drank it while walking Ella to sleep in the stroller.

I was noticeably hungry throughout juice #3 (spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon-- didn't taste tooooo great, the celery flavor was strong) and then it was a bit better. After juice #3, it was weird, I felt full deep down in my stomach, but hungry on top, like when you eat a big salad for dinner, and you're full, but you could definitely go for some french fries still.

Ella's cheese crackers were looking better than they've ever looked. Juice #4 (carrot, orange, beet, cucumber, lime) was pretty tasty. A strong beet flavor, and beets, I like. I drank it in our driveway while Ella napped in the car seat.

I took an adult ballet class at Ballet West that night, and I was scared about the exercise, since all the juice. So, I switched up the order a bit, and drank juice 6 before ballet- it sounded more filling with cashews, dates, and cinnamon vs. the green vegetables of juice 5. And it was. And the cashews tasted pretty good.

The ballet class seriously felt amazing. I didn't feel hungry before, nor weak or anything. I've taken 2 other adult classes recently, and this one definitely felt the best. I felt a little stronger. I was so surprised.

When I got home, I had a lot of energy and an excellent mood. I cleaned the kitchen.

The next morning I had lost 2 lbs. Big whoop. But I'll take what I can get.