Our thoughts on the BluePrint Cleanse

So it's been awhile and we've been thinking....here are our final thoughts on our first cleansing experience.



 

Why did you do it?
K: Curiosity was a big reason. I read a lot about the benefits of cleansing and I wanted to see how it would work for me, and if I could do it. I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to know if I'd really have more energy, focus, and clarity.

L: I was pretty curious to see if I could do it. I am really good at being strict with do's & dont's when it comes to food. I am terrible at moderation, so I figured that this would be a good mental test - on top of the fact that Kristen was doing it. I thought it would be fun to do together.

How did you feel?
K: I never felt hungry during the mornings and afternoons. I did start to get cravings around 4 or 5pm every day, but since I spaced out the juices it never got THAT bad, except for that one time at the movie theater. I felt full of energy which I was really surprised by because I typically need coffee in the morning and again at least once during the day to keep my energy up. I felt super focused, as though I had consumed a lot of caffeine but without the jitters.

L:I really felt great & I am not making that up. I was surprised at how great I felt.The hardest part was not having the rituals that go along with eating. I am mover so when I wake up in the morning I like to get a GIANT iced coffee & smoke a cigarette. Instead I was drinking something that looked like sea weed. My whole day is typically broken up by what we are eating, when are we eating and who we are eating with. During the cleanse I just had Kristen & my juice.

K: Actually, I agree with Louis on that. Searching for recipes, planning meals, going to the market, preparing food, and enjoying it together is something I really missed during the cleanse. I know it was only three days, but I felt like I didn't know what to do with myself a few times - especially after work and on the weekend. So physically I felt amazing. Emotionally? Deprived!

How did you sleep?
K: The sleep was one of my favorite parts of the cleanse. I am a really light sleeper and need earplugs and eye covers in order to fall asleep. I wake up a few times during the night and although I am a morning person I often wake up still feeling sleepy. During the cleanse, by the end of each day, I didn't feel overly exhausted, I just felt ready for bed. I didn't wake up during the night and felt like I slept really heavily. I woke up easy in the mornings and actually did feel energetic and rested.

L: I passed right out & slept great. Part of the reason must have been because Kristen slept so great and I did not have to deal with her moving around non stop.

Did you lose weight?
K: I do not weigh myself on a regular basis because I live a healthy lifestyle. I find that focusing on what I actually weigh is not productive. When I first started working out, though I was happy with the results, as I gained weight from building muscle I would get frustrated. So I stopped weighing myself. I did step onto the scale before the cleanse just because I wondered if I'd lose weight or just water weight from this. I lost 4 pounds during the cleanse. I have been weighing every couple of days and I've gained back 1 pound back, but kept a total of 3 pounds off. While weight loss wasn't my goal, I know it is for some people so I figured I'd track it. If you have a lot of extra weight to lose and weight loss is your goal, you will most likely lose more weight and if you maintain healthy habits afterward, you should be able to keep it off. This cleanse is a great way (in my opinion) to jump start your healthy lifestyle routine.

L: I lost about 9lbs & I was super pumped but of course I gained 6 back.

Do you feel any different now?
K: Actually, yes! While I don't feel AS amazing as I did on the cleanse, I've been motivated to make some changes in my day to day life which have kept me feeling great. During the cleanse I realized that I really require a lot less food to make me feel satisfied. I also became aware of the foods that I crave and don't crave. I decided that unless I was really having a desire for one of the unhealthy things we eliminated during that week, I wasn't going to have them. Also, I hardly crave anything bad anymore. Before the cleanse I maintained a healthy diet, however there were times that I craved pizza, french fries, cheese, chocolate, cake, etc. Now, I really don't crave any of those things except chocolate and I don't even feel the need to have that as much as I used to.

I've kept a few things out of my diet - dairy (minus the chocolate) and coffee. I don't want to be someone who requires a special menu and diet in social situations (not that there's anything wrong with that), so for family/friend get togethers I have had cheese a couple times, but I have stopped keeping it in our home, ordering it out, snacking on it, and adding it to everything I make for a bit of extra flavor. We rarely had milk at home before as I have never been much of a milk drinker, and I eliminated yogurt from my diet a few months ago. I used to add yogurt to smoothies to bulk them up a bit, or I'd enjoy it with fruit, but since it's not a flavor I must have regularly nor do I need it for nutrition, I cut it out of my diet. As for the coffee, I haven't had any in 1 month (well, 1 month Wednesday). If I want it, I'll get it, but I just haven't been in the mood. I've been enjoying lots of tea and limit teas with caffeine to morning time only.

L: I really blew it after the cleanse, I was so pumped about how great we did & how healthy we were eating pre & post but as soon as there were no more rules I could not resist the temptation of bacon egg and cheese sandwiches at the local bodega. I will say I do feel even more guilty every time I eat something bad but I am really trying to get back on track.

Would you do it again?
K: We are both ready for the second cleanse and are just trying to figure out the right time. I think, after our Cali vacation, and again after May. We crave juice all the time, and have been getting it at Organic Planet a few times each week. I still need to get a new juicer that lets me use leafy greens and more veggies, but for now the corner store works for me.

L: I cant wait to do it again, its a little pricey which is a major bummer but I think its worth it.

We love the juice!!

If you have any specific questions about juicing or BluePrint Cleanse, feel free to reach out!

BluePrint Cleanse :: Day 3

7:30am Can't believe I didn't eat a jar of peanut butter last night. Back to bed now.

9:45am Time to wake up. Feeling good, skinny, ready to get this day going.

10:45am To gym or not to gym...

11:30am Made it. Strong, motivated, feels good to move and stretch.

1pm So gorgeous out. Ready to enjoy the day...refreshed and satisfied.

2pm Full from PAM. Catching up on my shows from the week while Lucy and DeFab snooze.

4:30pm Trekking through the mall...cleanse activity. Stay away from Cinnabon.

6:30pm Starbucks hot tea to tide me over till movie time.

7:30pm Prepared tonight...brought my beet juice. Today is a million times better than yesterday...not too hungry or having any crazy cravings.

9:46pm I can't believe we haven't had food for three days.

10pm Still love the cashew milk.

10:49pm Ready for Cleanse 2...who needs food?

We broke the cleanse this morning. I actually feel like I could continue juicing another day. Addicted to juice! Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weekend. I'm praying today passes really slowly...once Louis gets home from work, of course. 

*Recap of my thoughts on this whole experience will be up in a few days! 

BluePrint Cleanse :: Day 2

Day two...started out great. I wasn't hungry and actually had to remind myself to drink the juices. I had tons of energy...felt like I'd had lots of coffee but without the jitters or caffeine crash. I figured the evening would be piece of cake. CAKECAKECAKECAKE. I saved my -before heading home- drink until just before I left the office so that I could avoid the subway cravings.

No worries. Got home and was thrilled to see that during Louis's cleansing boredeom (#weeatforfun) he cleaned the entire apartment. What a lovely site to come home to!! It was about 6:30pm and as I sat on the couch thinking about our night, and Saturday...it's the weekend for G's sake..I became DEPRESSED. Not really depressed, but antsy, irritated, and over it. Physically I was feeling amazing - clean, energetic, light...but mentally I wanted to chop, chop, chop, stir, sautee, roast, chomp, crunch, devour.

We decided to go to a movie. Oz the Great and Powerful. What better time to see a movie?! The intoxicating smell of buttery popcorn, people sipping sizzling soda, kids jamming wads of gummies and chocolates into their faces. No problem. Two bottles of water for us. My insides ached. I wanted pancakes. I tried to block it out, but wasn't sure how Louis was holding up so well, when I felt ready to break. I guess we know who has the mental strength in this duo. It did ended up being a good distraction, but I was just ready to get home to my favorite milkshake (telling myself it's a milkshake)...the cashew milk.

We went to bed soon after. Couldn't wait the whole 2 hours of digesting time. I still love this and am so happy to be doing it....but I am glad there is only 1 day left because eating is fun. And I'm ready to eat.

BluePrint Cleanse :: Day 1

I woke up feeling super excited that we were finally going to drink our juices!! I drank another detox water (hot water, lemon, cinnamon) and was off to the gym. I had an awesome workout, which again surprised me because I typically have coffee before I go to the gym. My energy level and mood were great despite no caffeine! When I got home I got ready for work before taking my first sip...

Green Juice. Now I've been reading lots of reviews about the BP green juice and they simply do not do it justice. I have no idea why anyone would not like this. Apple and lemon are the most prominent flavors with just a touch of cucumbery, green goodness. Louis and I both had no trouble at all getting this down and actually really liked it.

I had a cup of tea and a few waters once I got to work, but felt plenty satisfied and was able to wait until 12:15pm for my 2nd juice, Pineapple Apple Mint. This is the one they sell at my corner store and I cannot stop buying for myself. It's so delicious.

I drank my next two, another Green and the Lemon Cayenne Agave between 2pm and 4pm. The lemon one I also get at the store frequently and it is like a spicy lemonade. I like it because I can't drink it too quickly even though I love the taste (I drink the PAM in about 3 minutes). I was never super hungry, just knew it when it was time for the next one.

When it was time for me to head home, I started getting a little hungry. On the subway, I suddenly became ravenous. And anxious. Am I going to have to turn to the celery sticks?? Will I have to buy another juice (if so can it be the PAM)? Louis must be famished. How will we fill the time allllll night???? I felt a little crazy by the time I got home. I quickly downed two glasses of peach detox tea and felt much better. I managed to wait an hour before having my Beet Juice (apple, carrot, beet, lemon, ginger). We also saw lots of negative reviews about this beet juice - in fact it was one reason Louis originally wasn't wanting to do this cleanse. BEET JUICE AAHHHH. Turns out, like the green juice, all of the flavors combined are completely delicious. I could definitely taste the beet and carrot and although I love both of those veggies, mixed with apple, lemon and ginger they are super tasty. Most likely anything mixed with apple, lemon, and ginger is amazing!! This one was Louis's fave of the day.

We chatted about a few things, talked with Dahni (cousin Dahni), discussed a few movies, and ended up watching the 80's movie...The Heathers. I really liked it...funny...a little dark. Winona Ryder is so pretty and adorable! I grabbed my last juice, Cashew Milk, about thirty minutes into it. I wasn't really hungry at all  but I wanted to finish all the juices two hours before we went to bed. Oh. Man. I LOVED this one! Cashew, water, cinnamon, vanilla, agave.......all blended together like a smoothie! This one was thicker than the rest and reminded me of something I'd make for a dessert. On the contrary, Louis wasn't crazy about the ole cashew. Maybe he'll like it better tonight?!?

Overall, I felt energized and alert all throughout the day, almost as if I'd had a cup of coffee. I had one 45 minute period where I felt really hungry, but I think that it was completely mental and because of my typical evening routine. It's weird coming home and not prepping, cooking, and cleaning up! It leaves a lot more time in the night. Once I settled down and gave myself a pep talk, I was good to go. I actually ended up being really full after the beet and cashew juices so I'll probably spread them more out from now on.



The only one not thrilled about this cleanse is Lucy. She hates no extra snacks throughout the day!! Poor girl!!!

Hope everyone is excited it's Friday and ready for the weekend!!!

Blueprint :: Pre-Cleanse Day 2

Our second day pre-cleansing was great! We had delicious, healthy food that I'm craving again today. We've now eliminated meat, dairy, coffee, and refined sugars.

Here's what we did - It's a his/hers kinda thing:

First thing (5:30am) - Prior to working out I had raspberry tea, this time I had it cold instead of hot because I was in a rush.

Breakfast (8am)- Louis had apple peanut butter. I came up with my new favorite breakfast/snack/dessert ever - pear with a drizzle of peanut butter and cinnamon.

Snack (10:30am) -  I've really been trying to hold out until lunch before having a snack, so I had a hot peach detox tea to tide me over. I made Louis another wrap, similar to the last one, only this time I left out the chicken and added red bell pepper.

Lunch (12pm) - Louis ate out for lunch and got an arugula salad no cheese or meat....so proud of him! It was at his favorite chicken wing spot and he was with a group of guys so that took a lot of willpower. I made myself a spinach/arugula mix with yellow bell pepper, avacado, tomato, cucumber, sliced garlic, and lemon juice with a few blackberries on the side.

Snack (3pm) - Louis had cucumber chips and he loved them! Sliced cucumbers with salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and sesame seeds. I tried one and it was crunchy and full of spice and flavor. Another option for cucumber chips is to use lemon pepper...so good. My snack was celery sticks, red bell pepper, and blackberries.

Dinner (6pm) - I was nervous about dinner because we decided last minute to go to a Broadway Show (Annie!) which meant that we'd need to eat out, and find something that fit into the pre-cleanse criteria. There's a place near my work called Dig Inn, which I normally avoid because I always leave feeling insanely full and heavy. This time, I left out the brown rice, tofu, and cheese which left me feeling satisfied and not stuffed. We both got pretty much the same thing - sweet potatoes, kale with apples, cabbage, cauliflower, over fresh spinach with guac and red pepper sauce on the side. This was SO delicious. I can't wait to go back and order the same thing again.

Later Snacks - I knew we weren't going to be able to avoid snacks during/after the show. I brought two individual packs of almonds with us to the show to chomp on during intermission while everyone else enjoyed their chocolately treats and goodness. When we got home, I made another peanut butter banana shake for us because we were "starving"...probably just tired. I know late night eating is no good, but we chose a healthy option that does fit into the cleanse criteria so I only felt a LITTLE guilty about it.

  

 

 

  



That's it for now!! Doesn't that dinner look sooooo delicious??? 

Blueprint :: Pre-Cleanse Day 1

Did anyone else notice the beautiful sunshine this morning? I left for the gym at 6am, when it's normally pitch black outside, and was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the daylight. I'm so excited for brighter mornings and evenings. I'm ready for spring!! 

So today was Day 1 of the Pre-Cleanse, which I must say is pretty similar to what we eat every day. HOWEVER...since I kept reminding myself "cleanse, cleanse, cleanse, detox, skinny, healthy, detox", I did feel a bit hungrier than normal by 5pm. Most things relating to health/feelings/appearance are quite mental for me so this came as no surprise.  My main goals for today were to eliminate coffee and dairy - refined sugars are definitely more of a treat for us and we already eat pretty low carb. What I took from the Blueprint, is that the point of the pre-cleanse is to start preparing yourself do without things you normally indulge in, a little at a time. 

Since Louis and I are doing this together, I figure that we will need to approach the pre-cleanse a bit differently from each other. I already eat around the same number of calories that you get on the actual cleanse, but obviously Louis and I don't eat the same amount each day. He eats a little more of everything. He also typically eats on the run during the days, while I have the luxury of a kitchen at work to prepare my food and eat at a table or my desk. For today, I made him a little bit extra to help get through the day. Tomorrow I'll change it up for him a bit, eliminating all meat. 

Here's what we did - It's a his/hers kinda thing:

First thing (5:30am) - Prior to working out I normally have water and a coffee. Today I had a raspberry hot tea that has a little caffeine.   

Breakfast (8am) - Apple with peanut butter. This is a pretty standard breakfast or snack for us. I made two pitchers of iced tea, the kind mentioned above as well as a Peach Detox (caffeine free). I squeezed half a lemon in each. I had a glass of peach with my breakfast, Louis had a glass or two throughout the day. Both flavors are really delicious without any kind of sweetener. 

Snack - I had a peppermint caffeine free tea when I got to work. I'm used to making a coffee, so I needed some sort of kitchen activity.

Lunch (12pm) - Louis went for his wrap (probably a little before 12) and I had the salad. The wrap is low carb, 6 total net carbs, everroast chicken, cucumbers, arugula, pepper, oregano. The salad was pretty hearty today because I was afraid of getting hungry (even though I make a salad every day for lunch...it's mental I'm telling you). It was a mix of arugula and spinach, red bell pepper, sliced garlic, tomatoes, almonds, cucumbers, shaved carrots, avocado, topped with lemon juice. 

Snack (3pm) - Louis had his salad and an apple with peanut butter. I chopped up an apple into bite size pieces...a little trick that feels like you're eating more than you actually are.

I had another hot tea, caffeine free lemon before heading home from work.

Dinner (7pm) - Halibut topped with salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, and paprika pan seared for 4 minutes on each side in a little sunflower seed oil. Steamed broccoli and cauliflower along with a side salad. 

Post Dinner (7:30pm) - Peanut butter banana milkshake.....I can't tell you the details on this because I'll be posting my recipe for this soon - but it's dairy free, sugar free, super low cal and carb....also delicious.

 

As you can see we really had no reason to be hungry at all today. I've been cutting back on cheese/dairy for awhile now so it wasn't too much of a change although I do normally enjoy a little feta or fresh parmesan on my salad and veggies. 

Tomorrow we will phase out a bit more!! 

Happy Monday!! Hope you enjoyed the beautiful day as much as I did.