Review: Dr. Oz's 3 day Cleanse

A few days ago a girlfriend of mine messaged me asking if I knew anything about cleanses. I replied that I didn't know much and would try to look into it, but before I got the chance she sent me this link:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet

I checked it out and it seemed fairly straight forward and not all that restrictive so we both decided to give Dr. Oz's cleanse a go. 

I headed out to the grocery store armed with my list of required foods and was able to find most items here which was great! And so we started the cleanse which consisted of:
a morning cup of green tea combo'd with lemon slices and stevia, a breakfast smoothie, lunch smoothie, snack smoothie and dinner smoothie! Basically a whole lotta liquid meals! You are also asked to take a multivitamin, probiotic and omega 3 supplement. 

Day 1: The green tea is nice in the morning and is a decent replacement for my usual 2 cups of coffee. The breakfast smoothie is REALLY good and very filling! By lunch time I am feeling a little hungry and so I blend up the next drink: this one is not so good and has a very thick consistency. I force it down over the next 2 hours...
I chose to have the breakfast smoothie again for my snack and it reminds me of eating a PB and J sandwich!! Manage to put off "drinking" dinner until about 7pm- I blend up the dinner drink and ugh I do not really enjoy this one either- it calls for a pinch of cayenne pepper and you can really taste it. I am a little sad knowing that I won't be able to enjoy my breakfast smoothie until tomorrow morning! For the cleanse you are also supposed to have a lavender and epsom salt bath each night, however, we only have a stand-up shower here, so I have to skip this part!  I head to bed feeling a little hungry.

Breakfast Smoothie- yum!

Lunch being prepared

Lunch smoothie... a little thick for my taste!

Day 2: Wake up super excited for my green tea and breakfast smoothie! It is very satisfying after my disappointing dinner last night. The routine is much the same as Day 1, however for the dinner drink I skip the cayenne pepper because I just couldn't handle the taste. For most of the day today, I have a headache- I think probably from lack of coffee. I try to drink as much water as I can and it helps a bit. After dinner I am really hungry and have the urge to eat something!! I decide to have a cup of hot water with lemon slices and this stops me from heading to the fridge.

Ingredients for dinner

Dinner smoothie sans cayenne

Day 3: I wake up happy this morning knowing that this is the last day of the cleanse and tomorrow I will be able to eat real food again! This gives me the motivation to finish without cheating! I have my breakfast drink a little bit later today and am not hungry again until about 2pm so instead of choking down the lunch drink I decide to skip straight to the snack. For some reason I decide it is a good idea to make cookies for a friend and manage to do so without eating any of the batter or finished product- a true test of willpower!! Blend up my dinner drink knowing this is the last smoothie I will drink for a while. Head to bed feeling proud of myself for completing the cleanse :)

Overall, I felt like this cleanse was pretty easy to follow and never really left me feeling hungry. I did miss chewing my food and drinking my morning coffee! In terms of any changes I noticed after, I did feel less bloated and probably lost a few pounds. It also made me take notice of the processed foods I had been eating and has inspired me to make a more conscious effort to eat more fresh and healthy foods. I will also continue with the supplements and try to incorporate the breakfast smoothie into my daily routine!

Dr. Oz recommends doing this cleanse 3-4 times per year, so when May rolls around we'll see if I am up for it again...

xo

Ash