My 2-Day Trader Joe's Juice Cleanse

Everything in my life seemed to be going wrong at precisely the same time. So naturally, I determined that avoiding solid food could be the solution to all of my problems - queue the Juice Cleanse! 

Keep reading to find out if I (a chunky girl who struggles with restricting food intake) was able to beat food cravings, whether being on a juice cleanse makes you hangry, and most importantly, did I see results from my juice cleanse, and did they last?

The Trader Joe's products I used for my DIY juice cleanse.

Why Use Trader Joe's Juices? 

If you've ever looked into buying healthy, cold-pressed juice, much less a full juice cleanse plan, you've seen that things get pricey real quick. Being a curly girlie on a budget,  the next best option (that doesn't involve cleaning my pain-in-the-ass blender) was buying my own assortment of juices for the cleanse - this is where the DIY comes in.

Onto the assembling of my assortment of juices.

  

After comparing the offerings at my local grocery stores (Publix, Aldi, Walmart, & Target), I settled on the cold-pressed juices from Trader Joe's which were reputed to be fairly priced and actually somewhat healthy (I'm looking at you, Naked Juice). 

I have never tried any of Trader Joe's cold-pressed juices before but one feature I really appreciated about their products and wish more brands would do is the indication of 'added sugar' on the nutrition label.  Although naturally-derived sugar can be just as detrimental to weight loss as the processed stuff, I felt more confident buying a product I knew wasn't sabotaging my efforts with unnecessary refined sugars.

Goals & Expectations

1. Weight Loss

While weight loss is no doubt at the top of my wishlist, I know that a juice cleanse is not a long-term weight loss solution. Any progress I see on the scale will likely only be the result of shedding water weight. Still, I am hoping that seeing the numbers go down on the scale (for the first time in a long time) will be motivation enough to stick to a healthier diet in the long run.

2. Reset Hunger Cues

Similar to the benefits of fasting and intermittent fasting, going without food for an extended period of time can recalbirate hunger receptors, thus helping me feel full, sooner. One of my biggest weight loss hurdles is that I constantly have cravings for foods throughout the day, even when I'm not hungry. 

3. Curb My Appetite

But the number one cause of my inability to lose weight is that my portions can quickly get out of control. I've tried all the techniques - eating on smaller plates, drinking water before you eat, pouring snacks into a container instead of eating directly out of the bag - but it rarely works. Despite best efforts, I am rarely satisfied by a reasonable serving size. I'm hoping this cleanse will reduce my tendency to overeat.

Rules for My First Juice Cleanse

My DIY juice cleanse involved a liquid fast where I completely abstained from consuming solid food. Why 2 days? Because that's how long all the juice I purchased lasted (when that's all you're consuming, you go through it rather quickly).

There was no maximum calorie count for my juice consumption or a limit on the amount of juice I drank at any one time. However, I did try to limit my consumption to about 16 ounces per "meal " which is what I imagine the standard size of a legit juice detox regimen would be. I also didn't restrict myself to only drinking green vegetable-based juices. Based on what I've read, there's a very strong likelihood that those alone won't be enough to sustain me. As such, I will include plant-based milk if my hunger gets out of control. 

My research on the subject found multiple sources recommending preparing for a juice cleanse by systematically introducing more produce into your diet reducing alcohol, meat, and all other manners of processed foods. Did I do that? Of course not. Motivation is not something that strikes often so I knew I had to take advantage while I had momentum, ready or not. 

 

Results

Day 1

9:45 AM - Wake up and spontaneously decide to go for the juice cleanse I've been considering for a few days. Since I did not prepare, I'll have to go to the store and get all the supplies meaning no breakfast for Tyler :(  

12:30 PM - Spent a solid 20 minutes looking at labels and nutrition facts before settling on just getting one of everything (even the 100% carrot juice ~shudder~). I'm ravenous at this point and decide to kick off my cleanse on the drive home with the Very Green 100% Juice Smoothie. It's really high in sugar - which isn't at all surprising given its ingredient list. Despite having "green" in its name, the first five ingredients are all fruit juices and purees:

• Apple Juice
• Banana Puree
• Mango Puree
• Pineapple Juice
• Kiwi Puree

A single bottle has 28 grams of sugar per serving for a total of 56 grams of sugar for the entire bottle. That's a higher sugar content than a Coke, yikes. But I'm the queen of rationalization so I figure that having the "unhealthiest" juice early in the day will give me the rest of the day to (hopefully) burn off the sugar. 

My initial thoughts are that this smoothie is way too sweet. I don't finish the whole thing and decide to cut it with Trader Joe's notoriously non-delicious Cold Pressed Organic Green Juice Beverage when I get home.

1:00 PM - I am home and despite how lip-curlingly sweet I find it, I've sipped 8 sugar-filled ounces of the Very Green Smoothie. Using a funnel, I poured the Green Juice into the bottle. After giving it a good shake, try my concoction. I only need one word to describe its flavor: celery. 

The mix of the Very Green Smoothie and the Cold Pressed Juice Beverage (not to be confused with the single-serving bottles of the Cold Pressed Green Juice - they are not the same thing) tastes overwhelmingly of celery. For the life of me, I could not be able to tell you what other ingredients were in there. 

While I'm not a fan of celery in raw or cooked form, adding the Green "beverage" was still a huge improvement to the overwhelming sweetness of the smoothie in its original state. My initial hunger pangs have subsided and for the first time today so I'm not thinking about the frozen Trader Joe's mac and cheese balls I have in my freezer.

1:50 PM - The hunger is back. I've consumed about 3/4 of my green juice/smoothie mixture and although it took the edge off of my cravings, my body is very aware that I have a perfectly good bag of Vegetable & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips in my pantry that I am not putting in my belly. 

2:05 PM - I can't stop thinking about food and I've finished the rest of the Very Green Smoothie. Since I added more juice to the remainder of it, it means that I've consumed 24 ounces of juice total and may have to go back to the store sooner than I intended. Fortunately, the hunger pangs have finally dissipated and I can think about other things now. 

3:15 PM - Made the mistake of thinking about how not hungry I was and my tummy immediately started rumbling. Drank a big glass of water and felt much better. I'm going for a little outing to the park in hopes that it takes my mind off my stomach. 

5:25 PM - I’m on the way back home and am suddenly craving pizza. I swear I can smell basil in my car, even though all my windows are up -- there are also no pizza places in the immediate area. I was doing so well before this! I contemplate drinking more juice, but reconsider since I drank more than I intended to this afternoon so I'm going to hold out until dinner time. 

5:40 PM - Home! Chugged 12 ounces of water to stave off my hunger. So far so good.

6:15 PM - Decided to have another juice before my hunger gets the best of me and I give into my cravings. This time I'll try the Red Cold-Pressed Juice (that's actually what it's called: Trader Joe's Cold Pressed Juice Red). Its gorgeous deep-red color is from the main ingredient: beets. 

Since this isn't my first juicing rodeo (love Suja juices and treat myself to them when they were on sale), I'm familiar with beet-based juices and enjoy their earthy sweetness. I am surprised, however, at the prominent ginger flavor in this Trader Joe's version. Listed as the second to last ingredient, I never would've imagined the ginger would come through as strongly as it did. Fortunately, I love all things ginger and it is a welcome surprise. I am doubly excited since ginger has been shown to be an effective appetite suppressant. 

While this veggie-based drink is way healthier than the "green" smoothie, it still has more sugar than I would like (19 grams). However, I'm definitely grateful that all 15.2 ounces of the bottle are considered a single serving so I can drink the entire thing relatively guilt-free. 

7:30 PM - Furiously scrolling on Instagram to avoid acknowledging how hungry I am. I've started to develop a slight headache so I drink another 12 ounces of water. At this point, I've only gone to the bathroom like twice today - pretty surprising given all the liquid I've consumed.

8:00 PM - I'm seriously considering ending my experiment early and just making this an - uh - 10-hour juice cleanse. My headache is starting to ease up so I can give my hunger all of my attention. Joy. 

8:05 PM - Drinking another 12 ounces of water. God I want some chips. 

8:35 PM- The boyfriend brought home, and is now eating, Publix fried chicken. I haven't eaten meat in years but my willpower is being pushed to its limit.

Incredibly, I don't cave. Instead, I have a mug of the Trader Joe's delicious Blueberry Lavender Almond Milk. I know isn't juice, but it's a low-calorie beverage without a lot of sugar (back off, I was hungry when I went shopping. I know it's kind of cheating to include almond milk in a juice cleanse).

12:40 PM - I've been feeling nauseous for a while now, not sure if it's from all the water I've drunk or the lack of food. I was suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion so strong I could only categorize it as violent. I ended up knocking out the second I laid down, without any of my usual nighttime scrolling.

Day 2

9:30 AM - Woke up feeling surprisingly normal - fine even. So good, in fact, that I completely forgot that I had not eaten in 24 hours. I feel energetic and amazingly I'm not hungry (???) - let's see how long that lasts. I step on the scale to see the results of not consuming solid food for 24-hours and am disappointed to see that my weight hasn't budged. 

11:30 AM - Didn't feel like getting out of bed to start off with my morning juice. Until now I haven't felt hungry at all! Even more exciting is that I didn't get hungry once I thought about how not hungry I was.

I am starting off day two of my juice cleanse with a different drink concoction. The base is the same super celery-y drink from yesterday, the Green Juice Beverage, but I decided to go the orange route with Trader Joe's 100% Cold Pressed Carrot Juice. The only ingredient is carrots - yikes. I'm not the biggest fan of them, so I wasn't sure how this was going turn out.  I used 4 ounces of carrot juice and 8 ounces of the Green juice Beverage.

I was pleasantly surprised at the combination. It was not the V8, cold soup taste I expected, but then again, my tastebuds' standards are likely very low in the 24+ hours that I haven't consumed solid food. 

On a brink of genius, I remember that I have 100% ground ginger powder (also from Trader Joe's) that I can use to replicate the delicious ginger kick I got from the Red juice. And if it happens to suppress my appetite as well? I'm not complaining. 

The result: The mixture with the addition of the ginger powder is delicious and I definitely plan on making this mix again.

1:00 PM - Still hanging in there, I try one of TJ's specialty cold-pressed juices. The bottle is adorable and has a different design than the others. The flavor is 'coconut carrot', and since I'm a fan of coconut water, I'm excited to try it. Plot twist! It's revolting and the coconut flavor is way too intense - it tastes more like coconut milk than the refreshing and lightly flavored water derivative. A wholly unpleasant experience, I drink a big glass of water to wash the taste from my mouth.  

1:45 PM - I am actually looking forward to my celery-carrot-ginger mix. It looks absolutely revolting, but it's really effective at curbing my appetite and it really doesn't taste all that bad (the celery flavor is even starting to grow on me). Confident that I've nixed any future hunger pangs, I head out and about for a multi-hour outing. On my drive, I consider calling it quits at nearly every intersection I stop at, surrounded by fast-food drive-thrus whose brightly colored signs are tugging away at my willpower. Fortunately, the lights change before I have time to change lanes and sabotage myself, so my juice cleanse is still intact.

3:10 PM - Running around the city for my errands I am so crazy tempted to stop into every food-serving establishment I pass. I stop in front of a gourmet sandwich shop and scan their menu for at least a solid five minutes. This place is a vegetarian's dream and everything sounds incredible. My frugality ends up saving me, as I convince myself that I would rather buy clothes than spend money on a pricey sandwich. 

5:20 PM - I have returned home, slightly dehydrated (I was in a place without air conditioning), but overall still doing okay. I'm a bit lightheaded so I reward myself for not breaking my fast with a cup of the yummy almond milk beverage. I could easily drink the entire carton (which I consider), but instead, I force myself to have a glass of water to fill my stomach. 

5:30 PM - My hunger cravings are back with a vengeance. All the hunger I didn't feel during the day is now hitting me full force now that I'm back at home without anything to distract me. I cheat and have another generous cupful of my delicious almond milk. I decide to go for another long 4+ mile walk to keep my mind occupied.

7:45 PM - Back from my walk, it's liquid dinner time. I "treat" myself to the Red beverage which is easily my favorite. There's just something about the earthy sweetness of beets that is so satisfying. After showering, I do my full (and extensive) skin routine to help distract me and further discourage me from caving - can't eat when you have a face mask on! 

10:35 PM - Up until this point, I mentally went through every snackable item I had in my pantry and tried to convince myself that having "just a bite" would be okay. Not wanting to lose the bragging rights of saying that I went 48 hours without food, I instead continue to thoroughly waste my time on my phone and keep myself occupied until I'm sleepy enough to call it quits. 

Juice Cleanse Results & Takeaways

The hardest part of the juice cleanse/fast was mental. I found that day two was vastly easier than day one, mainly because I had the mindset of "if  I did it once, I can do it again". Once you believe you're capable of going without food, it becomes far more manageable. Similar to exercising, fasting isn't a battle of you versus your body, but it's you versus your mind. 

Along with this improved mental discipline were actual physiological benefits too. I found my cravings almost entirely gone for the days following my cleanse. Instead, I naturally opted for smaller portion sizes, felt fuller earlier on when eating, and had virtually no desire to eat when I wasn't hungry. 

In terms of weight loss, I only lost about half a pound when I weighed myself after the second day (and I'm pretty sure that was just water weight). To my surprise, I experienced the most significant weight loss results once I started eating again. This is especially surprising because I binged hard after I came off of my fast (which you're super not supposed to do). 

I let myself indulge in Ben & Jerry's and Taco Bell. Yet lo and behold, the next day I found myself a whole 2 pounds lighter. My theory is that my cleanse put my body in starvation mode so my body didn't want to let go of its fat reserves. Me eating again gave my body "permission" so to speak, to use up the carbs and fat I had in storage. While I don't believe the juices directly led to weight loss, I do believe the lack of food revved up my metabolism which also would explain why the effects of my binge caused me to lose weight rather than gain it. 

Would I do this juice cleanse again? 

In a heartbeat! Not only is fasting great for cell rejuvenation and repair, but I definitely see it having long-term benefits with re-establishing my relationship with food, which for years has been dysfunctional and unhealthy. Now, I'm able to naturally do a sort of daily intermittent fasting since I usually don't get hungry until the afternoon. As my appetite creeps back to normal (which it inevitably will), I definitely foresee myself using a short juice cleanse to reset. 

Are you considering a juice cleanse and/or fasting? Let me know in the comments what your strategy will be to stick to your cleanse and which juices you're using!