10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse: Lose Up to 15 Pounds in 10 Days! (4 page)

Chapter 5
JJ’s Personal Tips for Success

Here are a few tips that will help you be successful!

Join our Facebook group.
Get support, encouragement, and tips from me and others at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Green.Smoothie.Cleanse/

Blender size will make a difference.
Use a high-speed blender (around 1000 watts), such as Vitamix, Blendtec, or Nutribullet. With a high-speed blender, you should only have to blend for 30 seconds to one minute until your smoothie is creamy and smooth. However, if you have a regular blender, then plan on doubling the blending time to one to two minutes.

Add protein to your shake.
Extra protein is not mandatory for this cleanse, which is why you will see it listed as optional. However, as a nutritionist, I recommend adding one scoop of protein per day because it will help keep you feeling full longer and your metabolism revved up. The protein can make the smoothie taste slightly pasty, so try the smoothie first without it and then add the protein to see if it is palatable to you. Since you will be avoiding dairy (cow’s milk) during the cleanse, be sure you use a non-dairy, plant-based protein powder, such as rice, soy, or hemp protein, and not whey protein powder, which is made from cow’s milk. My favorite brands are RAW Protein by Garden of Life, Sunwarrior’s Protein Blend, or Rainbow Light’s Acai Berry Blast Protein Energizer. However, there are other quality options also. Other great sources of protein include hard-boiled eggs, raw or unsalted nuts and seeds, especially chia seeds or flaxseeds, and unsweetened peanut butter.

Chew your smoothies.
Try to go through the chewing motion as much as possible, as the saliva in your mouth starts the digestive process. So, in as much as you can remember, try “chewing” your smoothie. This will also help minimize gas and bloating.

Expect your weight to fluctuate.
While detoxing, you may gain on some days, while other days you may lose weight. This is perfectly normal. Weight fluctuates due to three things in the body: muscle, fat, and water. Muscle weighs the most—that’s why you can work out and build muscle and thereby
gain
weight. But you’re actually making progress by building muscle because it will help you burn fat all day long. For women, water is the biggest culprit, due to our hormones.

Many of us gain five to ten pounds of water weight during our cycle. For some, excess salt/sodium causes water to be trapped under the tissues in the body, making us weigh more and look bloated and puffy! So don’t sweat it if your weight loss is a little up and down. When it’s up every week, week after week, then you know you have a problem! Also, look into getting a Tanita scale—it will tell you your weight and percentage of muscle, fat, and water in the body. This is helpful for people who work out!

Remove the stems from your greens.
Many greens such as kale, collards, etc., come packaged without the stems, but if not, be sure to destem the stalks from all green veggies, as they alter the taste quite a bit. I like to buy my greens already destemmed.

Rotate your greens.
All greens have certain types of alkaloids in them. Now, these alkaloids are in very small, unharmful amounts, but if you continually take in the same type of greens week after week, you can get a buildup of that type of alkaloid and suffer serious health issues. The easiest way to avoid this is to rotate your greens. One week, buy spinach, the next week, kale, the next week, romaine lettuce. Or you can buy two greens for one week and then two different greens the following week. The goal is to rotate different greens into your smoothies each week. There are plenty of green leafy veggies to choose from.

Use ripe fruit.
Ripe fruit is more digestible because of the live enzymes in it. If you buy it less than ripe, allow it to get ripe before you use it in the blender.

Use frozen fruit.
Feel free to use frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit. Frozen fruit is cheaper and has just as much, if not more, of the nutritional value of fresh fruit. Also, fresh fruit can go bad within a few days, but you won’t have this problem with frozen fruit.

Add ice.
If all your fruit is fresh, use ice in place of the water to ensure the smoothie is cold.

Make it taste good.
The recipes can be slightly altered to taste. So feel free to add more ice or water if your smoothie is too thick for your taste. Also, feel free to add more stevia to sweeten, if necessary. Stevia is a natural herbal sweetener that won’t cause blood sugar spikes. You can add more fruit to sweeten as well. It’s important that the smoothie taste good to you so you will continue with the cleanse.

Drink plenty of water.
Ideally, drink 64 ounces per day, as it helps to flush out toxins. If you’re drinking enough water, you will urinate frequently when you begin this detox, which is normal and a good thing!

Drink herbal and detox teas.
Herbal teas are an important addition to your cleanse. Not only will herbal teas help you feel less hungry, they can also aid in the detoxification process. Good herbal teas to include are chamomile, peppermint, green tea, dandelion root, ginger, milk thistle, sarsaparilla, and ginseng. However, my favorite brand designed specifically for cleansing is a Detox Tea by Triple Leaf and Yogi brands. Be sure to add stevia to taste.

Diabetics, use low-sugar fruit!
People with diabetes have to closely monitor their sugar intake with each meal. The biggest concern for diabetics is the natural sugar content in green smoothies. It is recommended that diabetics or those who suffer with candida use only low-sugar fruits such as apples, grapefruits, lemons, limes, cherries, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, goji berries, and blueberries. Moderate-sugar fruits include peaches, oranges, pears, apples, pomegranates, and plums. The high-sugar fruits are apricots, melons, kiwis, mangos, papayas, pineapples, bananas, dates, figs, raisins, and grapes. Be sure to monitor your blood sugar throughout the day to see that the numbers are stable! And, of course, get your doctor’s permission before you proceed with the cleanse.

Keep your bowels moving.
Your bowels should move one to three times per day, optimally, and never less than once a day. It is absolutely imperative that your bowels move toxins out of your system while cleansing. If you haven’t had a bowel movement in over 24 hours, there are two methods to get your bowels moving. Method 1: Use the saltwater flush (SWF), which involves drinking uniodized sea salt with water. To tolerate the taste, you can drink two teaspoons of sea salt in eight ounces of water to make it go down and then follow immediately with three more 8-ounce glasses of water. Do this first thing in the morning while you have an empty stomach, and you will have several bowel movements within thirty minutes to an hour. Method 2: One product that really works wonders at getting at the old fecal matter in your colon is Mag07, which I highly recommend. Take three to four pills at bedtime and you can look forward to a heavy bowel movement in the morning. Many of my clients use Mag07 for regular colon cleansing.

Don’t starve yourself.
Be sure to snack between smoothies. This is
not
a starvation diet. Great snacks are high-protein ones, such as unsweetened peanut butter or hard-boiled eggs. You can also snack on uncooked veggies, fruits, and unsalted or raw nuts and seeds (just a handful).

Go easy on the fruit.
Yes, they hide the greens, but too much fruit will spike your blood sugar, cause headaches, and give you an uncomfortable feeling under your skin. Pick a new fruit each day, or if you must, add several different fruits in very small doses. Although it’s natural sugar, your body doesn’t know the different between nature’s sugar and high fructose, other than its addictive properties! So don’t overdo it on the fruit!

Detox family and friends.
Sometimes you need to detox your emotions as well as your body by withdrawing from family and friends who discourage you, tell you “you can’t do it” or “you’re not ready to do it,” blah blah blah! If there is negative talk coming from some people in your life, I would encourage you to limit the amount of time you spend with them. We all have enough negative thoughts on our own without people adding to them! Don’t gravitate to people who tell you you can’t do something. Know that when you start this cleanse, you will want to give up. It’s normal. But I know that sometimes the only way to grow in life is to be uncomfortable. How else do you grow mentally, spiritually, and physically? When you cheat or mess up, it’s no big deal. I guarantee you that if you cheat a little bit one day on the cleanse, you are still eating better than you’ve been eating most days prior to the cleanse. We call that progress! You are right where you’re supposed to be on this journey! Uncomfortable, irritable, doubtful, cranky. And then one day, the joy, the energy, and the feeling of accomplishment settles in. Don’t you want that feeling?

Prepare to be uncomfortable.
For the first few days, you will feel hungry and irritable. Snack until your body adjusts to less food. You can snack to get rid of the hunger. However, if you snack all day, you will not lose as much weight. But don’t worry about that. You have to focus on getting your body through this process if you stand any chance of breaking unhealthy eating habits. The body has the natural ability to maintain your ideal weight if you focus on getting healthy. As the days go on, you will want less food and will learn to eat in moderation. You are training your body to have better eating habits. So go through the process, be uncomfortable from time to time, and let your body reward you for it in the end. Many of us eat out of habit and boredom—that’s called emotional hunger, not physical hunger. This is a perfect time to learn the difference between the two.

Follow the ten recipes provided for the cleanse.
I encourage you to follow the ten specific recipes as they are listed in this book. The ten days of recipes are designed for detox
and
weight loss. The ten recipes are nutritionally balanced with proteins, carbs and healthy fats. Don’t substitute the water with other liquids. As an example, coconut water may make a smoothie taste better, but it is also high in natural sugar. This means that if you’re trying to break a sugar addiction, coconut water will slow the process of breaking that addiction. After the ten days, as you continue on your green-smoothie journey, feel free to add other fruits, oils, veggies, and some of the superfoods listed in this book. You have a whole lifetime to get creative with green smoothie recipes.

Build a green-smoothie recipe box.
Every time you drink a smoothie, write the recipe down on an index card and give it a score on a scale of 1 to 10. That way you’ll build up a store of recipes that you love. In the Appendix and FAQs section, there is a list of websites with tons of great recipes you’ll want to try after the ten-day cleanse.

Focus on getting healthy, and the weight loss will follow.
If you’re doing the cleanse for fast weight loss, you’re totally missing the point! Getting on the scale every day is a waste of time. You will not lose pounds every day, and guess what, some days you may actually gain weight because your body is adjusting during the cleansing process. So prepare yourself for the journey! Don’t waste time being discouraged by the scales. Don’t let the scales become your enemy! Most folks lose between 10 and 15 pounds on the full cleanse. Sure, a few have lost less than nine, but some have lost as much as 20! However, the focus is on healthy eating and healthy living. Look at your energy level, skin, sleep, and digestion. If you focus on fast weight loss, you’ll be on a diet for life. I’m done with dieting! Ninety-five percent of people who lose weight on a fad diet gain it back in three to five years. You need to change your eating habits for life. You will re-train your taste buds to desire healthier foods. Embrace a lifestyle change where you desire and crave healthy foods, where you never have to count calories and serving sizes, and you truly won’t have to diet again! Focus on getting healthy, and the weight loss will follow.

Expect detox symptoms
. This is important to understand, and I explain in detail what you can expect in the next section. Please read on.

Expect and Welcome Detox Symptoms

You may experience detoxification symptoms, and their severity will depend on how toxic you were to begin with. You should expect and welcome detox symptoms because, although they can be unpleasant, they are signs of progress.

Typical detox symptoms include the following:

• Headaches, pains, nausea
  . If you drink a lot of coffee, expect headaches during the first few days. You may also experience physical aches and joint pains or even nausea. If headaches get really bad, take a painkiller, as long as you have no health issues with these products.
  
• Cravings
  . As your body detoxifies, it craves foods it was used to eating, such as meat, dairy, sugar, and caffeine. Cravings may last for several hours or several days, but they will begin to decrease as your body gets rid of its toxic overload.
  
• Fatigue.
  Allow time to rest during this detoxification phase, as eliminating toxins will drain you and make you feel exhausted. Just take it easy and rest.
  
• Muscle aches.
  You may feel achy, as if you’re catching a cold or flu. You may get a release of some mucus, so expect a runny nose.
  
• Skin rashes.
  Skin rashes, or even acne, are signs that your body is excreting toxins through your skin, which is the body’s largest organ of elimination. By doing colonics, the saltwater flush, or taking the colon-cleansing herbs (like Mag07), you can minimize the rashes and breakouts.
  
• Irritability.
  Not eating some of your favorite foods will make you feel irritable and bored, so expect to be a little cranky. This is a good time to avoid social events as well.