If you’re thinking doing a cleanse is too hard, think again. I’ve got some simple tips that make it super easy to follow.
I want to share one of my favorite recent success stories.
It comes from Brynn J. of Lancaster, CA via her 5-star YELP review.
Here’s her story….
Brynn had all four of her wisdom teeth extracted.
Girl, I feel your pain. I also had mine taken out years ago and it was literally the most painful experience in my life. I can remember the salty waterfall of tears streaming down my cheeks like it was yesterday.
As you can imagine, it’s really hard to eat when your cheeks are puffed-up like a chipmunk, and your mouth throbs with pain.
“It was so painful & bloody! I felt like I was never going to heal from it,” she recalls.
Brynn says that the only thing that she could eat for a week was ice cream and soft fries.
You probably don’t need a lecture from a clinical nutritionist such as myself to remind you how bad just eating ice cream and fries is for you.
Brynn herself realized she needed to get some nutrient-dense calories. But she really couldn’t eat any solid food.
That’s why she decided to do a 5-day low-sugar juice cleanse.
“I completed it today and these are my results.”
That’s awesome, Brynn! You look fantastic. Thanks for sharing your success story….
I wish I would have known about Chef V (or created it) years ago when my wisdom teeth got yanked out.
Brynn admits to sneaking some guilty pleasure ice cream every now and then during the low-sugar cleanse. However, she adds, “But I’m happy to feeling less bloated.”
This brings me to a tip I’d like to share with you about successfully completing a 3-day, 5-day or 7-day cleanse—without cheating or experiencing carb/junk food withdrawal effects….
Easy Tips for an Easy Cleanse Successfully — #1: Follow My Pre-Cleanse Advice to a “V”
Your cleanse success will be determined at least 72 hours in advance of when it starts.
You see, you can’t just go from eating burgers, wings and other fast food to having nothing but Organic Green Drink, Vegan Protein Shakes and Detox Soups.
That may sound obvious. But you’d be surprised how many times I hear people doing that.
“Well, I’m going to drop 10-15 pounds next week doing a cleanse so I might as well enjoy my last couple meals.”
Unfortunately, that mindset is still prevalent. Especially for people who have never done a cleanse before.
What they don’t realize is you have to do a pre-cleanse. It’s really important that you follow my pre-cleanse and healthy eating guidelines, which includes a schedule of exactly when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat of each category of approved foods.
If you don’t follow this advice to a “V” you might end up breaking the cleanse with ice cream.
I’ll let Brynn slide this time because I can relate to the awful pain she felt. But, Brynn … I really would like you to try another cleanse in the near future. Give yourself up to a full week to do the pre-cleanse.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to not only follow my advice about what to eat, but also sticking to the schedule.
When you supply your body with nutrients at the same time each day, you quickly get used to it and you won’t be tempted by cravings or want to have a huge meal, which can negate your weight-loss success.
Easy Tips for Doing a Cleanse (and keeping the success going) — #2: Go Green
And on the flip side of the pre-cleanse, it’s also important not to ruin the progress and success of your cleanse by resuming bad habits when it’s over.
Again, this seems like a no-brainer. But some people choose to celebrate the completion of a cleanse by eating a bacon cheeseburger. Doing so defeats the whole purpose of a cleanse.
True cleansing success means keeping the momentum going for several weeks, if not months or years down the road.
But I realize you’re only human. When holiday season rolls around, we are sometimes powerless against indulging. And that’s okay.
That’s why I’m here for you … to keep you on track.
There’s no shame in needing to do more than one low-sugar cleanse a year. In fact, it’s very healthy to reset your digestive system.
Let’s say that you indeed fall off the wagon around the winter holidays….
You’ve indulged in cakes, cookies, cheese, meat, and alcohol.
If you do a one week pre-cleanse, followed by a 7-day cleanse and stick to my post-cleanse advice, in very little time, your taste buds will reset. You’ll no longer desire foods and drinks with added sugars; you’ll crave all-natural, nutrient-dense foods.
So what’s my post-cleanse advice?
Organic Green Drink is the foundation of it. During your cleanse, you’ll have four 16-oz servings of it per day. After the cleanse, I want you to drink 16 oz of it in the morning. It’s like having a super healthy salad in a bottle, only it gets delivered to you and you don’t have to shop or chop for veggies.
Also critical in keeping the momentum going is following my pre-cleanse eating guide for your post-cleanse meals … at least for a few days after the cleanse; the longer the better. A couple additional resources you can use for sticking to the pre-cleanse eating guide is my Breakfast Guide and Lunch and Dinner Guide.
Jessica’s Chef V Cleanse Success Story
Before I share some more simple tips for cleansing success, here’s another story I’d like to share with you. Jessica T. of Boston, MA (love that city!) followed my advice to a V.
Check out her before and after pic:
You go, Jessica! I’m super stoked for you. Hearing your story reminds me why I have the best job in the world.
Jessica has lost almost 40 pounds in just 10 months. When she posted this review on Yelp she was in the midst of her third cleanse.
“If anyone is looking for a jump start to their healthy lifestyle, I HIGHLY recommend Chef V. I’ve referred three people and they all say the same thing: ‘I feel light and energetic, and never fatigue.’ ”
Thanks for sharing your success with your friends, Jessica. You know, that is absolutely the best way to inspire your friends and family to lead a healthier lifestyle.
I could talk until I’m blue in the face about the nutrients in the seven organic green-leafy veggies in the Green Drink and what they do for you and blah blah….
But people are moved to act when they see their own friends and colleagues having success.
Easy Tips for Doing a Cleanse — #3: Drink Lots of Water
Many people forget to drink water during the day. Our lives are busy. We have appointments to rush to, bosses breathing down our necks, kids that constantly need our attention….
It’s easy to see why water is an afterthought for many, and why it only moves to the forefront of the mind when we’re thirsty.
But if you only drink water when you’re thirsty, you’re in a state of chronic dehydration. Besides being bad for your skin, “staying thirsty” is not a good idea if you want to lose weight.
In fact, studies prove that drinking water before meals leads to weight loss. Drinking lots of water (I’m talking at least 2-4 cups every few hours) helps you feel full. You’ll eat less calories if you have a couple cups of water about 30 minutes or so before meals.
Also, water helps flush out toxins from your body and gives your skin a healthy glow.
Bonus Tips for Cleansing Success
In this post I wrote about tracking your health progress, I discuss some tips recommended by a close colleague of mine, Charles Clay.
Charles is a holistic health expert. (But if you read the, you’ll discover why he is so much more than that.)
A couple tips for cleansing success that I think carries over to here is writing down goals. One example Charles recommends is having an intention to be active every day. Track your progress by writing down what you did, whether it’s a yoga class or just going for a walk.
This actually brings me to another tip for cleansing success: don’t exercise too hard. No Crossfit classes, no hot yoga, no long-distance running or anything like that. Allow your body to rest during the cleanse (and the first few days post-cleanse.)
Speaking of rest, another tip from Charles from the post: use the SleepCycle app on your phone (in airplane mode).
Getting good sleep is critical for hormones and fat-burning.
And for now, I’ll leave you with one more tip for cleansing success….
Get rid of every product in your home that contains harmful chemicals. If you’re using conventional kitchen cleaners, cosmetics and hair-care products, toss them in the garbage.
You can’t cleanse and detox your body if you keep breathing toxic fumes and having harsh chemicals absorb into your skin.
Not sure if a specific product is harmful? Download the free Skin Deep app from the Environmental Working Group.
What’s Your Story?
Do you have a success story of your own? I would so love to hear about it. If you have a before/after pic, don’t be shy, share it. Before/after photos are the best tool to inspire others to lead a healthier lifestyle.
You can post a review on Yelp or email me directly.
To your health,
Chef V