10 days have passed since I began my 10-day juice diet, following J. J. Smith’s 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse.
To see what set me on this journey, read that initial post; but here, I’m discussing the result.
So how am I? Well, being completely honest … ill! I woke up on my tenth — and last day — to a fever, fatigue, aches, burning throat, and shortness of breath, which meant — yep, COVID finally found me. I’m still scratching my head on how I picked it up as I haven’t really been anywhere the last several weeks so I joke with L that vegetables and fruit gave me COVID. Whatever the case though, COVID got me. Because of this, on the last day I didn’t feel well enough to make the juice (L did), I didn’t get a picture of it, and I was only able to drink half of the glass (which was horrid anyway).
However, this is mostly irrelevant to how the juicy journey went — You are here to find out what happened …
Before I go in my reviews, I want to share this image with you:
This is the first week’s worth of ‘food’ — or juice ingredients. What this doesn’t show were the snacks I ate. These included eggs, dates, celery, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumber, along with rather boring unsalted nuts.
What I failed to do was take a photo of the second week’s ‘food.’ However, it was largely similar except it included a little more frozen fruit and less green vegetables. Also, a point worth noting: I didn’t use as much of the spinach or mixed salad as expected so I never had to buy more, as the book mentioned.
Now, you may look at the above image and think one of two thoughts: Either that doesn’t look like a week’s worth of food … or that doesn’t look cheap. On both counts, you’d be correct!
But how did my juice diet go? Here is that answer …
↠ THE SHORTENED REVIEW ↞
If you are looking for the shortened version, unlike how all diet fads claim, I didn’t feel more energized or focused. I also didn’t have better skin. What did happen was that I was still hungry, grumpy, and craving proper food … and caffeine!
This doesn’t sound promising, does it? Here’s what was positive: I slept so good! In fact, starting around Day Three, I got the best sleep ever and woke feeling well-rested every following morning. (Since being off the juice though, I wouldn’t say my sleep has got worse.)
The best news: I actually lost weight and inches from my body.
Here’s the breakdown …
| AREA | MY STARTING FIGURES | MY ENDING FIGURES | TOTAL RESULTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| MY WEIGHT | 191 pounds (13 stone 9 ounces or 86.6 kilograms) | 181 pounds (12 stone 12 ounces or 82.1 kilograms) | I lost 10 pounds (or four-point-five kilograms) |
| MY CHEST | 45 inches | 43 inches | I lost two inches |
| MY GUT | 43 inches | 40 inches | I lost three inches |
| MY WAIST | 39 inches | 38 inches | I loss one inch |
Seems pretty incredible, right? Sure.
But is this juice diet actually good for you? I’m not 100% convinced.
Also, many of the juices — in my opinion — didn’t taste great. There were maybe two that were genuinely good, about six that were okay-ish, and two that were horrendous — and that’s being especially kind! There are over 100 other recipes in the book, but the 10-day process gives specific drinks so I followed it. I’m sure I’ll try others later, but all in time!
↠ THE LONG REVIEW ↞
↠ Day One ↞
Now for a lengthened look at how my 10 days went, it started when I woke feeling hungry, which I don’t usually experience. This made me nervous as I knew today was going to be hard, but I was hopeful.
I got all of my ingredients out to make enough juice for the day, which is basically how it works — You blend up enough juice for the day and divide it by three, keeping the juice cold in the fridge.
The juice, a mixed melody of spinach, apples, grapes, strawberry, and mango — so how bad could that be? After blending it together, it was an odd shade of green. A cheeky sniff didn’t boost my confidence, but I poured myself a glass. Thoughts? It was a bit bitty and didn’t look appetizing, but it didn’t actually taste that bad.
Only 35 more juices to go!
Then the day was dragging … and it was only 10:30 a.m. It felt as if it had been the longest Monday morning ever. I haven’t had any coffee and, by this time, I was usually on my third cup! I was thinking, “Save me!”
The day passed and by 5:00 p.m., I was done. I had a headache for over two hours — Tylenol wasn’t helping and I was starving! (Side note: I had forgotten about snacks and realized the next day.) By 7:00 p.m., I was in bed — hungry and miserable!
↠ Day Two ↞
I woke feeling good and — this sounds silly now — I felt skinny too, which is tricky for a guy with a beer belly and moobs but I did! It was probably because there was literally no food in my system … rather than actually being skinny! Today’s juice was a synchronous harmony of salad leaves, banana, strawberry, and several other non-caffeinated foods all smashed together in a blender, resulting in a drink that looks like off-green, brown sludge … Great. A cheeky sniff led to enquiring taste buds and a quick sip confirmed that this juice was by far better than yesterday’s … but (don’t let this fool you — The juice was still rank).
The day did go better due to the fact I remembered I could eat snacks. This included boiled eggs, carrots, dates, and cherry tomatoes.
One part I did notice was although I was drinking a large amount of water — more than usual, in fact — I was feeling dehydrated all day! By 5:00 p.m., I had a headache again (probably caffeine withdrawals rather than dehydration) and by 8:00 p.m., I was in bed feeling rather grumpy.
↠ Day Three ↞
I woke feeling pretty good .. until I got it in my head that today’s juice was made primarily of kale — Urgh! The good news: There was no kale! I had the wrong day in mind!
Today’s juice was a bumbling bewilderment of blueberries, apple, banana, and mixed greens … Yum, yum. Turned out though, this was the best juice yet … basically because it didn’t taste of anything particularly offensive and I had no issues getting through it during the day.
I still got a headache by the end of the day, and L mentioned I was slightly more grumpy than usual and since Day One. I felt this in myself, but to have it confirmed by L didn’t make me feel good.
↠ Day Four ↞
The first real day I was been dreading the juice drink was Day Four. After the relief of yesterday’s realization that there was no kale in that day’s drink, I was initially horrified to read the ingredients of Day Four’s summer seduction: kale (not happy!), peaches (better!), mixed berries consisting of strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries (much better!).
Seriously though, why do people eat kale?! Why do farmers put space aside in their fields to grow kale? Why do shops charge people to take it away from their stores? Actually — I know the answer to this last one! It’s because it’s minging!
L had an appointment in the afternoon so I went with her, and found that was not a good idea en route because I got really light-headed and faint. An emergency visit to Walmart for some eggs (cooked), unsalted nuts, and some melon, and I was feeling better. The day went on with no more issues and thankfully no headaches!
↠ Day Five ↞
“Guys, relax. It’s only half-time.” Name the movie in a comment below!
This entry is like me: short and sweet.
The juice wasn’t amazing (standard), but I ate plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and eggs so the day passed without issues or headaches.
↠ Day Six ↞
The next two days were going to be the most difficult — It was the weekend and there was no beer, bourbon, pizza, or burgers in sight! Praise be to pineapple!
Day Six’s juice was genuinely nice — like I’d-actually-have-it-any-time nice. It was a perfect package of pineapple, banana, spinach, and a few other foods.
So far I’ve dropped over seven pounds, and I’m generally feeling good (besides being hungry) and I’m sleeping amazingly well!
↠ Day Seven ↞
Hello, pineapple … again … you sexy little sweet thing!
This juice was good, but Day Seven would be the most difficult yet — This was because it was my sister-in-law’s birthday celebration at my in-laws. This always means a laughter-filled night with great food and alcohol. To make it more difficult, L wasn’t feeling well (learn about her lifelong disorder here), but not to be a recluse so I went and I’m glad I did. … Although the barbecued chicken, mac-and-cheese, and beer all tempted me, I remained strong and — thanks to my amazing mother-in-law (best one I’ve ever had) — I got to have a great bowl of salad (I never thought I’d say that) and an even better night!
↠ Day Eight ↞
Here is what I actually thought:
“Oh, dear God, no — Please no. I’ve struggled. I’ve suffered. I’ve been miserable. Please, I beg you! I can’t deal with it again! Don’t make me say it — Certainly don’t make me drink it! K – A – L – E! Again!
Yep, my dear reader, Day Eight was a crappy day. For starters, it was Monday. Second, I had to suffer kale again. Today’s miserable mixture of kale, spinach, apple, banana, and berries was made to make me suffer … and I wasn’t happy about it.
Another unhappy day down.
↠ Day Nine ↞
With the end in sight, I started reflecting on the juice journey ..
Would I do it again? Maybe … but probably not without a regular meal each day.
How do I feel? Actually pretty good, though honestly I really miss carbs, meat, and caffeine.
This juice was a spun selection of spinach, apple, mangoes, and strawberries — not bad but certainly not amazing.
The cleanse day passed uneventfully.
↠ Day Ten ↞
I woke early – around 5:00 a.m. It was the last day, and I couldn’t wait to get this juice done so I could eat the next day … but something was wrong.
I had this internal conversation: “Wait, why I am sweating? Why do I feel dizzy? Man, my body aches! Urgh! My throat hurts! Mercy moos, I’m sick!”
L is still asleep next to me but when I jumped out of bed, chucked a mask on and got dressed, she woke up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I told her I’m not well and that she needed to stay away from me — She had surgery in two days to cure her disorder and I could not risk her getting sick so I went hide away in the spare bedroom. Then I took a COVID test … but it was negative. This was strange, but I thought it must be a throat infection. Spoiler alert: It was actually COVID.
Anyway, this situation completely threw off the last day of my juice journey because I hardly eat any food and only drank water while barely being able to stay awake.
↠ OVERALL ↞
Now the overview: What do I think J. J. Smith’s 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse?
To be honest, I think it’s a great way to kick-start a weight loss journey. However, bear in mind that some of the weight you’ll lose will be residual food weight you’re carrying around and the rest will be fat. I lost ten pounds (or four-point-five kilograms) in ten days — I’m not sure you could consider that healthy, to be honest.
Also, bear in mind that the author says you can lose between ten and twenty pounds during the cleanse.
You also need to be careful of what you do after the cleanse is finished — Simply going back to eating three meals of whatever you want the next day is going to make you feel ill and bloated. You need to build back up to eating regular food, so start with small portions and hopefully the healthier habits you picked up.
This means don’t simply deep-fry everything.
The first three days of my journey were rough. I was tired, hungry, miserable, and grumpy. I considered giving up, thinking it wasn’t worth it, but I decided to stick with it to prove to myself it could be done. I was also super interested in how I finished.
True, the end of my journey was ruined by COVID — and as I said at the beginning, I joked that simply eating vegetables and fruit made me sick — but I guess the most important question is would I do it again?
Actually, I probably would … but I’d keep at least one regular meal in the evening. This is discussed in the book as an option to ease into the cleanse, and I think it would make the diet much easier. I’d also keep — but likely limit — coffee and alcohol.
In the end, if you have any questions about the 10-day cleanse or you would like to share your experience, please leave a comment below! I’d love to hear back from you!
I’m less than disciplined with skipping breakfast and lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays. On the days that I have my blood glucose scores remain >130. And I don’t feel bad on the days when I fast. I think the best thing is to figure out which foods match your body best. I was told protein and fat are less of an issue than carbs and refined sugar. Also, that as near to raw as possible is best. Sort of paleo or keto.