Last weekend (randomly, on my birthday / Super Bowl 51 hosted here in HTX) my husband and I wandered into our local GNC after an epic 27th birthday workout at LA Fitness.  I guess we were feeling pretty good, or at least optimistic about our goals and our ability to transform our bodies, because we walked out of that GNC with two sets of their 7 Day Complete Body Cleansing kit, a program which requires a regimen of pills, shakes, and (dun-dun-duuun) a change in diet.  We have been on a health kick for a few weeks already, so the “diet” part was still something we needed to pay attention to, but it wasn’t a deal breaker or big intimidation factor.  Side note – there is another cleanse also available at GNC which requires a much more intimidating diet proposition (at least to me), in that it requires a total liquid diet while shaving off 2 days (so the entire cleanse is 5 day instead of 7).  I just couldn’t see that being possible with our work schedules, so the 7 day GNC cleanse it was.

Today is actually Day 5 on the cleanse, but I have been taking notes along the way to record my experience and results (if any) as to how I felt or even appeared.  Here is a summary of my (probably too intimately detailed to type verbatim) notes:

Day 1, Monday:  The AM pill packet was rough.  I didn’t expect the strong smell AND taste of 3/4 of the morning pills, and on account of taking them while driving plus at 5:00am, I was definitely given a jolt.  I learned quickly to hold my nose while taking them plus have a flavored chaser (I used crystal light packets in water) and then it wasn’t so bad.  The probiotic and fiber blend shake was mixed with a crystal light peach mango/water bottle combo and to my delight, didn’t have any sort of weird taste or texture.  Thumbs up there!!  I struggled through my morning due to the caffeine (coffee) ban, so I took a few walks during the day to wake up my body and mind.  I had to use the restroom a lot that morning.  I also went to the grocery store during lunch and stocked up my work fridge with healthy snacks and lunch items so that I couldn’t get hungry or go astray during the week or busy times.  The PM pill packet and probiotic pill were tame, and only one pill had a bad taste to me (the red one).  I went to bed exhausted due to accumulating a huge amount of steps plus going to Zumba class at night.

Day 2, Tuesday:  Felt better in terms of sluggishness.  I was uber productive that morning.  I knew what to expect with the pills and took it like a champ.  Already noted a sense of momentum and self-reward.  Again, worked out like crazy at night and PTFO.  Still on track with my diet!!

Day 3, Wednesday:  Another great day!  A little more tired but I think because of my body exhaustion from working out harder than I’ve been used to.  Go me!  I weighed myself and down 3 lbs 🙂  Feeling good, although I do not think I look any different.

Day 4, Thursday:  A weird day for me food-wise which is my fault.  I ate a protein shake in the AM and it made my stomach hurt.  No wonder, it was on the “foods to limit” list that came with the kit (due to containing dairy).  Boo.  Then, at the office we had a potluck chili lunch, and I was PRETTY good all-around, but I did indulge a little too much on some dessert cookies available.  Then I decided to celebrate it being National Pizza Day with my husband for dinner, although we did our due diligence before and were strategic about getting thin crust with only 2 toppings!  Still burned me 900 calories for dinner.  I guess we will call this one a cheat day, but I did still walk and take all the pills and shake.  Made a note that this was the first day I felt constipated.. Keeping a positive attitude because even though I intentionally made some non-perfect food choices, I calculated out my plan before just stuffing my face.

Day 5, Friday:  Today I feel good, and it’s not just because it is Friday!  I feel like I have gained some self-discipline and am already forming a habit of eating healthily and thinking twice before participating in “bad” eating or behavior activities.  I have gone for a walk and have a gym date with my hubby tonight.  Have eaten healthy all day, and healthy in the bathroom department too!

Day 6 & Day 7:  coming soon!

Other observations:  I have eaten cleaner AND worked out harder so far this week than I have in years.  No joke.  I truly think that they go hand-in-hand, and I know that I would not have felt motivated (or survived) the amount of exercise I was able to accomplish if I hadn’t been eating right.  Instead of feeling sluggish in the afternoons and ready to just sit on the couch or in my craft room when I got home in the evenings, I was excited to challenge myself.  Also, I managed to wake up SUPER early every morning, which allowed me to leave earlier from work each day than my normal schedule.  It was really all one big chain reaction.  I will update again after days 6 & 7 to account for weight and other body/mind changes!

Any questions from reading this, please let me know!  I have some pictures I have taken along the way of the supplements and the foods I have been eating (and religiously logging with the MyFitnessPal app) that I can add to this or the following post.

Happy Friday! – Becca