My Thoughts on the Shakeology Cleanse

I tried it last week and yes, I lost weight. I think it's mostly water weight though (expected) but I also felt FINE during those 3 days despite having more than 50% of my usual calorie intake cut. I was really surprised at just how NOT-HUNGRY I was, even with less than 900 calories coming in. You can't do that with any other food!! I think it was ONLY because Shakeology was so nutrient-dense that my body really wasn't asking for more.

So I measured various body areas too- and while I lost some inches after the first day, it all stabilized to where I didn't show any change at all through the cleanse. My weight dropped by 4 lbs, and it was cool- but yes, I've gained those 4 lbs back since. Thus the "water weight" thing- not actual fat loss. I know it didn't help that I ate some bad meals this past week since finishing up the cleanse, too. I think that if I could've maintained the super-clean eating that I did for the dinners, I probably would've kept those 4 lbs off. I've gone back to having foods of higher salt content, as well as higher fat and sugar content, too. And does my body REALLY need those foods? Of course not. But again- I don't live in a bubble and we've had some social eating happening this past week.

I just need to make sure my "home meals" are the clean ones, as the "eating out meals" all tend to be quite UNCLEAN even when I choose wisely. And as usual- keep watching those portion sizes.

What I learned though- was just how much mindless snacking I did throughout the day. A little bit here and there... and though it's not much- I was surprised how often I felt like reaching for something little, even when I wasn't actually hungry. I was just WANTING SOMETHING... and I saw how those "little" snacks could add up when I saw how often I actually found myself browsing through the kitchen looking...

It really is no science here, just why I haven't been able to shred off those last 10 lbs. It's really because of the diet (snacking, bad food choices) and not because of my workouts. "Abs are made in the kitchen!" is what they say... and it's so very true.

I learned that I really COULD survive without the coffee (and creamer/sugars) and replace it with green tea. I learned that I really could survive without the baked sweet treats, too. But again- I don't live in a bubble and I know those things will still be around. But I also know that I CAN live without them. I also learned that while I can live without the coffee, I do enjoy the coffee- and will continue to drink it. Just not every day, and will try to cut back on the "doctoring up" and additives.

I learned that I still enjoy the Shakeology even when whittled down to bare bones! I can drink the chocolate with nothing but water and mint extract and it's still good! But the greenberry... I do want some fruit added to it, as just the mix and water is not my favorite at all. But I learned that I don't need to drink the greenberry with juice- it's actually pretty good (and not too sweet) with water and fruit. With juice and fruit- it's too sweet to me now. If I use juice, I won't add any fruit. So that's good- that I've learned to cut out the overload of sugar that way.

I learned that I could really get FULL on veggies and salad and a healthy protein- and didn't need to have the breads or fatty things. And it made me feel MUCH more energetic and not so sluggish and slothlike afterwards. No crash-and-burns from the caffeine/sugar fixes, and no post-turkey sleepies from the big giant heavy meals! It really is best to eat light, small and healthy meals. Not that we didn't know that already- but now I've lived it enough to really know it's true.

I don't know if I will ever do a 3-day Shakeology cleanse again, but I do know that I will incorporate some "cleanse menu days" here and there in my schedule... just to have some low-calorie high-nutrition days to (hopefully) offset the high calorie days that I might still have on occasion. It was never about losing weight quickly... it's about being healthy and getting fit. And that takes consistency on the long haul- not some temporary quick fix.