BluePrint Juice Cleanse

BluePrint Cleanses.  Renovation Level.

Hello lovelies!  So a few days ago, I completed 3 days of the Renovation level of the BluePrint cleanse (BPC).  I've tried to do a fruit and veggie cleanse in the past and I ended up not being able to handle it (you can search on my blog for "cleanse" to check out some old posts).  I was determined to get through just 3 days of a juice cleanse as a way to purge my system of my holiday "fun" and to get myself back on track.  Before my wedding, I was in the zone and I just want to get back to that state of mind.  What I wasn't determined about, was the price.  

A good quality juice cleanse isn't cheap.  I spent weeks researching different companies across the country, only to find they were all around the same price.  I lucked up on a Rue La La "sale" and got the BPC 3 day cleanse for $155 + $30 for shipping, roughly making each juice $10.  The juices are also sold at Whole Foods for about the same price, but I liked the idea of having super fresh juice, sent to me all at once (it is shipped overnight via FedEx).  And plus, there is no guarantee that Whole Foods will have each juice that you want.

So I am not going to try and sell you on the benefits of juicing.  I'm only going to share my experience. I think so many people are curious about how I did it because I am not shy about my love of food and if  I don't eat every 2 hours, I am cranky, mean, bitchy... etc.  Which is probably why my husband wasn't too thrilled about me doing this.  So here goes.  I tried to keep a diary to detail when I drank each juice and how I was feeling, as well as the weight loss I experienced.  Just a warning, it is clear that I am an over-sharer, so if poop grosses you out, it is mentioned below.  You have been warned :).

Juices:

1. Green Juice - Kale, Apple, Ginger, Romaine, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Parsley, Lemon
2. PAM (my second favorite) - Pineapple, Apple, Mint
3. Green Juice - Kale, Apple, Ginger, Romaine, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Parsley, Lemon
4. Spicy Lemonade - Lemon, Cayenne, Agave
5. CAB - Beet, Apple, Carrot, Lemon, Ginger
6. Cashew Milk (my favorite) - Cashew, Vanilla, Cinnamin, Agave

Day 1

Until 10:30 a.m. - As instructed by BPC, I snacked on apple slices, water, and herbal tea until my juices arrived.

10:30 a.m. - #1.  Has a very strong parsley smell but the actual taste isn't overwhelmingly parsley.

12 p.m. - #2. Very refreshing and not overly sweet.

2 p.m. - #3.  Note to self.  Don't let the green juice get too warm...

4:43 p.m. - I'm feeling kind of light headed.  Why did i do this again?  Drank some water as I was leaving the office to hold me over a bit longer.

5:15 p.m. - #4.  This is good, but I wish it was spicier.

7 p.m. - I am not a huge fan of this one but it is much better than I thought.

9 p.m. - LOVE the cashew milk but it does get oddly lumpy towards the end.

Day 2

***Down 3 pounds***

7 a.m. - Drank warm water with lemon and I'm actually not hungry, but I am kind of gassy (sorry TMI, you were warned).  No poo this morning so I am drink some laxative tea (I really like Smooth Move).

8:49 a.m. - #1

11:11 a.m. - #2

1:25 p.m. - #3

3:30 p.m. - Time for some laxative tea.

5:00 p.m. - #4. Starting to feel light headed so I guess it was time for a juice.

8:00 p.m. - #5.  Sigh.  Still feeling light headed a bit. 

10 p.m. - #6.  Thank God!  Time for cashew milk!

Midnight - Bedtime

Day 3

***Down 1.4 pounds***

7 a.m. - Chamomile with lemon and then some warm water with lemon.  Still no poo.  WTF!

9 a.m. - #1

10:09 a.m. - Poo!  Finally!

11: 15 a.m. - #2

2:00 p.m. - #3

4:30 p.m. - #4.  Now I seem to have the hang of this...

7:14 p.m. - #5

10 p.m. - #6.  Wow.  I really did it.  I will miss the cashew milk though.

When I woke up the next day, I was down another pound, so I lost a total of ~5 pounds and I was back to my pre-holiday weight.  Woohoo!

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I Miss Y'all!

Happy New Year, Lovelies!


So let's see if I can catch y'all up on what's going on in my life; hair and non-hair related.  I'm still rocking the weave and plan to for a while.  My hair seems to be growing well and I rather keep it "safe" rather than neglect it and not care for it properly due to my crazy schedule.  Lord knows I miss my curls, but I just don't have the time that I used to.  My goal is to continue growing my hair in both a natural and healthy way.  The wedding is in 2012 and I would love to wear my natural hair either pressed with tracks (something like a Malaysian weave) or big and curly - who knows.


I started the South Beach diet a little under 2 weeks ago and I am seeing great results.  Phase 1 has been tough, but I have definitely lost inches around my midsection.  I am set to start Phase 2 on Wednesday, but I may do more of a Phase 1/Phase 2 mix to keep losing as much weight as possible.  My doctor actually highly recommended the South Beach diet.  She says that everyone should be eating this way; so give it a try if you are trying to lose weight and adopt a healthy way of eating.  I really like it so far because there is no measuring involved and I am never hungry (3 meals and 2 snacks - you have to eat dessert)!  I will admit, if you are a "carb fiend" like me, the first couple of days will suck... bad.  But you kind of get used to it.


School is going well.  My first semester was hard but taught me a lot about what I am really capable of doing when pushed to the limit.  This semester is going to be just as busy, but I am taking mostly Marketing classes, which have been pretty cool thus far.


So I guess I should get back to work.  Miss you all dearly!

My henna arrived + cleanse update

Happy Monday!

It is here!  Not only is the customer service at Mehandi.com fantastic, they also ship very quickly.  I placed my order on Wednesday, July 7 and the shipment arrived today!  What a great way to start a Monday.  Guess it doesn't hurt that my last day of work is Friday *hee hee*.

Anyways, the plan is to start prepping for my first henna experience by making sure that I have all the necessary supplies (i.e. gloves, honey, green tea, plastic cap, cheap conditioner, etc.) and either do my hair on Sunday or early next week.  I need to devote at least half of the day to this process, maybe longer since this is my first time.  I wish I could do my hair sooner, but it will have to wait.

So for my cleane update.  So I stuck to the fruit and veggie cleanse plan for about 4.5 days and then I went out of town.  I admit that I feel off... my body was not happy with me at all.  I am still getting plenty of fruits and veggies, but I haven't been 100% fruits and veggies today.  We will see what tomorrow brings.

Fruit + Veggie Cleanse: Day 3 + Summary of Day 2

So let me start with a summary of yesterday (day 2 of the cleanse).  I had a mint fruit salad again for breakfast and my vegetable soup for lunch.  Around 3 p.m., I started to feel a little strange.  I wasn't quite light headed but my body just felt "off".  I decided to drink a glass of Bolthouse Farm's Green Goodness smoothie and I felt a little better.  Around 5 p.m., my stomach was making all types of noises - not like it was hungry, but more like something was going on... if you catch my drift.

When I got home, I made fresh guacamole and ate that with fresh, raw tomatoes and yellow peppers, as well as baked potato discs (no oil and just a little salt and pepper, baked at 400 degrees).  Let me tell you, that meal was delicious and totally filled me up!  Later that night, my body was so sore, like I had worked out.  Not sure what that was about.

So this morning, I woke up starving!  I thought that I would try to a smoothie instead of a fruit salad.  One of the recent Bon Appetit issues (think it was May or June) had great recipes for smoothies.  I tried the Strawberry-Watermelon Smoothie with Ginger and it was AMAZING!  Here is the recipe, courtesy of Bon Appetit:

Combine 3 cups 1-inch cubes seeded watermelon, 2 cups frozen quartered hulled strawberries, 1.5 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger, and 1.5 teaspoons fresh lime juice in a blender; process until smooth.  2 servings.  Per serving: calories, 124; fat, 0; fiber, 4 g.


So, with that said, I am doing okay.  I miss eating more of a variety of food, but other than that, I feel great!

10 Day Veggie + Fruit Cleanse

I have been a busy bee preparing for my move to Ithaca and my last day at work (YAY - 10 days and counting)!  In the meantime, I am doing a 10 day veggie and fruit cleanse with my boyfriend's cousin.  She suggested that this would be a good time for me to cleanse my system and get ready for the next big step in my life - business school.  So I already don't eat meat (yes - I do cheat every once in a while), so I am hoping this won't be too bad, but I will miss carbs (oh how I love carbs)!  I'm sure my hips won't miss them!


This morning I had a great mint fruit salad full of watermelon, pineapple and grapes and I am pretty full.  For lunch, I made my favorite soup - Vegetarian Ribollita, but without the sourdough bread, cannellini beans and Pecorino-Romano cheese.  So basically it is a hardy cabbage soup.  For dinner, I am going to have some yukon gold potatoes and steamed veggies and maybe a strawberry watermelon smoothie if i get hungry after that.


I'm curious to see if this will have any effect on my hair.  Granted it is only 10 days, but I am still wondering if I will notice any kind of change in how my hair looks and feels.

My hair is still growing very fast which is great because I hope to be able to cut out the rest of the color at the end of this year.  I am still adding coconut oil to my deep conditioner and my hair is loving it.


**Let me clarify.  Yes potatoes are carbs, but they can be used in moderation in the plan that I am following.  You are only supposed to resort to eating potatoes or other root veggies after you have eaten steamed or raw veggies and are still hungry.  I know me and I will be hungry tonight, so I will be having some potatoes lol.***

No Meat and Hair Growth (or lack there of)

So I am trying to avoid meat but I am still eating fish.  I have been doing some research about vegetarianism and hair growth.  A lot of vegetarians complain of hair loss or slow hair growth.  I read an article that claims hair loss and slow hair growth isn't due to a lack of meat (or fish) in one's diet, rather usually a sudden change in weight.  If you are eating properly and still getting proteins from other sources (i.e. eggs, beans, etc), you shouldn't notice hair loss.  So I must eat my beans on a regular basis!  I have worked too hard to grow my natural hair!

Many vegetarians and vegans have a B-12 deficiency.  I've never eaten a lot of meat and I just recently started taking a B-12 supplement every day along with my multi-vitamin and Biotin supplement and I have noticed an increase in my energy levels.  I am not saying that I don't get tired, but I don't feel as run down as I have been feeling lately.

I will definitely be keeping an eye on how my hair holds up to my eating habits.  I would love to hear from naturals who are vegetarians, semi-vegetarians and vegans.