I have officially completed the Newport Beach Cleanse, and I'm so excited to share how it went with you guys! Just a brief recap: I wanted to do this cleanse to get rid of the toxins my body was holding onto and decrease inflammation throughout it. I also thought it would be a great way to reset my cravings and how I was eating because, let's be real, it isn't always easy to stay on track in the summer. I wrote an in depth post about my reasoning and going into the cleanse here. I'm going to walk you through the basics of the cleanse and what I did, my results, the parts I found difficult, and what I took away from it.
So two weeks ago, I started the cleanse. I had two smoothies every day which included a scoop of fiber, a scoop of protein, greens, unsweetened almond milk, and fruit depending on which smoothie I chose. I usually had one for breakfast and the second for lunch with additional food. I was allowed to eat pretty much all vegetables whenever I wanted and one small animal protein per day. I was also allowed to have a certain amount of chickpeas, lentils, hummus, avocado, quinoa, brown rice and sweet potato every day if I wanted to. For the most part, I ate each of them every day except the quinoa and brown rice. I ate quinoa a decent amount and no brown rice. Fruit was only allowed in smoothies. I could use certain cooking oils, but it was encouraged to use them in limited quantities. All vinegar, mustard, herbs, and spices were also permitted. I pretty much just drank water, but herbal and green teas were also permitted. In addition to food, I was taking supplements every day - 10 at breakfast, 4 at lunch, and 10 at dinner.
In terms of exercise, it was not just allowed but encouraged. They suggested at least 20 minutes for 4-6 days a week. I went to my usual spin classes 3 times a week for both weeks, I ran one day each week, and I did strength work/weights 2 days each week. I also went to yoga on one of my days "off". I had zero issues exercising or having enough energy to do so.
Without going into too much detail, I wanted to give you guys some measurable results from my experience with the cleanse. They estimate that a woman will lose between 3 and 15 pounds while on the cleanse. I set my reasonable weight loss goal at 5 lbs, but weight loss was NOT a major factor for me. I viewed it as more of a side effect versus a driving reason to do the cleanse. I weighed myself the day before I started, and I also took measurements of my chest, waist, hips, arms, and thighs. I weighed and measured myself this morning for my final results. I lost 10 lbs. Yes, seriously 10 freakin pounds! To be fair, 2 days before I started the cleanse I went to a concert and drank beers and ate some not so healthy food. But still 10 lbs is a lot. And this is not like a water weight 10 lbs. I was VERY hydrated throughout the entire cleanse, and I also ate a ton of food. I also lost 3 inches in my chest (I have a small chest to begin with, so this was probably more back than boobs), 6 inches in my waist, 2 inches in my hips, 1/2 inch in my arms, and 0 inches in my thighs. So I would say overall that these results were pretty great. I can see a noticeable difference in my body and the way my clothes are fitting which is definitely a great side effect.
So was it hard? Honestly, not really. I just ate whole, read food and felt pretty fantastic the entire time. Plus, I could eat whenever I wanted, so I was definitely by no means starving myself. I did have a caffeine (or lack thereof) headache for the first 3-4 days. The headache was also a side effect of my body getting rid of toxins. It was a very mild headache, and it went away once I got through those first few days. I also take melatonin to help me sleep sometimes, but I realized that my capsules contain soy. So they were out. I found that I didn't even need them, and I slept much better while on the cleanse most likely from my lack of caffeine consumption. The part I found the most difficult was probably not being able to use pre-made sauces (i.e. sriracha, liquid aminos), but it was a blessing in disguise because it forced me to play around with spices and be creative. I also missed some of my favorite things like eggs, toast, and nut butters. But honestly, I never really even thought about them unless I saw them on social media. So it isn't like I was dying to have them because I had other delicious food that I was enjoying instead.
I feel like there were so many takeaways for me with this cleanse. 1) It definitely turned me onto smoothies more. I will 100% be incorporating them into my routine more often. 2) It really put how much animal protein I was eating into perspective. I always thought I was someone who didn't eat a lot of meat, and I still think that I eat less than many people. But this cleanse has made me reevaluate my portion size when I do decide to cook it. I weighed chicken breasts one night because I was trying to have 3-4 oz, and I found that one breast was twice that amount. There are definitely times where I have eaten an entire chicken breast probably unnecessarily, so it's just something for me to keep in mind for myself. That's not to say never eat a chicken breast, but for me, I would probably be more than fine with half. 3) The cleanse also reintroduced me to packing all of the veggies into my plates. I do incorporate veggies in most of my meals, but these past couple weeks have made me want to fill most of my plate up with lots of veggies of all different colors. 4) This cleanse has further made me want to avoid processed food and focus on whole, real food. The food without ingredient lists are really the best! I also want to try to make some of my own sauces and will definitely continue to play around with herbs and spices in the kitchen.
So overall, I give this cleanse two thumbs up! My honest opinion is that it was really great, and I think everyone would benefit from it. I feel like it has really reset my body and cravings, and I feel like I'm on a great path to continue living healthfully. If you do decide you want to try it out for yourself, you can use the coupon code 13183 to get $30 off the cleanse kit here.
