Jen The Trainer has been trying to get me to try a cleanse for months. That crazy lady will do a 2 week juice cleanse and swears it’s amazing. I finally buckeled when I heard about the Dr. Oz 3 Day Detox. It is three days, 4 smoothies a day. The recipes didn’t look too terrible AND I figured 4 smoothies a day should keep me (relatively) full. Peter signed up to join me so on Monday afternoon, I set out to make the first day and part of the second day’s smoothies.

My sous chef. No one should like a stalk of kale that much.

By the time I got all the smoothies made, Peter was out. He suddenly had lunches and dinners with clients and friends that could not be skipped. Fine. I’ll go it alone. But after the first day, I was hungry. I was hungry for ANYTHING. Stuff I wouldn’t even normally eat I was suddenly craving. Plus no caffeine put me over the edge. I was out after day one. I went to bed that night and promised myself some coffee in the morning – unless I had lost 5 pounds over night. Then I would probably drink the smoothies for the rest of the month.

Sadly, I did not loose 5 pounds over night so as I poured my coffee, I realized that I am the kind of person that would much rather do a Jen beating workout, run a few miles, go to yoga and control my portions rather than totally restrict my food. I did finish off the smoothies I had already made – I drank them for breakfast and for snacks and I liked the way I felt. The detox smoothies will definitely be making a regular appearance in my diet, they just aren’t going to be the solo acts.

So if you see a sweaty lady running the canal with a red double jogger, it’s me.

If you want to check out the cleanse, check out the recipes and shopping lists here. And if you decide to do it, be sure to give yourself a lot of time to make the smoothies. There are a lot of ingredients and it takes awhile to make each one. Also, make a few at a time so you can grab and go. Also, get your spouse to join. There’s nothing worse than the smell of quesadillas while you’re enjoying a mouthful of avocado, blueberries and cayanne pepper. Plus, it’s more fun when you’re both cranky from hunger.