My Three-Day Juice Fast

Some time ago I received an email from Schkinny Maninny, an Australian company specialising in nutritional juice cleansers.  The email asked if I would like to participate in a 3-day juice detox program.  I’m not used to dieting or going without food or skipping meals or depriving myself so I wasn’t sure if I was a suitable candidate.  Quite a bit of time lapsed before I replied to the email.

I decided I probably could do with a detox and that it’s about time I stepped up and tried to help out my abused body.

‘In for a penny, in for a pound’, I went for the most challenging of all the programs offered and that is the Juice Only Cleanse.  Other programs allow you an evening meal or you can choose to have soups included but I wanted to see how I’d cope with nothing but juice.

Off we go!

Off we go!

The Juice Only Program delivers six, 600ml bottles of organic juice to your door for either three or five days.  The juices are made from fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds and provide around 1700 calories/day.  The juices are designed to be enjoyed in a specific order based on your digestive patterns, and each juice has certain cleansing, healing, protective and regenerative properties from the natural ingredients.  It takes between 500gms -1000gms of fruits and vegetables to fill each bottle of juice.

Delivered to my door before 7am each day

Delivered to my door before 7am each day

Swept up with Mother’s Day, I forgot about the starting date and it wasn’t until I got out of bed on Monday morning and went to put the dogs outside that I saw the little blue esky sitting at my front door.  My heart did sink as I realised ‘today’s the day’.  I lifted the lid of the esky and saw six large bottles of juice plus one very tiny container of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.  I wondered how to make so few seeds last the next 24 hours.  I didn’t see the point in spreading them out over the course of the day (there wouldn’t have been enough of them), so I put the little container aside to savour its contents when the family sat down to dinner.

Dinner!   A 20c coin shows you the size of the dinner portion.

Dinner! A 20c coin shows you the size of the dinner portion.

As well as the juices, there was a ‘goodie bag’ containing detox teas, bath salts and a loofah.  A relaxing bath soak is apparently beneficial on Day 2 of the fast and as well, taking a dry-loofah to your skin to help the toxins escape through your pores is also beneficial.

Extra goodies

Extra goodies

On each day of the fast your esky also contains a ‘Cleanse Buddy’ guide telling you what to expect and what to do and what not to do.  It said not to think about what food you’re missing out on or talk to people about food because it will only make you want it.  Hmmm.  That is near-impossible for a food blogger who likes to virtually, daily visit her blogging buddies.  I did seem more acutely aware of what you were all creating in your kitchens and it was punishing viewing!  Lorraine posted beef short ribs on cauliflower mash and Joanne posted berrilicious cheese and fruit bites and Claire posted roast chicken with preserved lemons and Liz posted not one but 12 of her most popular brownie recipes – one brownie recipe is temptation but 12 is enough to send someone juicing, over the edge.

The Cleanse Buddy also tells you that you can expect some side effects which can be unpleasant but it’s normal and part of the process.  The most common side effect is a headache usually caused from caffeine withdrawals.  Not being a coffee drinker, I was fortunate to avoid headaches during the three days.

The variety of juices for Day 1

The variety of juices for Day 1 – less the Leap Frog because I’d already finished it!

All the bottles are numbered and you do need to drink them in the correct order.  First up for the day was the Leap Frog juice.  It was very green and made of spinach, cucumber, parsley, kiwifruit and apple.  It had that khaki green colour I’ve always avoided.  It tasted better than it looked and the predominant flavours were spinach and cucumber.  I was pleased to find the juice had a bit of texture so rather than being super-smooth, you do actually chew it a bit making it seem a bit more like enjoying a meal.

While the first and last juices of the day were always the same, the rest of the menu varied from day to day which helped to keep the program more interesting.  On the last day I certainly had a lot of vegetable juices.  My second juice was Green Salad made from carrot, cucumber, parsley, lemon and celery.  The third was Alkaliser made from kiwifruit, spinach, parsley, cucumber, lemon and celery.  The fourth was my favourite, Pink Sherbet made from watermelon, lemon, apple and cucumber, the fifth was another favourite, Pine Root made from beetroot, pineapple, apples carrot and ginger – I much preferred the fruitier juices.

The juices supplied for Day 3

The juices supplied for Day 3

The last bottle of each day was called, Sleep Well and made with filtered water, ground almonds and brazil nuts, medjool dates and cinnamon.  This was the ‘dessert’ juice.  On the first night I really looked forward to it but then found it wasn’t the sweet kind of dessert I was hoping for – very light on those dates!  But it was a lovely change from all the vegetable juices and I found it to be filling and calming and a great way to head off to bed.  One thing I do have to say is that you do sleep well on this program.

The hardest part of the fast for me were the evenings.  With no one else to cook the family meal this was something I had to do.  I think I must have been suffering from carb-withdrawal as I fed my family carbs all three nights.  Eggplant and tomato penne, ricotta and tomato fettuccine, plenty of homemade garlic bread, then bangers and mash with an onion and sage gravy on the last night.  It was so hard cooking all these greatly desired meals and not being able to taste them.

Some juices are pretty colours

Some juices are pretty colours

Then the family would tell me how delicious the meal was and how the garlic bread was so tasty and, ‘Where did you buy the baguette?’ and, ‘Can I take a container of this to uni with me tomorrow?’ and Carl saying, ‘I’ll just pour myself another glass of red’.  Grrrrrr.

On Day 2 the Cleanse Buddy told me to rest and not push myself.  Ignoring that, I went and did a swim squad.  I did find I didn’t have the usual ability to accelerate during the sprint sessions and I also suffered from cramps in my calf muscles but apart from that, it was no trouble at all to do an hour’s exercise; until I arrived home and found I had no energy for the rest of the day!

They say Day 1 is the hardest but I actually found it was Day 3.  By then I’d tried all the juices so I knew exactly how they tasted and I felt like it was just a matter of watching the clock until it was all over.  I really had had enough of drinking juice and I was starting to feel anti-social as I couldn’t go to lunch with a friend or go out for dinner and I had been to one meeting in a cafe where all I could order was the sparkling water.

The entire time I was on the fast I was totally melodramatic, carrying on like it was for three years rather than just three days.  I was surprised to find that I didn’t suffer any side effects, I was never hungry, and in fact, it wasn’t as difficult as I had blown it up in my mind to be.  Although highly tempted, I didn’t cheat and I drank every mouthful of those 18 bottles as well as the recommended 2ltrs of filtered water.  I was really pleased to have found the fast manageable and you truly do feel all the better for it.

Delivered to my door before 7am each day

Delivered to my door before 7am each day

Today when I woke there were no bottles of juice on my doorstep.  It was over!  I bounced out of bed feeling light and invigorated and energised.  I whipped around the house at what felt like three times my usual pace.  All the time I was on the fast I was thinking that as soon as it’s over I’m heading straight down to the French Patisserie to buy a meat pie and a sausage roll.  But after three days of juicing, those were the last things I felt like.  I grabbed a banana and went out to do another swim squad.  I’ve had nothing but fresh fruit and vegetables all day.  It’s amazing how good a 3-day detox can make you feel and how it can re-set your eating habits.

The Schkinny Maninny company is based in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and they deliver free within 20kms of the CBD of each city.  The total cost for the 3-day juice-only cleanse is $215.00 which works out at less than $12.00/bottle of juice.  It’s not inexpensive but when you consider all the juices are fresh, organic, cold-pressed, delivered to your door daily, and that you’re on a nutritionally balanced program that includes daily emails of encouragement, I think it’s a pretty good deal as well as an important investment into your longterm health.

Apart from my little guy, everyone else in the family is keen to do the three-day juice fast.  I definitely think the program would be easier to do if you did it with the people you live with.  After the fast you feel clean, fresh and invigorated and you just know your body, and particularly your liver, has benefitted tremendously.

Would I do it again?  There are 365 days in a year and I’m sure I can find three days, at least twice a year to benefit my body in this way.  I’m very pleased Schkinny Maninny contacted me to participate in this opportunity.

Schkinny Maninny:  4 Roslyn Street, Potts Point NSW 2011

Ph:  1300 021 601

Delivered to my door before 7am each day

Delivered to my door before 7am each day

Hotly Spiced was invited to participate in the 3-day detox program as a complimentary gift in exchange for a brutally honest review.

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Comments

  1. You are a strong woman!! I’ve done a juice fast before, several years ago, but it didn’t have the protein additions that yours did. Yours sounds much more varied and healthy than mine was. 🙂

  2. Danielle says:

    I really like the sound of this cleanse program, it takes all the hassle out of buying and then having to do the juicing yourself, which is ok for some, but doesn’t suit everyone and that is what has put me off before. And with this one you get so much variety. Now if only I lived in Sydney! Well done on cooking for the family and reading foodie blogs, that would be the hardest challenge on this program.

  3. You’re a stronger woman than me, Charlie. I think I’d be cheating like crazy on a 3 day fast!

  4. I can’t say I look favourably on juice fasts or detoxes, but am glad your experience had positive aspects. I am sure regular food seems extra invigorating now, too!

    • You eat such a good diet, Kari, that I’m sure your organs are absolutely fine. It’s true that the cleanse has caused me to lean more towards healthy choices.

  5. You are a very brave women to do this whilst still needing to cook for your family. I think that one day I would like to do this as well and having them deliver directly to your door is a great advantage. Thanks for sharing your review.

  6. Whoa, that’s expensive… but at least you felt good!

    • It’s actually pretty much in line with what an organic fresh-pressed juice costs in Sydney. There’s a shop near me that flies cold-pressed organic juices up from Melbourne every day and they sell them for around $9.00 but they’re half the size of these 600ml bottles.

  7. Wow! Good for you. I once did a 5 day juice “cleanse” but made all the juice myself. This sounds much better. Though more expensive!

    • I think Jennifer, that we pay a lot more for food in Australia than you do in the USA. I admire you for lasting five days! And I’m so glad I didn’t have to prepare the juices myself.

  8. We were doing a juice fast just after Christmas and it was great. We we’re put into it by the Joe Cross film Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead. Now we juice for two days a week (Monday and Tuesday). I usually eat enough vegetables but JT has a hard time, so juicing is really for him. We make our own juices using a NutriBullet which pulverizes the vegetables instead if jurist juicing, I too like the texture that it adds.

    • You sound like you live a very healthy lifestyle, Eva. It’s fantastic that you’re disciplined enough to do this two days a week – I’m super-impressed!

  9. Good for you for getting through it!!! I am quite impressed. I’m not sure that I could!

  10. I was so looking forward to this and you didn’t disappoint!!! 🙂 I’m glad you felt so good at the end! My cold pressed juicer gets its morning workout 5 days a week and I love it… But just for breakfast 🙂
    Fantastic job!!! Maybe the 5 day one next time???

  11. Good job, Charlie! It’s so hard when others are eating all kinds of goodies around you and you can’t have them! That is kind of expensive, though…but it’s only once or twice a year, so…. and it’s good for your body!! 😉 xo

    • It probably seems expensive because you’re used to US prices. Food in Australia is a lot more expensive (for no good reason). And yes, being surrounded with temptation while juicing, fasting or dieting isn’t easy!

  12. I did a juice fast for 40 days a couple of years ago. My doctor nearly hit the ceiling when she found out. I felt pretty good though. Congratulations and I’m glad it’s over and you can go back to creating and eating your wonderful food.

  13. You have way more willpower than me. I do not think I could do this.

  14. I do mini fasts (5:2 diet) a couple of times a week. I do get a small breakfast and dinner, a total of 500 calories, on those days but nothing for almost 12 hours in the middle of the day. It does make me feel lighter, but I’m not going to lie, I get awfully hungry!

  15. Good for you! I so would have swiped a spoonful of those mash! I’ve tried to do them on my own before but cleaning all the fruit and veg to prep to juice to clean the juicer is a bit more than I can handle. Nice that there is a service that does all that work for you. I might be willing to give it a go if I lived in one of the cities they delivered to.

  16. I’ve thought of trying a juice cleanse at several points of my life in the last few years but never did more than ‘think about it’. There isn’t anything like this available locally though I think the cost would keep me from trying it if there were. 🙂

    • That’s what I did for a couple of years – just think about it. I’m glad I was presented with the opportunity so I actually did more than just think about it.

  17. When I was at uni a friend and I would do a fruit cleanse once a year, I always felt better for it. I haven’t done it for a few years now. Good on you for not cheating!

  18. you are amazing.
    I’d be too damn hungry to follow thru w/ spinach juice! xx

  19. Melissa says:

    Sorry to seem negative Charlie, but there’s no such thing as “detoxing” except the process carried out efficiently by our kidneys. This seems like a massive waste of money.

    • Thanks for sharing your thoughts Melissa but I believe the organ that does our detoxing is the liver. I undertook the three-day detox cleanse because I thought my liver could do with a bit of assistance.

      • My apologies ti you both, but one has to remember the body is ONE organ composed of many parts which are all supposed to work harmoniously together on a day-to-day basis! BOTH liver and kidneys are paramount as is the consistency of blood, the chemical figures on pancreas etc. We all know the word ‘King Hit’. now oft changed to ‘Coward’s Punch’ – I fail to see why one would seek to deliver a ‘King Hit’ on one’s own body ? !!! . . .

        • Melissa says:

          Thanks for correcting me Eha. I included in my original comment a link to an article on “detoxing”. It’s conclusion: “Any product or service with the words “detox” or “cleanse” in the name is only truly effective at cleansing your wallet of cash. Alternative medicine’s ideas of detoxification and cleansing have no basis in reality. There’s no published evidence to suggest that detox treatments, kits or rituals have any effect on our body’s ability to eliminate waste products effectively.”

          • Melissa – thank you! If just one of Charlie’s.s readers takes the trouble to read, albeit briefly, of the truth, they may have better idea of where to go . . . Thank you so much for the interaction!!! In this there are no ‘easy’ ways – one just learns, decides, and follows suit to a hopefully better future!! Lovely to have met you!!

    • Hey Melissa

      Mat here with Schkinny Maninny.

      The idea is to get you off the diet you’re eating and show you the difference that can be made when you’re putting something different through your body.

      I’ll give you a perfect example – I used to have a huge fruit breakfast every day. At the same time I felt really lethargic the whole morning. Then I tried not eating fruit for 3 days and BOOM my energy levels went through the roof.

      Doing a juice detox and then re-introducing foods into your diet gives you an amazing view into what foods are making you feel like rubbish – ironically in my case, it was fruit itself.

      So, whichever organ does the detox, the key is *what*Bthe organ has to detox and *how much* detoxing it has to do. Many, many people are surprised just by how dramatic the difference can be, as Charlie was above.

      And the whole ‘makes a difference in your habits’ thing can nowhere near be underestimated.

  20. WOW, that’s awesome, I have been seeing a number of my blogger buddies are doing the 3 day juice cleanse, but this one seem to be one of the better available on the market. Well done completing the detox. 🙂 Even more so getting in your swim. Why do you think the cramping happened? Is that a salt thing? I notice every so often bad cramping in my ankles at Bikram yoga, and wondered if it was a food related issue?
    Anyways, wishing you a wonderful day and a great weekend. 🙂

    • Hi Anna, I think the cramping did occur because of a lack of salt. I do get cramps when I swim, even if I’m not on a juice-cleanse. I went to my doctor about it and he put me on magnesium tablets. You have to be careful though, which magnesium tablets you buy because some give you an upset-tummy. I get mine from a compound pharmacy that makes them up on the premises.

  21. I am glad you found this really great and felt good at the end, but you are a strong one to do it. I doubt I would find 3 days even in 665 days for this one, still, one never knows…..

  22. What a great business idea Charlie, perfect for busy people who would otherwise not bother at all. I don’t think it’s too expensive at all, speaking as someone who juices myself I know it’s not cheap to buy good organic produce. Great product and great review indeed xox

    • Thanks Rebecca, and yes, buying organic produce in Oz isn’t cheap and when you think about how many grams of produce are in each bottle, it doesn’t sound too expensive to me, either.

  23. I’ve done a couple of 7 days colonic detoxes which were full on but afterwards I felt amazing, The first one I went into I gave up smoking and diet coke and haven’t touched either since – over 10 years ago now. The first couple of days you think/dream about food so it was interesting to read how the Cleanse Buddy supports/distracts you through the fast.
    I’m glad you felt better and more energised at the end of the 3 days – that has to be some reward for having to cook for the family through it.

    • That’s fantastic that you’re able to stay on the program for seven days! I think three days is about as much as I can handle at this stage. It’s fabulous that through your detoxes you were able to give up cigarettes and diet coke! I gave up diet coke about five years ago – full of poison!

  24. [with the biggest smile on my face!] – Charlie, methinks you know how I feel about this . . . To each their own: but it is SO easy to make a carrot/celery/apple/herbal juice oneself in the morning for just a couple of dollars 😀 !! Sorry, but I know you know I know – DO have a good weekend: such beautiful warm weather for me and you for the next week! If I can get away from the Giro, what perfect gardening [weight-losing] weather!!!!

    • Hi Eha, lovely to hear from you and yes, we are having the most amazing weather at the moment. Long may it last! I do hope you have an absolutely fabulous weekend and that you lose lots of weight doing your gardening! And I know it’s easy to make a juice it’s just if that’s all I’m having for three days, I’d rather get everything delivered so I know I’m having a balanced diet and I don’t have to do all the shopping and preparing and juicing!

      • I cannot see any reason for blogging but to put one’s own knowledge and belief as courteously as possible in print!! In this case I DO know what I am talking about – I also appreciate your position, respect it and apologize for putting a ‘spoke in the wheel’ – I would just like your readers to do a little homework themselves!!!! Just: pray, besides the horrendous price tag, what else you do not know about what goes into those little bottles – what far simpler and much more natural could you do for your body yourself!

  25. Those juices do look tasty and bravo to you for sticking it out and cooking for your family! I would constantly be thinking of food!! I bet you never appreciated sunflower seeds like you did during this cleanse!! xo

  26. Good for you! Glad to hear that detox thru juices for 3 days is doable. Great job, and thanks for sharing!

    Julie
    Gourmet Getaways

  27. So glad your experience is positive!

  28. Hmm I’m not sure that I could to it but it does sound good. My diet could probably do with resetting.

  29. You are much stronger than I am Charlie. I am not one for fasts although you do make it sound easier than I thought it would be.
    Have a suer weekend.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  30. I would have caved by lunch on the first day! You’re a good sport…and I bet you felt great after it was all over (for more than one reason). And sorry for tempting you with chocolate…LOL! xo

  31. Good on you for completing the fast despite the challenges – and without cheating! Sounds like it was not only cleansing but has given you an energy boost. I make myself a green smoothie every time I can get the ingredients and feel quite charged up afterwards.

  32. To do this on your own and still be cooking meals is really hard, no doubt! I would like to try it myself. They actually look so appealing all lined up with such gorgeous colors! And I am certain the hardest part for me would be the caffeine headache. I’m pretty addicted! 🙂

  33. Sorry to do that to you Charlie, I didn’t realise that you were fasting until I saw your comment! I did a semi juice fast and the first day afterwards I had dumplings (wheat and meat) and I felt terrible afterwards so you did the right thing.

  34. These juice detoxing thing is so popular these days and my friends have been telling me about it. It cost me about $300 for 3 days or so, so I wasn’t too sure about spending that much for 3 days, but when I hear their happy stories I was definitely tempted! Sounds like you had a great experience too!

  35. Ohhh so interesting to hear your views about this! Because I’ve seen this detox brand before and thought it was really interesting but I haven’t had the urge to try yet because i’m not sure how i’d react but I think i should do it at least once 🙂

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  1. […] and this is what was delivered a few weeks ago.  I’m told the purchase was inspired by my juice fast.  Every morning juices are made and I have to say the Nutri-Bullet has won me over.  It […]

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