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Going into month 6 of quarantine and adjusting to the new normal of life really changed my regular diet and fitness plan. I no longer did 6am spin classes followed by $20 sweetgreen salads, but instead ended up snacking a lot. Don’t get me wrong, your girl loves working from home, but facing your kitchen all day while on the computer comes with consequences. I noticed how I started snacking more than normal, drinking lots of wine and not having as strict of a workout regimen. I don’t regret any of it. But I did want to give my body a reset, improve my gut health and focus on self improvement. Enter the 5 day Sakara Life Level II detox.
As this was my first detox EVER aside from juicing for a day here and there, I really didn’t know what to expect. The Sakara life cleanse eliminates alcohol, caffeine, sugar, soy, gluten, nuts, fruit, dairy, and meat from your diet. What you’re left with? Really small plant based meals and lots of liquids and supplements.
This cleanse was at times extremely challenging both mentally and physically, but so empowering and rewarding once I got through it. I mean losing weight, gaining mental clarity, and improving my gut health felt so good for my mind and body. If you want to try this detox use my code “MEEKA_20” at Sakara. And if you want more in depth information on how I felt each day, keep reading.
Day 1 (Wednesday): The first day was interesting because you’re excited to embark on this new journey of health and nourishment and you’re not thinking about the hunger or side affects of getting out of your comfort zone. Overall the first day was manageable, there were times I was hungry but it was hunger I could manage and I was mentally prepared for more. I thought all the meals were delicious and it made the cleanse not so scary and much more enjoyable. Regarding weight- I think a lot of the first day is water weight as when I stepped on the scale I actually gained .8 of a pound.
Day 2 (Thursday): I woke up feeling light and refreshed and not so upset I can’t start my day with caffeine. I do miss my morning ritual of a cup of black tea, but I also felt energetic and really light and healthy when I woke up. Today is day 2 and I was hoping for another easy day, but the evening hours are when it became very challenging. From around 3pm-7pm I get really low energy and it doesn’t help that for dinner you have to look forward to a mushroom broth that doesn’t taste so good. Also Sakara advices you not to work out and do simple stretches and breathing work to preserve your energy. I didn’t listen and decided to go on a 2 mile walk and do some yoga and could really feel the hunger in late evening.
Day 3 (Friday): The official half way point of the cleanse. I love how well thought out this meal program is because it slowly eases you into the process of healing, rather than taking extremes. This was also my favorite day of meals on the cleanse, it had a veggie packed breakfast and yummy coconut lentil spinach dish for lunch and the regular mushroom bone broth for dinner. It was nice to taste good food before facing “liquid day”.
Day 4 (Saturday): Liquid Day. Not going to lie, this is the most challenging day of the cleanse and probably one of the most challenging experiences of my life it felt like. As a first time cleanser, it was a lot for my body to not consume any alcohol, caffeine, sugar, dairy, soy, nuts, gluten, and fruit. And on top of that, I was just eating liquids all day? I struggled the entire day and was counting down the hours until Saturday was over. I honestly felt tired just getting up from my couch! I usually love the weekend, but I could not wait for this day to be over. I took a bath, did a dry brush routine, smoked a little weed and forced myself to be in bed by 10pm.
Day 5 (Sunday): The Final Day!! I woke up soooo excited to finally chew again. I also woke up 4 lbs skinnier and it was quite rewarding after Saturday’s challenging day. I definitely took my self discipline to a whole new level with this cleanse and I learned how much I am in control of my body. My intentions are to practice this self control and discipline with my food past the detox in order to maintain results. On day 5, Sakara reintroduces veggie nutrient rich foods and gives you 3 meals rather than two to slowly ease you back into your regular but now more conscious eating.
Overall Sakara has been one of the most challenging, empowering and rewarding experiences of my life. I learned a lot about myself by listening to my body and my mind and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I feel more mental clarity and physical strength from this experience and hope to take the practices I learned from this cleanse into my normal eating habits. I also plan to do a follow up article in two weeks about how my body has changed post detox and if I was able to maintain my results. Stay tuned!
