Juices are high in nutrients and great for short-term weight loss. Juice cleanses are a great way to lose weight, refresh your body, and release toxins from your system. As a short-term diet, cleanses can be great at boosting your motivation to start on a weight loss journey. However, they aren’t sustainable for long-term weight loss goals.
Whether your weight loss goals are due to underlying health issues or for aesthetic purposes only, a juice cleanse can help set you on a path towards long-term weight loss. However, it’s important to make healthy and sustainable changes to your lifestyle when you’re not doing a juice cleanse. Returning to an unhealthy or unbalanced diet and sedentary lifestyle after finishing a juice cleanse will only allow the weight lost during the cleanse to return.
Keep reading to find out:
- What your post-cleanse diet should look like
- What workouts help you keep weight off
- How to stick with your post-cleanse plan
While it is possible to keep weight off after your juice cleanses, it can be difficult and take time to find a routine that works for you. Luckily, we’ve put together some tips and best practices for keeping unwanted weight off after your juice cleanse has ended!
The Post-Cleanse Food Plan
Reintroducing solid food into your diet should be gradual.
While you may want to jump into a full-size meal the moment your juice cleanse ends, it’s important to take it slowly so as to allow your body to adjust to the increase of food being consumed.
Whether you want the transition to your post-cleanse diet to take a few days or you want it to last only one day, here are the stages at which you should proceed:
Days 1-2 (or breakfast for 1 day transition)
This stage should be high in fiber and consist mainly of the following:
- Leafy green salad or a green smoothie
- Steamed or roasted vegetables
- Unflavored or low-sodium nuts and seeds
Days 3-4 (or lunch for 1 day transition)
At this point you can begin incorporating fruits and grains into your meals
- Fruit bowls or fruit smoothies
- Salads (grain or green)
- Plant-based soups
Days 4-7 (or dinner for 1 day transition)
Finally, reintroduce high protein foods back in with some of these foods:
- Eggs
- Fish; sardines are great for smaller portions packed with proteins and Omega-3s
- White meat or lean red meat
Reintroducing foods back into your diet after a brief juice cleanse can be a great opportunity to pay close attention to how your body reacts to certain foods and make more informed decisions about what foods you may want to keep in your diet and what foods you may want to cut out.
Finally, it’s important to stay hydrated! While this is a good standard to have every day, no matter your diet, it can be especially important during and after your juice cleanse. Water is your body’s best friend, but juices can also help with hydration and add energy to any meal.
Some great juices to continue drinking after your cleanse are:
- Pomegranate juice
- Kale apple juice
- Lemon-ginger green juice
Exercising after your juice cleanse
Physical activity is one of the best ways to keep weight off long-term.
Exercise is another great way to maintain your desired weight after a juice cleanse ends, but like food, it’s important to ease back into an exercise routine. For the first few days post-cleanse, you should avoid high-intensity or strenuous workouts and you should avoid working out on an empty stomach.
Some great workouts for keeping off the weight after your juice cleanse has ended are:
- Stretching or yoga
- Going for a brisk walk
- Pilates
It is best to do these in the morning on the first few days post-cleanse as you are more likely to have energy at that time of day. While cleanses can be refreshing, your body is still taking in less energy during a cleanse than it would otherwise. So get up, have a delicious smoothie for breakfast, and go enjoy some fresh air!
As you get farther out from your cleanse, increasing the amount of exercise can help to keep unwanted weight off. It’s important during this time that you don’t cut down on the amount of food, even if your weight fluctuates. To maintain your desired weight long-term, 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 times a week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week is recommended.
Activities of moderate intensity include:
- A brisk walk (15 minute mile)
- A casual bike ride
- Light yard work
Activities of rigorous intensity include:
- Jogging or running
- Swimming laps
- Most competitive sports
Physical activity and exercise is the best way to maintain your desired weight so find a workout buddy or join a class to keep your workouts exciting and keep yourself accountable!
Maintaining your desired weight once a cleanse ends
Maintaining significant changes can be difficult, it can help to have a friend to help you.
Maintaining your desired weight once the cleanse ends and you are once again eating balanced meals can be difficult. It’s important to be mindful of the changes occurring in your body as you adjust back to a solid food diet and take your time. Listen to what your body needs as you go.
Good habits are best accomplished with accountability. So, if you feel like you’re struggling with your post-cleanse plan, find an accountability partner to help you. Make sure this person is someone who lifts you up and works towards your goals instead of projecting their own weight loss goals onto you. Everyone is on their own journey but having company can’t hurt!
Whether you do a juice cleanse every so often or have a regularly scheduled cleanse in your monthly or weekly routine, having a plan in place for your post-cleanse diet can help make the transitions between cleanses easier.
It’s never too late to start implementing healthier changes into your life and starting with a juice cleanse can be a great place to start making changes to your diet and lifestyle!
