The Look Better Naked 2-Day Cleanse...Ready, Set, Go!

I've had an amazing summer here in Chicago, but it hasn't been so amazing for my waistline. Frequent traveling, dining out, and frozen treats have definitely taken a toll on my body over the last few months.

I can tell when I haven't been eating well--I notice a difference in my energy levels, my skin, and simply the way I feel. So with the school year starting on Wednesday, I wanted to kick it off right and get back in the groove with healthy eating.


I've been wanting to try a cleanse for a while, but I had to do some research to find the right one. In the near future, I'm going to try a liquid cleanse (it's just an inconvenient time right now, so I'll let you know how it goes!), but I wanted something I could start soon, but also wouldn't break the bank.

I'm wary of a lot of crash diets because they can often be unhealthy and expensive. But in researching cleanses this afternoon, I found one that is definitely doable and it seems to be pretty well-balanced compared to some of the other cleanse diets out there.

On Wednesday (the first day of school), I will be starting Women's Health Magazine's Look Better Naked 2-Day Cleanse. Even though I'll probably drop mostly water weight, it'll be a great way to kickstart another year of nutritious meals and I know my body will feel much better afterwards.

Both days on this diet are exactly the same. Here's the original diet, but I'm changing mine up slightly:

Breakfast: Fruit  Smoothie
1 c. milk
1 c. berries
1 c. ice
1 tbs. peanut butter
(optional-cocoa powder)

Snack:
1 c. cucumber
Green tea

Lunch:
Steamed or raw leafy greens
4 oz. lean meat
2 tbs. oil

Snack:
10 asparagus spears
Green Tea

Dinner:
Same as lunch

It sounds a little boring, but this diet isn't as strict as it sounds. Women's Health recommends using vinegars, mustards, greek yogurt, and other low-calorie foods to make the food delicious while still maintaining nutritious value.

For my detox, I'm switching up the plan a little, mostly because I'm going to use ingredients I have on-hand. Asparagus at my grocery store did not look good, so I'm substituting the asparagus for a half of a grapefruit. I chose grapefruit because it's incredibly nutrient-dense and contains a lot of fiber. As for the rest of the diet, I'll probably stick to it, but I'm going to get creative.

I currently don't have any lean meat or poultry in my fridge, but I determined that I'm going to get my lean protein in other ways. Egg whites are high in protein and extremely low in calories. Black beans are also protein dense as is canned tuna. For convenience purposes, I'm probably going to get most of my protein from these sources. But seriously, doesn't an egg white, black bean, spinach, and tomato omelette sound good?

The great thing about this detox is that you're not starving yourself. It's also only 2 days, making it manageable and kind of fun, too! I'll be sure to do a follow up when I'm done.