Guys, the spring break bug has hit me.
What have I been doing with myself all winter? Somewhere along the lines of too much hiding under blankets with hot chocolate and not enough manning up and hitting the gym, I have adopted poor eating habits (fourth meal should definitely remain at taco chains) and poor gym attendance. Tell me I’m not the only one…
Ok, so maybe it’s not that bad; I could get into a bikini tomorrow and look, you know, alright — not too shabby. But I want to look fantastic. I earned this spring break.
The trending thing to do to quickly revamp your body’s metabolism and reroute your eating habits is to cleanse. When I first considered going on a cleanse diet, I knew there was no way I could go on a marathon I’m-not-going-to-chew-for-the-next-five-days plan. No thank you; I would rather sit on the beach and eat a chocolate bar in my ugly cover up.
Fortunately, I’m not the only one who still wants to eat things while cleansing. By combining a few different plans, here is the basic cleanse that I followed for three days:
Take a look at your new best friend – the plan accounts for 64 ounces of water (or tea!), which is actually the suggested amount we should be consuming daily. Drink 32 ounces before lunch, and enjoy the realization that you don’t even need that massive chicken sandwich.
Breakfast:
- 8 oz. glass of water – adding a lemon or lime is a great way to change it up while also sneaking in some antioxidants
- One piece of fruit — preferably a serving of berries or an apple but bananas work, too; we are college students after all.
Snack:
- 1 cup (8 oz.) green tea — Green tea is the best for your metabolism, but any flavor will do.
- 1 cup low-fat vegetables — carrots, cucumbers or asparagus (optional – I wasn’t even hungry!)
Lunch:
- 2 cups water or tea
- Serving of raw or steamed greens — I always go for spinach, but you can try kale, watercress, or the stand-by romaine.
- 4 oz./palm of your hand-sized lean protein — I went for tofu, but salmon or white-meat chicken are good options as well.
- 2 tsp. oil – This can be salad dressing (go light!) on greens or to flavor your protein
TIP: Eating a salad and need your favorite dressing? Dip your fork into the dressing instead of pouring it on, you still get flavor but minimize the amount of oil!
Snack:
- 1 cup water or tea
- 1 serving low-fat vegetables (again, optional)
Dinner:
- 1 cup water or tea
- Steamed or raw greens
- 4 oz. lean protein
- 2 tsp. oil
Before going to sleep:
- 1 cup water or tea
And we did it! The great thing about this plan is although we are still eating food, we are eliminating carbs and dairy (major causes of bloating), as well as cutting sugar and salt to a bare minimum. Remember to plan your gym visits to be soon after eating your two big meals so you don’t overwork yourself.
Try this plan out for a few days and enjoy the difference in your healthy eating habits, not to mention your physique!
Just picture yourself right here: