So if you follow my Facebook page you’ll know I recently did a 9 day cleanse called Clean 9 from Forever Living. It’s basically a complete cleanse/detox that consists of:
- 2 one litre tubs of Aloe Gel, for cleansing your system – Aloe has a lot of health benefits as well as a rich source of nutrients, it also aids digestion so works well as a detoxifying cleanse.
- 1 pk Forever Lite Protein powder – I ordered the Vanilla as it’s easy to add fruit and make a smoothie to jazz it up a little
- Forever Garcinia Tablets – these help the body burn fat and are a natural appetite suppressant
- Forever Therm Tablets – support your weight loss by increasing your metabolism and your energy levels
- Fibre Sachets – help keep you full and also keep you regular!
- 1 cool little shaker cup for your protein shake
- 1 measuring tape
- Your book that explains everything and tells you what to take when as well as gives you recipes for your meals after day 2
I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of this, I’d seen the results from other people posted online and I really wondered whether it was possible to lose a large amount of weight over such a short period of time and expect it to stay off?…….
Day 1 & 2 – The detox a.k.a. the hardest part!
Breakfast: 120ml Aloe Vera Gel, 2 Garcinia tablets, 1 Therm tablet
Mid Morning: Fibre sachet dissolved in water
Lunch: 120ml Aloe Vera Gel, 2 Garcinia tablets, 1 Therm tablet, 1 scoop Forever Lite Ultra made with 300ml water or Almond/rice milk
Dinner: 120ml Aloe Vera Gel, 2 Garcinia tablets, 1 Therm tablet
Evening: 120ml Aloe Vera Gel, 2 Garcinia tablets
Snacks: Selected fruit & veg from your “free” list
Exercise: Min 30mins low intensity exercise (walking, swimming etc.)
So I started the first 2 days with just the above, doesn’t look very appetising does it?! Luckily, I was also allowed some food from a free list of fruit & veg including apples, strawberries, red grapes and lots of salad veggies so mid morning I had a small bit of fruit cut up in a bowl then at Dinner I had a small mixed leaf salad with onion, tomato & cucumber with a teaspoon of Balsamic Vinegar. I actually looked forward to this even though it wasn’t much but it made the 2 days a lot more bareable!
How I felt: In a nutshell – Hangry! These were the hardest days by far, I craved something tasty, I hated the Aloe Gel and I questioned whether I could actually continue! As it turned out I got through it, my Forever distributor Jenny was a great source of help and encouragement and she gave me a tip to add a tiny drop of diluted juice to the Gel to make it easier to take and that did the job nicely. I have to say though, whenever I felt hungry, I could fill up (within reason) on fruit and veg from my free list so for that reason this was more bareable than I thought.
I absolutely loved the shake, it was really tasty and I looked forward to having it! I made mine with Almond milk and it gave it a lovely taste, I also added in some strawberries, raspberries or blueberries and whizzed it up in my smoothie maker for variety and that was gorgeous and very filling.
On the second day I did a really intense exercise class and I was really surprised at the level of energy I had! I thought I’d be really low on energy and tired but no, that wasn’t the case at all, I felt fantastic!
Tip: I couldn’t wait to get started on the cleanse as soon as it was delivered to me, but I didn’t realise that it’s actually recommended that you begin taking the Aloe Gel 4 – 5 days prior to beginning, just to get used to the taste (it really does take some getting used to, there’s no denying it!) so I really wish I had done that and it may have eased me in better.
Days 3 – 9
Breakfast: 120ml Aloe Vera Gel, 2 Garcinia tablets, 1 Therm tablet, 1 scoop Forever Lite Ultra made with 300ml water or Almond/rice milk
Mid Morning: Fibre sachet dissolved in water
Lunch: 2 Garcinia tablets, 1 Therm tablet, 1 scoop Forever Lite Ultra made with 300ml water or Almond/rice milk
Dinner: 2 Garcinia tablets, 1 Therm tablet, 1 600 calorie meal – 800 cals for men
Evening: 2 Garcinia tablets
Snacks: Selected fruit & veg from your “free” list
Exercise: Min 30mins moderate intensity exercise (Jogging, Aerobics etc.)
I was super excited about day 3 because it included a full meal, yay! There were great suggestions on what to have included in the book but most days I had some salmon or a chicken breast, a side salad with olive oil & balsamic vinegar and a small portion of brown rice. At this stage, it was the nicest meal I ever tasted, no joke! 🙂
On day 4 I had a bit of a setback, my baby daughter was unexpectedly taken into hospital, nothing serious thank god, just a kidney infection but she was in for 4 days which, as you can imagine, really threw me out of my routine! I was with her most of the time so it was tough to keep going but then again, I didn’t have to think about what to have, I just had my shakes at breakfast and lunch and then bought a salad in the hospital shop for dinner. I was totally preoccupied with my poor sick baby which obviously kept my mind off food and eating. Of course, I couldn’t exercise though which was a pain. I was surprised how well I stuck to it though everything considered.
On the last day, day 9, you are allowed to have a 300 cal meal for lunch as well as your 600 cal meal so that helped to ease me back into healthy eating.
How I felt: Great! The Aloe Gel was easier to take, especially since it was just the once, in the morning, and somehow the taste wasn’t as bad. It really is one of those things you get used to after a while and the health benefits are worth it. Also I never felt hungry, the shakes were so filling and the weather was so warm, I was drinking loads of water so that helped too. A bonus of being stuck in hospital was that there were no temptations to eat anything other than what I had. I was still able to snack on some fruit so I’d have an apple mid-morning and a pear mid-afternoon to ease any hunger pangs.
My stomach felt flatter and I definitely felt trimmer and just healthier in general so it was well worth sticking to it. But more importantly…..
The Results: After the 9 days I weighed and measured myself and I had lost 8lbs and 5 inches all over which I was delighted with! I think not being able to exercise put me at a bit of a disadvantage but still just over half a stone wasn’t a bad result at all! More than the weightloss though, I felt great. My skin was clear and bright, my digestive system was in top form again – I suffer with IBS so it’s always great to do a good cleanse every now and then. Also my sugar cravings were gone, it was like pressing the reset button on my whole system which was really the result I wanted.
If you’re thinking of doing it, I would highly recommend it. Yes, it’s quite expensive as far as detoxes go and some might argue, if you eat so little. you’d still lose the weight, but I do think it’s worth it because with all the supplements you take, you are nutritionally supported through your cleanse and you don’t feel hungry or lacking in vitamins and you have tons of energy. I’ve done a juice detox before and I had absolutely zero energy doing it and just felt drained and ravenously hungry, so in comparison I’d go with the C9 every time as you get the same, if not better results and you can actually EAT!
Would Clean 9 be for you?
Well, only you can decide that, but if you want any of the following, I’d say go for it!:
- You want to kickstart your weightloss
- You have a wedding, holiday or special occasion that you want to look amazing for, or maybe drop a dress size
- You need to lose weight quickly for medical reasons
- Want to cleanse your whole system out and lose the sweet cravings
- You suffer with IBS and want some relief from your symptoms
Would I do it again?
Yes, absolutely! It really wasn’t that bad at all, and the results were so worth it. I’m now one week on from it and I’ve started eating really healthy so I’ve lost a further 2lbs and still feeling good which is great! So in answer to my question above, is it too good to be true and will you just put all the weight back on? No, it seems not – once you don’t go back to old habits and you continue eating healthy. 🙂
Also I had forgotten how good the Aloe Vera is for easing the symptoms of IBS, I used to take it years ago but this stuff is so much better than what you get in the health food shop – if you read the label, that stuff is Aloe JUICE which is different all together – Forever Aloe Gel is way more concentrated and works much better on your whole digestive system.
I may keep taking the Garcinia & Therm tablets as they were really good supplements for weightloss. Also I really liked the shakes so much I would defo repurchase those, especially for mornings when I’m rushing out the door and haven’t got time for breakfast (as is the case for most busy mums!). It would be better to take this with Almond milk and some berries whizzed together than to have nothing and it’s so filling and tasty. It would be great to have before or after a workout too as it’s high in protein.
Would you try this yourself or do you think it’s too extreme? I’d love to know what you think below 🙂
Also, if you’re looking to do Clean 9 yourself and want to order it or have any questions, just drop me an email to kandigloss@gmail.com or send me a message on my Facebook page and I can point you in the right direction 🙂
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