How My Owl Venice Cleanse Went

It’s little over a week since I finished the Owl Venice Reset and I am still trying to hold onto the post cleanse feeling. So yeah it went well. In fact, I am looking forward to the next time I can do the 4-Day Reset… and I can’t believe I am actually writing that. I am also going to write something completely unbelievable for me: I QUIT COFFEE, at least for now. For me to say that is pretty extraordinary. I am the girl who runs to the coffee pot first thing in the morning and cannot deal with life until that cup is done. Every. Single. Morning. Well, I still have a cup in the morning, but now it’s filled with something else. Something that’s better for my gut and my whole body … all thanks to the Owl Venice Reset. (More on that cup in a bit).

I can attribute my success with this cleanse to a few things:

First and foremost, I prepared. I cannot say enough about the preparation for a cleanse. I am not talking about washing vegetables and cooking. I am talking about getting your body and brain ready for the reset. For the week leading up to the cleanse, I started to wean myself from coffee, sugar and preservatives. I ate cleaner and even made some of the meals from the Owl Venice blog that incorporated food that was part of the cleanse. Last year, I cut coffee out cold turkey on the day of my cleanse and my discomfort from that consumed my entire experience. So I think that taking the time to wean myself from coffee before the cleanse was one of the biggest successes.

I also spent some time going over the information (there is a QR code on the box that the Reset came in) about the cleanse. I made a shopping list. I took some quick glance notes about mixing the shakes that I could reference. All of this made the start to the cleanse easier. I also met with a nutritionist to answer my questions. With the Owl Venice Reset, a one-on-one consultation with a nutritionist or health coach is included. I could not appreciate that more. During this short call, we discussed the benefits of me cutting out coffee for the Reset (originally I wasn’t planning on doing it) and how I can cleanse with my active lifestyle. We determined that I should eat food from the approved list if I was going to workout during those 4 days. We established a schedule for the shakes, the broths and my exercising. And she told me what to eat or drink before and after I worked out.

Second, I could eat real food. That list of approved food was my bible over the four days of the cleanse. I made sure my fridge was stocked with plenty of approved foods for me to grab when hunger kicked in. While you are consuming a lot of liquids during the reset, there were times (mainly, once the kids came home after school) that I needed to eat some food. I don’t think I would have been able to do it if I was just drinking liquids for 4 days. I love that this Reset allows for food because the goal isn’t to be hungry. The goal is to clean your body and gut to promote overall better health. And the approved foods allow for that goal. Post cleanse, I have taken these approved foods and inserted them into my regular diet, knowing what I now know about their benefits and how they made me feel. (As I write this, I am eating a kale salad with avocado oil and lime, beets, avocado - all approved foods. I did add chickpeas, which are not on the list but are my favorite ingredient in a salad).

Third, I took it easy on myself. I picked a good time for the Reset without too many distractions or busy plans. Not a weekend. Not a time when I had a lot of activities scheduled. Not a time when the kids would be home all day and asking me for food. I picked a time where I would be home (or near home) and able to prepare the shakes or heat the broths or make the approved foods. While it’s rare for me to take four days off from exercising, I did pick lighter, more low impact movements to do that week. I tried as much as possible not to have to cook a lot for the kids, especially on that first day when I was still getting used to it all. Last year, I stupidly cleansed on a day that I had a trainer and a tennis lesson — an intense day even on a regular diet! That was another big mistake that I wasn’t going to make again this time around.

Ok, so you get why I was so successful with this cleanse. But I haven’t exactly shared with you how I feel. You can draw your own conclusions at this point and you aren’t wrong. I feel amazing. And I don’t want to mess up this feeling by eating too much sugar or drinking too much alcohol or even eating foods that don’t make my digestive system feel good. I didn’t realize exactly how crappy I felt until I did the Reset. And now I don’t want to go back so I am doing whatever I can to hold onto this post cleanse feeling.

I am not going to lie, that first day of the cleanse was an adjustment. But on day 2, I started to feel a real difference in my body and by day 4 I didn’t want to go back to what I was doing before the Reset. I wanted the cleanse to continue- which is shocking for me to write- but I wanted my energy and comfort level to stay this way always! Cleansing isn’t a sustainable diet, and I know that. So I am now taking the foods from Owl Venice and the tools I learned during the Reset and bringing them into my everyday life.

What exactly does that mean for me now? I am a social person and me and my husband often go out to dinner and attend social events and that isn’t changing. I still drink, but much less. I eat non-approved foods, and I do treat myself. I love food too much not to. But during the week and when I am home, I am definitely trying to stick to the cleaner foods that will make my body feel its best. I am telling you, this cleanse was eye opening and life changing for me.

I’ve put a lot of emphasis on my digestive system but my energy level is also much improved. I was crashing a lot during the second half of the day, especially when the kids came home. Before the Reset, I would find myself frozen on the couch, exhausted from the day and dreading having to start the night routine. But that has not been the case now at all. My energy is better but I am also sleeping better. It is a known fact that you sleep better when you detox. Plus, I am really making an effort not to get sucked into a new show that I decide to binge before bed. It’s all about creating new habits, right?

I also feel a lot calmer. That could be the matcha (I’m getting to that) but it also could be the detox and the energy level and everything else good that came out of the Reset.

So you probably want to know how it all tasted. I could tell you which broths and shakes that I liked the best (the chicken broth and the beet drink) but those are just my opinions. And from the people that cleansed with me, we all had different favorites or even ways to prepare them. For example, I liked my shakes cold while someone else enjoyed their shakes heated. I can tell you this though- the shakes and broths are drinkable. And they even grew on me. I started to crave the beet shake in the afternoon. But are they delicious? Not really. I was expecting sweeter drinks and saltier broths, but this is a cleanse that eliminates sugar and preservatives so I don’t know what I was thinking. Come on, Brooke!

So let’s get back to the coffee since it was one of the biggest changes that came from those 4 days. I didn’t realize just how uncomfortable and lousy coffee was making me feel until I was off of it. I felt bloated. I had heartburn. I felt totally sluggish in the second part of my day. Eliminating coffee for this cleanse made my entire body feel so much better and I was comfortable all day long. I never thought matcha would be for me because I hate (I know it's a strong word but it’s necessary here) green tea. But since I was enjoying the matcha shake while I was cleansing, I decided to try a morning hot matcha … and turn it into a ritual, just like my coffee had been.

Matcha has caffeine, but less than coffee. Matcha is easier on your gut than coffee because it’s not acidic. Matcha gives you sustained energy without feeling jittery or crashing. Wait, it gets better… Matcha is full of antioxidants and has a calming effect. Matcha promotes bone density and dental health. What?! And apparently there are no withdrawal symptoms. So the next time I cleanse— because I will do this cleanse again— I don’t need to wean myself off the caffeine. I know! Green magic in a cup!

Tons of people on IG reached out with suggestions on how to prepare matcha, and I took them. I bought the Pique packets so that I don’t have to worry about how much matcha to scoop out. I pour hot (not boiling) water about 1/2 of the cup and fill about another 1/4 with oat milk. I add a small amount of sugar and some cinnamon, and stir it all up with my fancy new matcha mixer. And then I sit in the dark and make sure no one talks to me while I sip and enjoy it. So I didn’t lose my ritual. And now the good feelings of those first morning sips stay with me all day long.

So all in all, I clearly recommend this cleanse. This is only the second cleanse I have done, so I don’t have much to compare it to but the results speak loudly. If you are interested in giving the Owl Venice Reset (you can do 4, 6 or 8 days) a try, click here. Use code Brooke10 for 10% off your cleanse or any products from Owl Venice. They sell all kinds of goodness. I will receive a small commission if you purchase a cleanse using my code but all of my opinions are totally unedited and honest. And that will never change!

And if you want more of a play-by-play of my Resent days 1 through 4, check out the story highlight on my IG titled “Owl Cleanse.”