Cleanse
Common Juice Cleanse Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
A cleanse is simple, but a few avoidable slip-ups are behind most of the times people feel rough or give up early. Get these right and the whole thing is far easier. Here are the common juice cleanse mistakes and what to do instead.
Most Struggles Are Avoidable
When a cleanse goes badly, it's rarely the juice. It's almost always one of a handful of common mistakes: going too hard too soon, forgetting to drink water, rushing the juices, or breaking the cleanse with a big heavy meal. None of them are hard to avoid once you know they're coming.
Here are the ones that trip people up most and the simple fix for each.
The Mistakes and the Fixes
| The mistake | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Starting with a 7-day when it's your first | Begin with a 1-day or Juice 'Til Dinner and build up |
| Not drinking water alongside the juices | Keep water going between every juice, all day |
| Downing each juice in one go | Sip slowly over ten to fifteen minutes |
| Diving in straight off caffeine and heavy food | Ease off both for a couple of days first |
| Breaking the cleanse with a big meal | Come off gently with light food over a day or two |
| Expecting it to be a weight-loss plan | Treat it as a reset, not a diet |
| Timing it in your most stressful week | Pick a calmer stretch you can actually rest in |
Going Too Hard, Too Soon
The most common mistake is jumping straight to a long cleanse on your first go. A seven-day juice-only run is a big ask if you've never done one and it's the fastest route to feeling miserable and quitting. Start small. A single day, or Juice 'Til Dinner with its evening meal, lets you learn how your body responds before you commit to more. You can always go longer next time.
Forgetting the Water
People assume the juice covers their fluids. It doesn't. Water between juices is what keeps headaches, tiredness and hunger at bay and it's the single easiest thing to get right. Keep a glass on the go all day and if you feel rough mid-afternoon, reach for water before you assume the cleanse isn't working. There's more on this in managing hunger on a cleanse.
Skipping the Prep
Diving into juice-only days straight off coffee, alcohol and heavy meals is a shock to the system and the caffeine drop alone can give you a thumping head. Easing off both for two or three days beforehand makes the cleanse far smoother. A little prep is the difference between a gentle few days and a rough first one. The full run-through is in how to prepare for a juice cleanse.
Breaking It the Wrong Way
The days after matter as much as the cleanse itself. Celebrating the end with a big rich meal is the quickest way to feel bloated and undo the ease you built up. Come off gently: light foods first, small portions, building back over a day or two. There's a full guide in how to break a juice cleanse.
Expecting It to Melt Off Weight
Plenty of people start a cleanse chasing a number on the scales, then feel let down. Be straight with yourself from the off: a cleanse isn't a weight-loss plan. The scales often dip over a few juice days, but that's mostly water and it returns once you eat normally. The value is the reset and the habits you carry forward, not the scales. Go in expecting that and you won't be disappointed.
Start on the Right Foot
Cold-pressed, vegetable-led and frozen fresh, built as a plan so the decisions are made for you:
Frequently Asked
What's the most common mistake people make?
Going too long too soon. A seven-day cleanse on your first attempt is a big ask. Start with a single day or Juice 'Til Dinner, see how you feel and build up from there.
Why do I feel worse on day one?
Usually it's caffeine withdrawal and not enough water, not the cleanse itself. Easing off coffee beforehand and keeping water going through the day fixes most of it. Day one is often the hardest and it eases.
Do I really need to drink water as well as juice?
Yes and it's the easiest thing to get right. Water between juices keeps headaches, tiredness and hunger down. Reach for it before you assume the cleanse isn't working.
Can I ruin a cleanse by how I end it?
You can undo a lot of the good feeling. A big heavy meal straight after is the classic mistake and leaves you bloated. Come off gently with light food over a day or two instead.
Is expecting weight loss a mistake?
Setting it as the goal is. A cleanse isn't a weight-loss plan and any quick scale movement is mostly water that returns once you eat. Treat it as a reset and you'll get more from it.
When's the wrong time to cleanse?
Your most stressful, jam-packed week. A cleanse goes better when you can rest and take it gently. Pick a calmer stretch and keep it short if life is busy.
The Bottom Line
Most cleanse trouble comes from a short list of avoidable mistakes: starting too long, skipping water, rushing the juices, no prep, a heavy meal at the end and chasing the scales. Fix those and a cleanse is a genuinely easy few days. Start small, drink your water, sip slowly, prepare, come off gently and treat it as a reset rather than a diet.
Doing your first? The 3-day cleanse guide covers the whole approach and you can browse the cleanse and fasting hub for the rest.
Where to Start
Browse the full range in the cleanse and fast shop, or go straight to the 1-Day Cleanse, the Signature Cleanse or Juice 'Til Dinner.
Related reading
- What's in a day of cleanse juice
- How many juices a day on a cleanse
- Why our cleanse is frozen
- Cold-pressed vs shop-bought cleanse
- The new year reset
- The post-holiday reset
- The spring reset
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