I have a good friend who has been extolling the virtues of Juice Plus for some time now. She looks amazing, really healthy and confident, as you can see, from her 'before' and 'after' pictures here. I was intrigued, so she offered to send me some to review, and my curiousity shouted; 'Yes please!' before I'd really investigated the process properly. What I had heard was that it was so packed with nutrients, that it was a really healthy product to drink, which I thought, from a weight loss perspective, was a really good place to start. However, I will admit, when I received the additional 'lifestyle' info, I was pretty horrified at everything I was expected to give up! The list was fairly comprehensive and contained all the obvious culprits responsible for weight gain, plus a few surprise offenders! I was most concerned about cutting out caffeine and sugar, as that's pretty much what I was living on! I envisaged massive withdrawal, caffeine hangovers, cravings, the lot. Let's face it, sugar and caffeine were a significant part of my day. I was drinking up to four cans of cola, along with a couple of cups of tea, each day. I was subconsciously picking at biscuits and chocolate quite a lot too. Even when I was being 'good' I would still have something sweet after meals. I had never successfully managed to quit my sweet tooth completely. Even if I gave up chocolate for Lent, I would just replace it with something else, so I still got the sugar fix. I have to say though, I was really surprised at how easy I found this plan. Once I started having two shakes a day, I didn't crave anything. The children were still eating chocolate, making cakes, etc, but I found it really easy to say no. Revelation, I thought! In the first month, I lost 10lbs. Some people lose a lot more, but my ability to exercise is very limited, which makes it harder to lose weight. A steady 2.5lbs a week was more than enough for me though, and that wasn't the best bit. Additionally, I felt really well. I was tired for the first few days, but once that passed, I had more energy than I'd had in ages. I also felt really positive about myself, as I was no longer a slave to unhealthy food, that, deep down, I probably didn't even really want. After just a few weeks, I saw an improvement in some of my health problems, such as IBS and heartburn, which meant I could significantly reduce the amount of medication I was taking. I realise that the change in diet would play a big part in this, but Juice Plus gave me the tools to permanently change my diet, so it has been well worth doing. I really can't get over how easy it's been to stick to the healthy eating plan. I don't want to sound like an advert, I am always honest in my reviews, and this is honestly what I think. I have tried so many diets and plans over the years, emphasising avoiding different types of food usually, but I have always felt that it was a short term fix, and not a permanent change. The advantage with Juice Plus, is that I get all the support I need from my distributor, who is really clued up on what to eat and what to avoid. She also has the patience of a saint, as I'm sure she must get asked the same questions over and over again! There is also a Facebook group that offers the support of other people on the programme, whether they've just started, or are old hands, it's a great place to get peer support and advice. Bridget Brazier, who has been using the shakes since March, had this to say; " Artificial sweeteners are not the heroes I thought they were! It turns out that anything artificial is much harder for the liver to process, and so hinders effective weight loss. It is possible, and immensely beneficial, to live without unnecessary sugar. As a bonus, you can feel really, really smug about it, which definitely helps!