So, November came and went, and for some reason there seemed to be a whole lot of junk in my diet. It all started with the pie auction at church, then came my birthday, then came my daughter's birthday, then came Thanksgiving...plus eating out more than normal and SNACKING. The intake got to be overwhelming and I knew I needed to get back on track with healthy eating. Yes, I do splurge from time to time. I'm not a health nut freak. But by and large, I've developed a habit of eating way less processed foods and a lot more homemade and natural foods.
With all that junk came the need to "cleanse", so I went with the Dr. Oz 3-day Detox. There's two sides to this whole detox business. Side one says that the modern day diet (especially in America) is so filled with chemicals and artificial ingredients that we are practically killing ourselves just by what we eat. Side two says that our bodies are designed to naturally rid us of the toxins we ingest and that detoxing is not necessary. I lean towards side one, of course. So, here's how the 3 days played out:
Day 1 - Morning went pretty easily. The drink tasted good; a little sour, but filling. The lunch drink was a little harder to swallow. In fact, there were so many ingredients that went into it that I could barely get it all in the blender. Speaking of blenders...you need a FULL SIZE one, not an individual one like the Magic Bullet. And it had better be a pretty good one, otherwise you'll be consuming chunky, cold soup!
By midday, I was starting to feel some "side effects". I started to get a splitting headache. That was the hardest part of the day. I also struggled with the fact that it was one of those frigid cold days and I was out and about a lot. Normally, I can handle it better, but since all I was eating were cold smoothies I was a little irritated. By evening, all I wanted was a bowl of nice hot soup! The detox bath did help and I had another cup of green tea at night.
Day 2 - This day was the most bizarre day. I had this strange flushed feeling all day and I still had the headache until the afternoon. Also, on this day I figured out that the dinner drink was my favorite, so I had that as my snack, as well. Loved the cayenne pepper in the drink. It gave it a little kick. Also, by this day I was feeling a little extra fatigued. My workout in the morning was a real struggle. About halfway through this day is when the detox really started to kick in, or shall I say...the elimination process.
Day 3 - The morning was kind of hard. I was a little queasy and definitely felt like I needed to be close to a bathroom. It never did get "ugly" though. Thank goodness! I will say this (without being too graphic)...what goes in must come out! Okay, enough said! By nighttime, I was really wanting to eat something that didn't come through a straw. I have a new respect for anyone who has to have their jaw wired shut. A liquid diet gets old pretty quickly.
So that's the gist of it. I'm glad I did it for the following reasons:
1. It got me back on track to eating healthy.
2. It reminded me of the fact that food in its natural state is really good.
3. I just felt overall healthier for doing it.
4. It helped me break the desire for sugar and wheat, two things I want to eat less of and I don't even crave them at this point.
Although losing weight wasn't my primary goal, I did lose about 4 pounds. But, I don't consider this weight as fat loss. It was more water weight. It did help clothes fit a little better, so that's a bonus!
Here's something else to consider...credit to Dr. Oz, but I'd like to one-up him on one thing...using the three days to "cleanse" spiritually. It's good to go into this plan with scripture to mediate on through out it. There are moments of weakness during the detox, but letting those moments be a springboard for focusing on Christ builds strength and faith, kind of like a spiritual fast.
Here are the side effects I experienced while doing the detox: headaches, fatigue, irritability, flushed feeling, and slight nausea. Keep in mind this is an elimination of toxins. Just like with a heroine addict...it's going to challenge the body, but the outcome is worth it.
Would I do it again? Yes, but with clean eating (hopefully) it shouldn't be a regular practice.
