Life after a detox...

The start of a new week, and I have to say I’m feeling pretty virtuous at the moment - nutritionally speaking that is.

Two weeks after my last detox programme I’m still feeling the benefits.

Long overdue after an incredibly social November, Christmas and January – both my body and mind were ready for a healthy reset.

Anticipating the festive excesses I booked a 7-day Alkalise, Balance and Cleanse from Nosh Detox; a programme designed to help you lose weight and cleanse your digestive system.

It may sound lazy to buy a detox, but the prospect of everything you eat being delivered to your door, freshly prepared every couple of days was extremely appealing to me.

It is true though these types of programmes are not a cheap option, but the good thing about Nosh Detox as a company is they have regular offers on their website; so for this one I took advantage of a 20% off discount.

I know have said this before, probably in one of my earlier blogs, but it is worth reiterating - I much prefer detoxing than dieting – it just suits my personality better. If I tell myself I am cutting out certain foods for the foreseeable future – my brain will obsess endlessly about those foods creating the polar opposite of a healthy environment for my mind and body.

But a structured week of balanced, nutrient rich meals, without any caffeine and, importantly for me, no sugar is long enough for me to break the conditioned reflex of looking for “unhealthy” foods every day.

The other massive benefit for me is reframing portion size. Portion control is something I have struggled with for as long as I can remember, and it is personally important for me to have at the forefront of my mind. Being attuned to when I’m hungry and only eating until I’m just full and not over full are also pertinent.

Another big plus for this kind of programme is the food you get is a combination of smoothies, soups, snacks and proper meals. Years ago I did a few juice cleanses - literally just juice, and I found them really hard going – they affected my energy levels and I realised I am one of those people who needs to chew food to feel full.

So, all in all, my 7-day detox was a success and whilst my goal was to feel ”healthier”, I lost about four pounds, which was of course a welcome by product.

For me though, the tricky bit comes after the detox. I’m not bad at being disciplined for a short period of time; it is maintaining consistency with healthy food choices that I struggle with.

But the detox has had a great knock on effect on my mind-set and I know I don’t want to undo all the good nutritional work I have put into place. So I have set myself some realistic guidelines - which seem to be working well for me. I am not denying myself anything – but I am making sure my caffeine free, and sugar free days outweigh the days on which I partake.

So two weeks on, my bad habits seem to be minimal, I feel energised and “lighter”, and I don’t just mean in terms of weight and I am very much enjoying this state of being.

So I’m going to keep up my strategy of moderation and the emphasis on lots of fresh fruit and veggies for as long as I can and see how I go… no doubt, I'll keep you posted! 

Choosing detoxing over dieting

(Nosh Breakfast Fruit smoothie)

My worst vice is sugar – chocolate, cake, pudding and alcohol. Sugar and I have a long, complex relationship, one I totally enable.

Occasional “treats” very quickly become habits and then before I know where I am dependent on my next sugar fix and carrying 2-3 extra pounds, which I find hugely irritating.

I don’t like to diet as that feels like denial to me. The minute I tell myself I can’t have something – that’s all I want.

Detoxing, on the other hand, feels more productive and beneficial – like a reset. So about ten days ago I did a 3-day detox. The primary goal was to break my sugar habit and to hopefully shift my extraneous weight (!)Over the years, I have done 48 hours cleanse type things where all you drink is a balanced potion diluted in water, I’ve done longer 10 day detoxes where you eliminate a lot of food groups and then reintroduce them gradually over a week and a half, and I have done juice cleanses.

But I didn’t have the time to devote to a longer detox and I like food, so I thought I’d look for something that had a food element but was short.

After a little research I settled on the 3-day "Body Smooth & Tone Fast Weight Loss" (BST) programme from Nosh Detox.

Now I know these programmes aren’t cheap but having done some investigation, Nosh seemed reasonable and as I was busy I liked the idea of everything turning up for each day freshly prepared and all I had to do was eat it!

So here’s a sample menu:

This is what I can tell you. Everything I ate and drank was delicious. The breakfast smoothie was a great way to start the day and more filling than I had anticipated, lunch was enormous (see below) and I was very grateful to have a something served hot in the evenings. My only criticism is that I would have liked to have known all the ingredients in the juices and smoothies - but I was forewarned by Nosh that the Chef's descriptions were very brief.

(Day One and Day Three lunches - I can assure you this is a LOT of salad)

There was definitely less food overall than I would ordinarily eat, but I am pretty sure there are days when I overeat, and searching for something “extra” or a treat to eat after my meal is a really bad habit of mine.

Day One was fine, though I was clock watching till my next allotted meal or snack.

Day Two felt easy and I thought I had adjusted to my new regime but funnily enough Day Three was the hardest day. For some reason my body was testing me and wanting more food than I was giving it, which was different to the first two days.

Having said that, I didn’t get any headaches or other untoward side effects. I slept well and woke up each day feeling energised.

So a week and bit on, I have stopped craving sugar and I seemed to have broken the conditioned reflex I had for looking for something sweet at certain times of the day, I have become much more aware of portion control …and I have lost two kilos and it’s still off.

I’m not saying I am off sugar - when I am out in the evenings – pudding and alcohol seem to feature quite heavily, but right now I feel in control to pick and choose, what I want and if I really want it – and that feels like a good place to be.

A quick word about Nosh – in my experience they were thorough (checking likes and dislikes, allergies etc.), efficient and helpful - and just to reiterate - the food was delicious.

I’m not sure I would manage a longer, 6-day programme but I would definitely do another detox from Nosh.