Detox: 3 days and 2 pounds later

Last Thursday I started the 3-Day Detox by Dr. Oz. After over indulging during the holiday season including Zoe’s birthday, limited working out due to Zoë being sick and overindulging, I needed a jump start to getting back to a healthier diet. Boy was I scared to take this detox plunge. You see I have a thing for cooked food. I am a self professed foodie, a “partially” trained chef (2 years of culinary/pasty/wine study) and an all around happier person when I have a great meal or dessert. But if I am serious about running my first half marathon in the late spring then I need to get my act together when it comes to training and eating right.

So here is how the detox went for me. Let me start by saying I cheated every day. I snacked in between detox drinks on dried salt free almonds and dates. On days 1 & 2, I ate one cup (yes I measured) of Rasta Pasta. I also had a handful of potato chips on day 1 (I was desperate.) One day 3, I made but did not drink a cup of coffee, had a bowl of homemade beef bone soup (courtesy of my mama), 2 slices of hearty white toast lightly buttered and 1.5 cups of whole grain pasta with homemade meat sauce (courtesy of the Hubs.) I also threw my mid day detox drink down the drain because I forgot it in the freezer and the results were not palatable. Even with all this I don’t consider the detox a failure. I actually lost 2lbs.

The Pros:
– Easy to find and prepare ingredients for the detox drinks.
– Boring to some but I liked that you drank the same drinks for the entire detox.
– Fulfilling daily healthy servings of fruit and fiber (close on veggies.)
– A good way to get back on track with taking my vitamin (and yes prenatal a are still the best one a day vitamin in my opinion.)
– Less bloating (these detox drinks keep you very VERY regular.)
– The lunch detox drink recipe makes enough for the snack drink of the day although on day 3 I reduced the recipe so that I could enjoy something else. Since this drink ended up in the trash reducing the recipe came in handy.
– Increased my water intake in an effort to stave off the hunger pangs.
– I was able to stick to the green tea and not revert to my lovely very sweet morning cup of Java. I used monk fruit in the raw instead of stevia because it’s what I had.

Cons
– I was hungry! Famished! Almost Starving! My best friend did this detox in the past and was preparing to start again by drinking one detox drink a day as a meal a week before she officially started. She had the right idea. When I do this again I will spend a few days preparing.
– the lack of calories. As I stated I snacked on almonds and dates in between detox drink. There was no way of avoiding this. Even if I prep next time I will be snacking again and I will be having one small meal (it won’t be pasta based.)
– The recipe detox drink #2 could not be made in one nutribullet cup. This is only a con for me because I opted for using my nutribullet over a blender. So if you are a nutribullet owner split the recipe in half when preparing then combine.
– No mention of hydrating with water or herbal tea during the day. I needed more than what was listed on the detox
– No mention of alternatives for the salt bath (I did not have Epsom salt or lavender oil on hand.) Check here for an alternative.
– The dinner detox drink was too spicy. On day 2 I reduced the cayenne to 1/8 tsp and it was still too HOT! One day 3 I went with just over a pinch. I tummy is very sensitive post gallbladder removal so sometimes spice and I don’t fair well.
– I stuck to the green tea but I didn’t enjoy it. I have had the tea bags for a while so that could have been the issue.

Overall I found the dinner detox drink to be the most tasty (once I adjusted the spice.) The lunch drink was my least favorite. It would make for a great juice. I’ll test it out in my Breville and report back. The breakfast drink was good enough. I will probably have a boiled egg and some sautéed greens with it.

I think eating smaller portions and making sure you have the right balance of fruits and vegetables, grains and protein are the best way to maintain a healthy diet (and weight) but a jump start detox is not a bad idea. Remember I did lose 2 of the 4 holiday pounds I gained.

Do you detox? If so which detox do you use and how has your experience been?

XOXO,
MJ