I have been on the Designs for Health 14 day Detox/Cleanse for 11 days (today is day 12). So far my overall feeling is, I like it. I would recommend this to others interested in a detox program. I don’t have any real feedback from my friends yet. Some of them started a few days ago and others are starting in another week or so. I’ll post more information about their experience when I have it.
Last Friday a friend asked me how I felt. That was day 7, so the end of the first week. My first response was that I felt fine. I did feel fine. Up until I was asked how I felt I really hadn’t put much thought into it. After responding that I felt fine and my friend declaring that if she was going to do a detox she would hope that she would feel better than “fine” I really started to evaluate how I felt.
I actually felt better than fine. I felt great. I realized that my energy level was pretty even all day, I didn’t have any food cravings, my snacking had dwindled to very little if any at all and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED my protein shakes, delicious. I was awake in the morning and ready for bed, actually pretty tired at night. That’s just how it’s supposed to be, right.
Now that I’m almost done, 3 days left including today, I feel even better than I did last Friday. My energy level has really leveled off. I feel good all day and I don’t feel wiped out at 7 pm even with exercise (gym/tennis). Last week I was ready for bed but it was pretty early. Last night my husband and I were up until 11pm (maybe a little too late) watching Downton Abbey – we are catching up and we are hooked (last week I would fall asleep on the couch. I figured it was o.k. because it was night-time). I don’t snack in between my shakes, meal because I’m not really hungry. I’m happy to snack on the approved foods but I just don’t even think about it.
I’m a little sad the detox is coming to an end. I tend to be a BIG eater. I can consume large quantities of food, always have but I feel better eating less food. I hope the big take away for me will be less food. I believe I will continue to eat whole foods (that’s how I eat) but I hope I have a new appreciation for the right amount of food. I think I have a better grasp of when I’m hungry vs. board so that’s good. I also think I have my sugar and alcohol cravings under control. I don’t think that is entirely from the detox. Prior to the Christmas holiday I did a Whole 30 reset. I dropped all the sugar and alcohol for thirty days. That pretty much did the trick with over indulging in both sugar and alcohol – I just didn’t feel/have the need. I think the addition of 14 more days without sugar and alcohol just reinforced my new “habits”. This is not to say I won’t be eating any sugar or alcohol, because I will. What it means is I have more control and I don’t tend to go overboard.
I like having a good energy all day and sleeping well at night. I don’t want to mess that up with too much sugar and/or alcohol. I sound like an old fart (I probably am) but energy and good sleep are really rewarding and I plan to do what I can to keep those two things the way I want them.
As for Jeff, he’s doing great. He continues to get up and head out the door without any coffee. He did tell me that day 7 (or 8) was the hardest day he had regarding the coffee. He pushed through but a week without coffee had him really wanting some. He’s looking forward to the end. He sees his shiny coffee maker at the end of his detox tunnel.
He told me his two big take aways are his ability to go without coffee and alcohol. He believes he broke through a huge mental wall with the coffee. It really was a bit of a debilitating habit/need for him. He travels for work and he told me he couldn’t go to sleep at night until he knew where and when he could get his coffee in the morning.
Eat Well, Feel Good, Have Fun!
I’m Amy a board certified holistic nutritionist, certified functional nutritionist and lifestyle practitioner and certified Life Coach. I help women in midlife understand the changing needs of their body so that they can stop dieting and lose weight permanently. At 56 I live what I teach. Don’t believe the story that your best years are behind you. They are not. Your best years are just starting!