Reflections from Detox

The results are in!! Before I comment on my experience in detox, here are the numbers you may want to know...

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012

Starting Weight: 116.0 lb

BMI: 21.2

Body Fat: 15.5%

Waist: 27.0 inches

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
 

Ending Weight: 111.2 lb

BMI: 20.3

Body Fat: 14.0%

Waist: 26.25 inches

PHYSICAL EFFECTS: If nothing else, the numbers above prove one thing: there's something to this whole detox fad. To add credibility to these numbers, I should also mention that Justin (who completed a 10-day detox) lost around 8 pounds as a result, and my friend Jen (who completed the 5-day detox with me) lost 6 pounds. Now, let me repeat what I said several days ago - I'm not trying to lose weight. The weight that I lost during those 5 days was not primarily body fat (though a small percentage probably was). Rather, the bulk of the weight loss for all three of us is excess water weight and body waste. As a result, it shouldn't be surprising that all of us immediately gained a little weight back as soon as we completed the detox. That's okay, because it's primarily water and certainly not fat. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS: Some detox advocates claim that a true detox will ease anxiety, stress, and other negative psychological baggage that we often carry with us. I'm not sure about my friends, but I cannot honestly and accurately say that I experienced any measurable improvements in any of these arenas. 

PERSONALITY EFFECTS: As I mentioned in my daily detox reports, I usually experienced a lag in energy from about noon to three o'clock every afternoon during my detox. I'm not sure how much of this was physical and how much was purely mental, but the lag existed nevertheless. On day four, I definitely became a bit irritable late in the day and even a bit short with my sweet husband and some other acquaintances who were unfortunate enough to cross my path during that time. The reason? I was hungry, and I couldn't think about much more than my desire to eat something solid. For the most part, though, the detox didn't change how I acted or how I went through my daily activities. 

PURITY EFFECTS: One of the most obvious reasons to complete a detox is to feel clean, pure, and generally more "organic," for lack of better terminology. I did indeed feel cleaned out, and I went through my day knowing that I wasn't carrying around excess toxins and waste. That's all fine and good, but I must consider that this feeling may have resulted from the simple fact that I knew I was detoxing for that very purpose. In other words, I have no suitable way of determining whether or not I was merely experiencing a placebo effect. 

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

I'm glad I did it. I can say that for sure. Now, I feel confident that I can answer questions about detox with adequate knowledge and credibility. I know what detox did (and did not) accomplish for me, and I can compare that with others who have been through similar plans. And finally, I feel that I can make accurate recommendations regarding detox to clients and friends with different motivations, goals, and abilities. 

As for my general recommendations, I have a few guidelines to consider:

• There's something to detox, and I think that it can be safe and effective for nearly all populations. 
• My friends and I did a very strict detox, and I do not recommend our methods for everyone nor for all purposes. Most people can experience the positive effects of detox without abiding by such strict guidelines as we did. 
• My detox plan (which you can view in my earlier posts) consists almost entirely of liquid meals and eliminates a lot of food options (i.e. no meat, dairy, artificial substances, enriched foods, cooked foods, etc), and this will likely yield the most drastic results in the shortest amount of time. For healthy populations who are seeking to lose excess water weight and body waste for a short period of time (i.e. wedding, class reunion, weekend at the beach, etc), I think that my methods would be greatly effective (though not the most enjoyable).
• A less stringent plan (an example can be seen above) might be a better choice for healthy populations who are willing to do a detox for a longer period of time (10-21 days), have less self-discipline, really need to chew some foods (you don't know how valuable this is until you can't do it) and/or are more interested in feeling "pure" or "clean" as opposed to dropping water/waste weight. 
• As always, please consult your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet, especially if you have any health or nutritional concerns to consider.

I hope this helps answer any questions that you may have had about detox in general! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions that you may still have, and I will do my best to respond to the best of my ability. Thanks for tuning in and for encouraging me to persevere in this experience...all of your support and accountability helped to pull me through!