Cleansing Your Body of Toxins

It seems that now-days, everyone has a cleanse diet for losing weight, clearing toxins from the body--primarily the colon, boosting energy or just feeling better. Celebrities have made some of these programs famous by dropping pounds before a big role - a quick fix for weight control. Not surprisingly, many such programs eliminate alcohol, sugar, caffeine, processed foods and fast foods. Some exclude dairy, meat and wheat products. But how do you really feel on a cleanse program? And how do you know the program is medically sound?

I recently went through a divorce so the idea of physically and figuratively cleansing my body of the past is very appealing. I have done a few cleanses in my life so I know the drill. I'm looking for a new one that will be less time consuming and easier to follow than my previous programs.

An internet search takes me to George DeJohn's "21 day body makeover." Since I am in the makeover business, the name is a sign that I have found the right program for me. George has been a talk show host for eleven years and he sells doctor recommended cleanse and fat loss programs. The advertised results sound compelling, and just what I'm looking for:
- End cravings for unhealthy food/soda/caffeine
- Lose weight by burning fat, not muscle
- Sustained energy during the day
- Balanced hormones
- Great night's sleep
- Increased good mood

Day 1
Oops, this program is a little more complicated than I expected. After wading through several pages of instructions, I realize that I have to think through my daily events and plan my meals to make sure I eat when I'm suppose to. My last cleanse was part of a multi-level marketing program that at the time bugged me. Now I see the beauty of it. I relished having someone to call when I hit a rough patch and want to cheat. I'm ready to dive in. If it's not perfect, I'm still likely to tune up my metabolism and conquer my recently acquired dessert cravings.

Day 1 is easy. The breakfast shake is pretty yummy and I navigate lunch and dinner out with friends painlessly by sticking to the fish and veggies and skipping the red wine. George encouraged me to add fish oils so I started taking two pills twice a day. He insists that it will change my life, improve my digestion and delight my skin. I'm on!

Day 2
This morning is more difficult. I go to Zumba and feel tired - not a usual experience for me. Zumba, a Latin dance/aerobics class, is my favorite life-giving energy source. Maybe I am just feeling the emotional consequences of dealing with some family issues. Maybe this is just the one day I will be tired from the cleanse.

 

Day 3
Wow. I feel so much better - cleaner, and my body is feeling firmer. Is that possible? I trek to Central Market today for lentil soup and salad according to George's 21- day body make-over menu plan. I love the salad bar and prepackaged fresh foods at Central Market. It's nice to have new foods recommended and new ideas of foods to taste that are uber clean and healthy, and this cleanse does that. How fun - and the lentil soup was great (who knew...lentil soup ... Good? ABSOLUTELY!). Even the rotisserie chicken is moist and tasty and lacking in hormones! Love the hidden benefits of this program.

For the past year I've been drinking one-two cappuccinos a day. I felt the absence of caffeine today, so I added an espresso on this day to help me combat a migraine. It worked!

Day 4
I wake up feeling rested. I hope this trend continues. I realize that I should have bought the wire whisk for mixing the morning shakes as directed. I have a bullet mixer left over from the last cleanse I did and assumed it would be fine. Wrong! FYI- You need the wire whisk mixer that you can buy at Target. The necessity of fresh veggies and clean food on this cleanse is a gift. I feel like I'm retraining my body and mind to be attracted to healthy, clean foods (My friend and Good News Girl, Judy, is rigorous about this and I love eating at her house. Now I know why!).

Day 5
I feel even better. I start the day thinking "Oh, boy. This is going to be a full day of work starting early in the morning and lasting until 6:00 pm." I've started drinking green tea to replace the cappuccinos, and find I'm looking forward to the green tea instead of the cappuccinos! The tea is refreshing and fortifying at low energy times in the day. I hope it won't stain my teeth - so far, so good. I stay home on this particular Friday night, eating clean and getting eight hours of sleep. I have been sleeping much better. One more Thank You to George and his program!

Day 6
Another morning of waking up refreshed and feeling great. Over the past couple of days, I keep having this feeling that my skin is getting more toned and tighter. I went to the Gap to get a new pair of boyfriend jeans and found that I'm down a size. I wish I had measured my body before I launched this cleanse to confirm but clothes always tell the truth. I must have dropped inches in my butt and thighs!

Zumba class is great, I feel lighter ...I am enjoying a new freedom to move and dance. I am beginning to really love George's program!

After Zumba, I grab a cup of green tea and head out with a list of condos to view for my Mom. I feel so much healthier inside and I swear my skin is glowing on the outside so I decided to embrace the life of a self tanner once again after a three year hiatus. The new tanning products have gotten so much easier to apply. No more orange hands and heels. Jergens natural glow (Jergens is still around?) is my new favorite daily moisturizer.

My friend, Kate Wagner, started her own modeling agency, Campbell/Wagner. She premiered her new models at The Shak at Stanley Korshak this evening. In a new tiny black dress by Nicole Miller, very 80's, and with my newly tanned legs, I felt I had returned to my modeling days with make-up, hair and clothing from a Robert Palmer video (remember that one - very hot!).

Day 7
Okay, my skin is definitely feeling tighter (and tanner) and my cellulite showed an obvious improvement. My daily morning meditation is shorter and more focused. Cleaning up my food seems to have helped clean out my mind!

This evening is my older son's 24th birthday. I decide to cheat a bit (don't tell George!) and have a glass of red wine with him to celebrate while he and his brother eat the birthday cake I made from a Whole Foods cake mix. By the way, there is a difference between regular store bought cake mixes like Duncan Hines and Whole Foods cake mixes. Whole Foods cakes taste like real food! The other cakes taste like air with sugar thrown in.

One week down - two to go!!

Link to the 21 Day Body Makeover