I won’t bore you with you the program details, so please go here to read more about the dHerbs 20 day full body detox.
As previously mentioned, after putting so much energy into school during these last two years I am committed to spending the summer refocusing on my physical health. I have found that detoxes or fasting of some sort gives me time to step away from the table – literally – exercise some discipline and really decide what the next steps to achieving and maintaining my idea of optimal health will be. These practices in self-restraint have always served as a physical restart for me, but the trick is finding the right one that also fits into my schedule. This time around I decided to try something new … dHerbs’s 20 day, full body detox.
I found out about dHerbs from a friend and classmate. She highly recommended the product so I made plans to start the detox at the beginning of the year. I ordered my shipment from a 3rd party retailer and after waiting for over a month with numerous failed attempts to find out the status of my order, I found myself awaiting a refund and without a detox to jump-start my year. This time I decided to go directly to the vendor; my order arrived in less than 5 days! After my package arrived I still had about a week to review the contents, get my recipes together and create some sort of game plan.
The first week was novel – almost exciting. Each day I woke up to eagerly see if I noticed any changes: had anything different occurred in the way my body looked or felt; did I have more or less energy; what was happening with my skin; what about my weight? The second and third weeks were painful. While I had begun to experiment with more raw food recipes, I found myself craving cooked food. And my last few days seemed like a breakthrough. After planning my post detox meal carefully and excitedly for nearly two weeks – down to the dessert – I realized that a cheat meal could wait. I wanted to bask a little longer in the feeling I’d gained from doing the detox; push myself a little harder; and sort oot what the remainder of my summer would look like in reference to my fitness and weight loss goals.
The remainder of this post will focus on what the challenges and rewards were for me during my detox. While I am satisfied with my weight loss, that is not the focus of this post. You can hear more about the weight loss experiences of others on YouTube.
What I loved:
- Surprisingly, I had tons of energy during the day. I expected to be tired and drained after such a drastic change in my diet, but my experience was quite the opposite.
- I found new food choices! I have been experimenting with vegan and vegetarian food for nearly 20 years now and have NEVER heard of cashew cheese! I made my own almond milk for the first time. I made raw hummus and loved it. I made chocolate coconut chia pudding (YUM!). I made a salad dressing that I actually found to be addictive. The point is I discovered and made great food … and actually enjoyed it!
- I was a lot more satisfied than I thought. I expected to be hungry all the time. I’ve done the master cleanse, Weight Watchers, calorie monitoring using MyFitnessPal and more; I experienced hunger in all of these programs, even if only during the first week of two. It was surprising to me just how filling raw nuts, a huge salad with an assortment of veggies or even a well thought out smoothie could be!
- I discovered new communities! Who knew there are so many raw and vegan foodies out there. There are more restaurants, Facebook groups, Instagram pages and bloggers than I ever knew – way more than my first experience with being vegan in 2000. It’s wonderful to have access to so many recipes, folks giving product reviews and simple e-encouragement.
- With all of this focus on intentionally choosing what I ate, it should be no surprise that I felt better mentally and spiritually. I just felt and still feel a bit calmer – I am sure this is also because of me exercising regularly again – clearer and a lot more confident. I felt and feel like I am investing in myself, which just helps me feel more in tune inside and out.
What I didn’t care for:
- If you read the product description, you know that the detox includes taking 6 rounds of supplements each day plus an activated charcoal drink before bed. While I didn’t experience any noticeable side effects from the supplements, it was a lot to take pills every 2-3 hours. I set 7 extra alarms on my phone just to help me remember.
- THAT’S IT. Taking the supplements was the only thing I didn’t like.
Final thoughts: I feel amazing! Could I have initiated these feelings by making other changes in my life? Of course! But was this the best route for me during this time in my life? ABSOLUTELY! This was just what I needed to refocus, recharge and RESTART! I will continue blogging about my #90days2wellness throughout this summer.