Does Detoxing Work?

Like many women I was looking to lose a few pounds but mostly I was looking to get healthy. The timing was perfect; our office started a biggest loser contest for 12 weeks. I had been eating pretty unhealthy and stopped doing regular workouts, so I figured this could be the push that I needed to get motivated. 

To begin I asked a small group of my work friends to join me in a detox.  I had recently read GOOP CLEAN BEAUTY by the Editors of Goop (you might know this as Gwyneth Paltrow company). The book suggested doing a detox to clean your body. The main goal was to see if you had any “trigger” foods or foods that were actually making feel less than 100%. This detox came with a very strict list of foods to avoid for 10 days but I was up for the challenge. I even started a Facebook group called Mission Slim Possible, to encourage and support those who wanted to join me. 

The first few days of the detox were the hardest but then it became pretty easy to stick to the “rules”.  The hardest part was when we went out to a restaurant. We don’t have a lot of clean eating options in my hometown, so I had a lot of special request when ordering. Yes, I was one of those people!

Some amazing things happened not only to me but also to my co-workers. The one lady I work with had been suffered headaches/migraines almost daily. It was to the point that I suggested she seek medical help, due to the frequency and intensity of these headaches. The detox cured her of these chronic headaches. She learned that her trigger food was peppers (of all things). She rarely experiences headaches now and she lost 10 pounds in 10 days, with no workouts!

Throughout the 10 day detox, I lost about 7.5 pounds. My stomach became less bloated. I also learned that I have a mild sensitivity to gluten and dairy. When I eliminate these foods (or keep them to a minimal) my body and stomach are much happier!  It also gave me more energy and was eager to work out again. The regret/mistake was that I didn’t slowly introduce things back into my diet; as the book suggested. So it was a trial and error after the 10 days to really figure out what was causing my stomach issues. 

Today I am back to eating more normal; with limited dairy and gluten. I try my best to stick to the 80/20 rule; 80% clean and healthy with 20% of freedom to eat guilt free. With that said, I do enjoy pizza from time to time. 

If you like to read about non-toxic alternatives in healthy and beauty product; I would recommend this book. It had some great information, even if a detox is not your thing (but I would encourage you to give it a go).

As for the biggest loser, we have 2 days left until final weigh-ins. So far I have lost 12.5 pounds. My goal was to lose 15 pounds throughout the whole contest but I am not upset with my results. My clothes fit better (even loose) and I feel better. It seems like a win to me!