Detox Anyone?

I have just finished a two week detox.  Well, kind of.

Why did I detox?

I was inspired by Tania McCartney.  I read she was eliminating sugar, wheat, dairy & alcohol for two weeks. She was doing it for her health with the hope that she may also lose a couple of kilos.  I have tried just about every idea for weight loss but have never actually stuck to anything for very long.  So I found the two week limit very appealing.  Surely I can do something for two weeks, two weeks is nothing!  I've also had the feeling for quite some time that wheat is not good for my body & I know I drink too much wine.  At first I read her blog & thought...What can you eat if you eliminate all that?  And...I can't drink black coffee!  So I decided I'd give it a go but I wasn't going to eliminate dairy, in fact I beefed dairy up!

I like to follow rules but I also like to bend them.  I feel if something doesn't quite suit, tweak it until it does.  So that's what I decided to do, eliminate sugar, wheat & alcohol...for two weeks.

So what have I been eating?

Eggs, bacon, ham, blue cheese, brie, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, dried apricots, rice crackers, Ryvitas, tomato, salads, tuna, salmon, chick peas, canned mixed beans, stir-fries, baked fresh fish, cashews, almonds, rice, rissoles, soup, strawberries, apples, peaches, bananas, yogurt....there are a lot of things I can eat!

And of course I've been cheating!  I've been eating chocolate almost every day (yes, I have professed to not caring about chocolate in the past) and there have been some things I've eaten with small amounts of wheat or sugar.  And I'm eating blue cheese, brie, yogurt & cottage cheese.  No low fat stuff, I think 'low fat' is the biggest dieting crock ever! So really I'm cutting down on sugar and wheat and eliminating alcohol...except for Friday nights.  Well...I fell off the wagon for one two  nights, so shoot me!

Anyway the results are in and I have lost 2kgs...in 2 weeks!  Without a skerrick of exercise.

How did I feel?

I've been taking pain medication for my rheumatoid arthritis.  I've had more energy.  And I've been getting to bed earlier because wine makes me chatty and I sit up way too late on Twitter after a couple of glasses at night!  So I've had more sleep.

What did I learn?

I'm pretty sure there is no 'one diet fits all'.  I believe every body is different and they all need different things.  I think I've proven to myself wheat is BAD...for me, sugar in moderation is OK, diary is good, and wine is great on Friday night!!  And the best thing is two weeks is so do-able. 
I'm going to stick to it for a little longer because my reward for getting under 60kgs is a laptop.  I'm 62....almost there.

Where to from here?

I'm going to keep cutting right back on wheat and sugar but I won't say I'm giving them up.  I'll probably go back to drinking too much wine.  And next time I detox I might try cutting down on dairy and adding daily exercise.  If I do go back to old habits and the weight starts creeping back on, I'm going to put myself on the two week detox.  I love it.


So that's my detox plan...with a whole lot of cheating!

Sorry, Tania, for not sticking to it properly.
But thank you for the inspiration that led to 2kgs gone...I'm thrilled with that!