That's right folks, this self-proclaimed carboholic and sweet-tooth queen made it through the Dr. Oz 3-day detox! I ran across it on my Pinterest feed and decided then and there that I was going to try it. Not because I was looking to lose weight, but rather because I just felt...ick.
After over-indulging during the holidays (I gained back 8 pounds, y'all) I needed to jump start my system. I truly felt like I needed to cleanse my body and rid it of all the processed junk I loaded up on.
I've seen those lemon juice, honey and cayenne pepper detox plans. And I have heard of a few others that last 7-10 days. So why the Dr. Oz detox?
It's pretty simple really. I wanted to set a realistic goal. I figured 3 days was do-able, and with nutrient-packed ingredients like spinach, raspberries and almond butter it was much more appealing than a nutrient-starved plan like the honey/lemon/pepper drink. Plus, there is a different shake for breakfast, lunch and dinner so you don't feel like you are forcing down the same thing meal after meal.
Read: The 8 best weight loss tips
Q. Was it hard?
A. Surprisingly, even for a
diet drop out like myself, I found this quite easy. Perhaps it was the
short timeline, or maybe it was that the drinks were actually tasty.
Either way, I found this plan pretty simple.
Q. Was it difficult to find the ingredients?
A. I have slowly been
trying to be more conscious about my grocery habits, focusing on
purchasing more from the "outer aisles" and less from the "middle
aisles" (the process stuff). With that said I've never been one of those
holistic naturopaths so I have only ventured down those 2 aisles with
the cage-free, animal by-product free, health-nut products as a
cut-through from the back of the store to the front. That is until I had
to buy the stuff for this detox. I tried to look as natural as possible
(pun intended) as I shopped for Coconut Oil and Flax Seed. And, I
actually found it quite fun to explore all these health-related
products. Did you know my local grocery store has a machine where you
can grind your own almond or peanut butter? How cool!
But anyway, I was able to find everything at my regular old local HEB
grocery store. If you live in an area where your regular grocer may not
be as robust as this, I am sure everything can be purchased at a health
food store or "natural" grocery chain like Sprouts or Whole Foods.
Q. How much was it?
A. I'll be honest, it
wasn't cheap. I saved my receipt to add up what I purchased for the
detox and the grand total was $92.43. I'll break it out for you below so
you can see exactly what is needed. By the way, I buy organic for most
of my produce...at the very least, the ones on
this list. Oh, and I already had a few things like the green tea and the epsom salt...so you'll want to add a few more bucks to this...
- Kale - {two containers @ 2.97ea} - $5.94
- Spinach - {1 container} - $3.98
- Bananas - {3 lbs} - $1.57
- Raspberries - {three 6oz containers @ 3.98ea} - $11.94
- Mango - {I purchased a bag of frozen chunks as I thought it would be easier} - $1.95
- Cucumbers - {3 small} - $1.86
- Coconut Oil - {Nature's Way, 16oz} - $9.99 on sale!
- Ground Flax Seed - {16 oz} - $3.49
- Almond Butter - {16 oz} - $8.47
- Stevia - {I bought the little packets...you need 1 tsp/day which ended being 9 total packets} - $2.52
- Coconut Water - {Zico, two liters @ 3.99ea} - $7.98 (only needed 1 liter!)
- Almond Milk - {Blue Diamond, Unsweetened Vanilla, 1 qt} - $2.00
- Cayenne Pepper {smallest spice shaker} - $1.99
- Blueberries - {2 pints @ 3.77ea} - $7.54
- Limes - {2ct} - $.40
- Granny Smith apples - {4ct} - $1.77
- Pineapple chunks - {I bought the pre-cut chunks from the produce dept, 20 oz} - $4.68
- Lavender Oil - {for the baths} - $6.39
- Probiotic Water - {I drank this in place of taking a multi-vitamin and probiotic pill} - $4.49
- Celery - $1.20
GRAND TOTAL = $92.43...Yowzers...
But when you think of it as the cost of all meals and snacks that you'll
consume for 3 whole days, it doesn't seem too far fetched. That'd be
$30/day or $10/meal.
Q. Were they easy to make?
A. Yes! I splurged a bit
and bought a $30 Oster My Blend personal blender which ended up being
the perfect complement to this detox. It blended even the large chunks
(that I was afraid my ancient blender would not) and did it all in a
to-go type container that you simply flip over, unscrew the blender
blade and screw on a sipper top. It was worth every penny!
Q. Were you hungry throughout the day?
A. I can honestly say I
was not. Like, at all. The shakes were completely satisfying and kept me
going until it was time for my next one. I doubted those who said the
same when I read reviews online prior to starting. But it was true!
Q. How did they taste?
A. Surprisingly, I liked
all of them. The breakfast one was definitely the best. And the lunch a
close 2nd even though most of the reviews I read said it was horrible
and hard to choke down. I did not find that to be the case. The dinner
one was the most...how shall I say it...interesting in flavor. But even
so, it was not bad. I was pleasantly surprised.
Q. How did they make you feel?
A. After day 1 I felt
great. I had energy, I was still gung-ho. Day 2 was a little more
difficult, I'll admit. I so badly wanted to just chew something.
So I'd pop a piece of gum and be good. I did cheat a little that
afternoon with a nibble of my son's nutri-grain bar (like, the smallest
nibble ever), but then I felt extremely guilty and just plain
disappointed in myself so it was easy to get back on track. Oh yeah, and
I ate some broccoli that night, but it is a green veggie so I let that
slide. By day 3, like any test of will-power, I was just ready for it to
be over with. However I always woke up looking forward to the breakfast
shake so that helped a little. After it was all said and done I
seriously felt SO good. My mind seemed clear, my belly pooch seemed
flatter and I just felt refreshed.
Q. Did it "clean you out"?
A. Not like I was
expecting. If you are wondering if I spent hours on the john throughout
the detox, I didn't. And when I did it was due to the fact that I was
peeing more than usual. So, I guess that's how the "toxins" were making
their way out of my system.
Q. Did you lose weight?
A. That was by far the
biggest perk. I lost 5 pounds by the end of day 3! And, I'm happy to say
that even going back to a "regular" diet (albeit one on the lighter
side), I've kept it off!
Q. What was the biggest challenge?
A. While I expected it to
be giving up food in its "regular" form, it was actually the time it
took to prep the shakes. As a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids, I was pulled
away from the kitchen every now and then. Uninterrupted it would only
probably take 5-10 minutes. However sometimes it took me 20-25.
Q. Would you do it again?
A. Absolutely! My goal is
to do it once/month. And the best part is that some of the higher priced
items like the almond butter, coconut oil and lavender do not have to
be purchased again for a while - there is enough left over. In fact, I
have incorporated the breakfast and lunch shakes in to my everyday diet,
replacing one meal a day since I've been back from Chicago.
(Source: moreskeesplease)
