Cleansing Diet

When I posted on my Facebook account that I lose 8 lbs after a week of diet, a couple of friends and friends of my friends sent me private messages expressing their interests in the said diet. I responded to their messages but I just can’t provide all the necessary details in one particular email. So I thought of writing a blog post about it and just give the link to all those who are interested.

Not all our bodies are created equal and our bodies can respond differently to certain factors. This is the reason why I would advise anyone who would want to try this diet to consult their doctors first before taking this challenge. This is imperative especially if you have certain medical conditions. I also won’t recommend that you venture into this diet if your job entails strenuous physical activities.

After getting a clearance from a doctor or you are sure that you are fit to take on the challenge, start preparing yourself mentally and emotionally. Prayers can help too, lol. The last night before you start the diet, take note of your vitals: weight, blood pressure, etc. This is important so you can monitor your progress. After the diet, you can compare the numbers and see for yourself if the diet is effective or you only wasted a week of your time.

Before you go to bed, drink one or two tablespoons of castor oil. Just to set your expectation, this doesn’t taste good so finish it in one gulp. Castor Oil is a good laxative, it helps flush out all the wastes and toxins in your body. Just be ready to respond to the earlier call of nature the next morning. I was told that drinking a cup of pure coconut milk will give the same result as drinking castor oil. But I haven’t tried it. It’s your choice. Do what you think will work best for you.

I started my diet on a Saturday, since it was my rest day. It was chosen deliberately so in case my body would not respond positively to the diet, my work would not be affected.

For one whole week, I only ate a variety of fruits and raw vegetables. Any fruits will do. You can also take natural fruit juices as long as there are no artificial flavorings or sweeteners added. I didn’t even use sugar or salt. The idea is to rid the body of toxins so using refined and processed sugar will not do any good. I ate a combination of bananas, pineapple, mangoes, apples, grapes and other fruits. However, I know a person who said that she doesn’t eat bananas that much as it triggers her gastritis. I don’t know if there’s a truth to this claim but in case there is, then look for other fruits to eat.

I was asked for the frequency on when you will eat these fruits and my answer is anytime. When you feel hunger pangs in your stomach then that is the time to start munching your fruits. It doesn’t matter if it is every hour or two. Suppressing your hunger would only increase your cravings and I certainly would doubt if you will last one whole week with this diet if you will not eat when you are hungry.

During days when I have to go to the office, I made sure that I have peeled fruits in my bag that I can eat when I’m hungry. However, let me reiterate that if you have a job that requires strenuous physical activity, then this diet is not for you.

A couple of tips before you start:
1. It is important that you take a lot of liquids in your body. 8 to 10 glasses of water a day will do but I suggest that you aim for at least 10 to 12 glasses of fluids every day. They said that water makes your metabolism burn calories 3% faster. Drinking more fluids can help prevent overeating and help weight loss.
2. Stay away from temptations. Stay away from the kitchen to be more specific. The smell of food that your mom is cooking can be tempting.
3. Limit your TV-watching as I’m sure that there will be plenty of mouth-watering food advertisement that will be so hard to resist.
4. If possible, don’t let everyone know that you are on a diet. Resist the itch to let your social networking friends know that you are up to something even when you haven’t started yet. You can do that later when you are done with it and you have the results to brag about. You certainly don’t want your friends teasing you or making fun of you. Not all your so-called friends can be very supportive.
5. Make yourself busy. Focus on creative things. Don’t let your mind wander as it may end up thinking of food.

Good luck!