Detox or Diet?

Mike and I decided that we would really get to grips with our health and well being and as a couple of his pals at work had done the GM diet and had lost well on it we decided that we would give it a go.  It was going to be a challenge.  This 7 day diet or detox as I have preferred to call it, as it is only something that can be followed for short bursts, is the starter of us seriously trying to get fit and loose some weight.
There are a couple of difficulties with us for this we love cooking and eating,  we like to eat out, we like to eat as a family and we like to eat with friends and that has of course told.  There are other issues, I am very much an emotional eater and that is something I have been battling with now for some time, and we each have our favourite things which are not good for us!!
So here we are on our HAWB (health and well being) programme, I prefer to call it that as it sounds so much better than a diet.  This first stage the GM Diet (which is really the cabbage soup under another name) is aimed at giving us a really good start and focusing our minds on what we want to achieve.  The diet promises that you will loose from 10 - 17lbs but I am keeping an open mind, as I have always found it very difficult to loose weight  So on Sunday we made sure we had all of the bits and pieces that we needed for Monday.  I even cheated and got us some pre-prepared melon to start the day so it was ready and waiting when we got up.  Everyday we have to try and drink lots of water up to 10 glasses or around the 2 litres mark which will be good for us regardless.  We both have our favourite drinks to wean ourselves off, me, my coke and Mike his coffee.

Monday - Day 1 - consists of all fruits except bananas. Your first day will consist of all the fruits you want. It is strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day. Especially watermelon and a loupe. (all italics from here)

We had 3 melons (water, honeydew and cantaloupe), apples, strawberries, pineapple and pears to keep us going.  I made up a huge platter of fruit so it was there for us to pick at - at anytime during the day.  I also made up a huge pan of soup, which we put in the fridge and then took a little out and watered down and heated up whenever we wanted soup.

The day went a lot better than I had expected, clearly preparation is everything.  I cannot say it wasn't boring, it was, the soup is only just bearable and I don't think I managed to drink all of the water I needed to - but we got through it.  Day 1 - done.

Tuesday - Day 2 consists of  all vegetables. You are encouraged to eat until you are stuffed with all the raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large baked potato for breakfast. You may top the potato with one pat of butter.

I hadn't been looking forward to the idea of a jacket potato for breakfast but Mike put them on and after Jamie went to school I quite happily sat down and tucked into mine for breakfast and it was lovely.  The rest of the day was very difficult as it is only vegetables.  We added some to the soup but even that didn't make the soup that palatable.  Mike was doing ok, but by about 4pm I was really struggling and was sick and had a vicious headache and had to take to my bed.  Mike tried to wake me later but there was no point,  I was falling asleep as he spoke to me, I did then sleep for about 18 hours.  I had had a small amount of food and some tea earlier to see if that helped - it didn't!

So the big question was would I make it to day 3, well surprisingly I did and woke up raring to go again - it must have been all of that sleep.

Wednesday - Day 3 - A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. Any amount, any quantity. No bananas yet. No potatoes today.

Day 3 seemed a little easier as we could have fruit again, which made a big difference and we managed to make the soup a little more edible with the addition of carrots (lots) and peas (not as many) so that helped enormously.  Day 3 passed much more easily than day 2 and even Mike confessed to struggling on day 2.

Thursday - Day 4 - Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.

Now this was a strange day - the milk was a joy and we both enjoyed a tea (me) and coffee (Mike) and I love bananas so that wasn't really a struggle, I think I had 6 through the day and Mike probably 6 or 7.  We didn't have any soup, we couldn't face that without the additions of carrots and peas but we made it.  The glasses of milk were lovely.

Friday - Day 5 - You will eat beef and tomatoes. Eat two 10 oz. portions of lean beef. Hamburger is OK. Combine this with six whole tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake by one quart.

Personally I don't quite know how hamburger would fit the description of lean meat but so be it.  We chose lean beef slices and steak .  Increasing the amount of water I'm drinking is not easy as I'm struggling to drink 2 litres as it is, as I write (at 5.30 I reckon I'm just over the l litre mark).  Mike took beef and tomatoes into work to snack on, I had tomatoes for breakfast and then did us steak and tomatoes for lunch.  We are having steak for tea (Jamie with some chips) - although I've eaten all of my tomatoes for the day.  We haven't managed any soup either so a fresh batch to be made tomorrow.  I think we both feel that we are almost onto the home straight now.

Day 5 done - 2 days to go, the final corner approaches - although feel I've had far too much red meat, of which we don't really eat an awful lot and there is more tomorrow whereas I am craving fruit.

Saturday - Day 6 - Beef and vegetables. Today you may eat an unlimited amount of beef and vegetables. Eat to your hearts content.

Starting the day with beef is unpalatable for me, I haven't been able to manage it, so its tomato and water (yummy).  Although hard we have both lost some weight so far (fingers crossed and hope this doesn't jinx it).  I think today is likely to consist of beef and soup, maybe a steak and beef salad.  The thought of so much red meat doesn't fill me with longing (I think for next time we may try to find an alternative version that maybe has chicken instead of beef or even a more vegetarian version for me).

Quite a hard day today, made a beef and mushroom stir fry, with beans, broccoli and mange tout for lunch which was yummy but really hungry now - have done well on the water front today and have managed my 2 litres with much more ease - so I guess that means I'm getting used to the quantities of water I'm now drinking and that is one thing that I want to continue from this detox.  Have had to come and have a little rest doing this as I am feeling quite yucky just at the moment, but it will pass.  I am planning on making soup, beef and cabbage for dinner (yum yum).

Dinner was pretty nice actually and that was Day 6 done and dusted, so it will be hooray for day 7 and the final day!!!!!!!

Sunday - Day 7 - Today your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you care to consume.

The fruit juice is great, really refreshing after so much water but the soup I decided to make with the addition of the brown rice was BAD(!), so bad that I really struggled to eat any of it at all, but I had had plenty of calories with the fruit juice so that was going to be it for the day - well at least it is the last day.  We have both got ourselves into a mindset and the fact that we had to cook dinner for Jamie and his Grandma, after we had a busy day more of which in another blog, that we weren't bothered or even picked at what they were eating which was Shepherd's Pie and Cheesecake.   

So writing this I am now on the last 3 hours or so before I go to bed, 2 hours if I get to bed by 9pm and read a book, so I can now say that I have almost completed the week, brilliant, and I feel pretty good.  We have planned our menu for tomorrow so we won't go mad, well except we have to take Jamie out for a celebration meal (again more of that in a later blog) but I think we both feel very determined with what we still have to achieve and the careful and positively healthy choices we will make from the menu.

WE DID IT!!!!

Conclusion

So after all that the most important question must be well how have we done - well we've stuck with which feels great and we have lost weight which makes it worthwhile.  Yes I think we will make some changes next time, alter the soup composition slightly, have chicken and cottage cheese instead of so much beef, but we will do it again - I think in around 2 months time and it will be hawb all the way between now and then.

Mike lost a whopping 21lbs which is brilliant and I lost  13lbs which is amazing for me to loose so consistently - and that my friends is just the start.  So my conclusion is the diet is not fun, its hard work, but it is doable and for us it worked, it gave us the kickstart we needed for the next two months of healthy eating and hopefully some more weight loss.  I guess the crucial factor now will be does that loss stay a loss when we go back to a more normal (although modified and healthy diet) - I will let you know!!
Ciao
Sue
XX