DAY - 10 and ease out day 1

I am a bit late in posting my experience on the last day of the lemon detox because I have been traveling and only just got connected.

It's come and gone. The whole lemon detox program. I look great and I feel great. I ended up losing almost 7kg altogether. I would do this again if I had to. It is so rewarding... but first...I've gotta have some Chicken. lol.

The last day went pretty well and quickly too. I even got a pack of finger foods and couldn't resist taking the pack home with me. I kept it in the fridge till the next day which was supposed to be my first day of easing out. I couldn't resist eating some of the peppered chicken gizzard in the pack. It tasted soooo goood... lol. However, apart from that I decided to do just fruit juices all day. Usually you are adviced to do only orange juice on the first day of easing out, but I sorta modified that and made a smoothie out of apples, grapes and a little soya milk and drank that all day. That felt filling and is arguably the tastiest smoothie I've had in my whole life.

I am also back on the treadmill, power walking and running lightly. I can't actually do high intensity training yet until my doctor gives the say so. But knowing I need to keep my metabolism going so as not to put the weight back on I am doing two things, incorporating a lot of raw food in my diet and exercising for at least 30minutes five days a week. That should keep me going till I can do weight and High intensity training.

I achieved my aim people. I love the way I look and celebrated by donning one of my hottest shorts and a blazing red "Tee for ATTENTION" shirt yesterday! I kinda loved the stares I got at the mall.

You can click on the links on this page for more information on the lemon detox diet and if you live in Lagos you can get your syrup at Proflex and fresh lemons at Park and Shop or SPAR.

Cheers people and thanks for keeping me accountable.

DAY 9

Here we are on the 9th day.

Just when I was beginning to get into the groove it's over already. I am absolutely loving the new me. Enjoying my svelte silhouette. Enjoying the way my clothes looooovvveee my body. Enjoying my near flawless skin. Enjoying the energy. Enjoying it all.

People, it's going great. Even the craving for chicken is only a murmur today. Besides, the chicken thing is all in my head. I could actually go without it for another week. Maybe I should.

So all I can say is I feel great and look great. Even better than before the surgery.

It's Day 9 and I weigh 64.5kg.

DAY 8

I almost can't believe Day 8 has come and gone. There's no way I'm giving up now. I mean, I've come this far. It is suddenly so easy because the end is in sight.

I made a diet plan for two weeks after this detox. It involves a lot of salads and fruits and of course chicken. I've got to have chicken folks. But I'll try and go healthy by eating chicken skinless and grilled or roasted or boiled. Never fried. I will try to keep my body away from unhealthy food and only have one cheat day a week.

Since I can't really exercise with a vengeance yet, eating sensibly is the only option available to me if I wish to keep off the love handles.

It's been a very illuminating experience. Now I understand a little bit why religions fast for piety. When your mind is freed from contemplating food, which by the way unknowingly occupies our minds ever so often, you can then focus and channel your energy into deeper introspection. lol. Let your mind rise above oral gratification and you'll be shocked what you can do.

I've been combining this cleansing with some yoga style breathing exercises. I've found myself at peace in the midst of this and also closer to enlightenment than I've ever been (you can guess that fasting has never been my thing). I am able to think more effectively. I have actually dealt with issues that have weighed on my mind for ages. No jokes people. I don't know how it works but I haven't felt better than this in ages. The Point is, I am glad I saw it through (or maybe I am just so hungry I am beginning to get high...roflol)

Physically, not only am I slimmer, with the love handles gone (lol), I look healthy. I feel great! I have a burst of energy right now. I am sleeping better. My skin is positively glowing. If not for the humanity of me begging for meat, I wouldn't mind continuing this detox. So, I'll do the next best thing which is to incorporate more raw food in my diet, clean and organic and reduce additives and over refined foods. It would be an enjoyable change thinking of ways to make these taste great.

Okay people, 2 more days to go. The countdown continues.

Weight 64.5kg.

DAY 7

I discovered something today! If you add a little more syrup than recommended to the mix it tastes loads better. The after taste is still there but it tastes better! Or maybe anything that tastes different will taste better to me right now. Fancy discovering this on day 7! :-|

Day 7 was okay. I tempted myself a bit by deciding to make some pizza for a friend visiting. Guess what? My friend does visit but tells me he is on a strict diet which does not allow him to eat carbs and fat!!!! I urged him to eat the pizza (muah ha ha ha ha ha) and he did! lol. Well, I couldn't leave the pizza there now, I surely would've ended up eating it myself... It was better him than me... (insertdevilemoticonhere).

I've stopped counting down in days and I am now counting down in hours. My energy level is still good. Seems the weight loss has stopped, let's see what happens in the next three days. Though I haven't lost any more weight since day 5.

I tried some meditation yesterday, helped centre me...

Looking forward to finishing this diet though it would be nice to eat some nice vegetable mix grill type meal with a glass of fresh juice... Who am I kidding? I just want to eat CHICKEN!

My sugar craving seems to have been cured but not my craving for meat (or dead animals) as a friend likes to call it.

Weight is still 65kg folks, I would've included some exercise but found out recently that my surgical incision isn't completely healed yet so can't risk any cardio or weights right now. I have decided to be cautious.

DAY 6

I'm bored. I'm not sure I've ever been bored with the taste of anything so bad. It's bad enough this syrup tastes so awful, then it has to be the only thing I've allowed myself in 6days. Oh and of course the near tasteless peppermint tea.

Day 6 was a challenge, I had to make breakfast for my mom. The smell of fried eggs, tomatoes, fried plantain... Hmmmmm. Oddly I was satisfied from just smelling the food. Later I took my mother out for lunch and watched her eat. I didn't tell her I was on the diet though, just that I wasn't hungry so she kept offering me some fish! Gosh!

The point is, I just want to chew on something... anything. My shoes are beginning to look very edible.

I kept busy though and didn't have the time to be hungry. I noticed I've been drinking less and less of the mix and more and more water because I hate the taste of the syrup so much. This means I wake up energetic and start feeling weak later in the day. The goodnews is I look great and I have only four days to go! I can't wait to taste food!

Weight: 65kg

DAY 5

How time flies! It's day 5 already, right? Wrong! I have been conscious of every minute and every second without food lol. 5 whole days! Phew! This is a true reality check. I am beginning to see the concept of hunger differently. Sometimes it's all in your mind (don't tell that to starving sudanese children oh). But on a serious note most of the times when we think we are hungry, guess what? We are not. Eating has become force of habit. As soon as it gets to the time when you normally eat your brain sends a message to the belly and the belly sends you a not so subtle message. Now ever stopped to wonder how if you ignore the belly long enough the hunger 'passes'. Seriously, where did it go? I may never go back to stuffing my face with home made bread and cake on a binge feast attack. Don't know if I'm happy or sad to know this. Lol.

Here I am, at day 5 people, and I weigh 65kg. Notice how the rate of my weight loss is decreasing, that's because my body has gone into starvation mode and is basically protecting me from losing more weight than I should. So 5kg off in 5 days! Miracles still happen y'all. All you have to do is pray... and not eat for 10days. I feel great by the way, energy good, hunger not!

DAY 4

Hello y'all.

It was a beautiful day, yes it sure was. I wish to say it's true what they say about your energy level after the third day. I felt so much better and was not even that hungry. Each time I felt the hunger pangs coming I quickly took a swig and felt a lot better.

I felt energetic. Don't get me wrong, there IS an empty feeling in my stomach but somehow I have the energy to go on. I could actually go clubbing and dance right now. I think I'll actually do that. ;) ;)

My self-esteem has gone up. Let me talk a bit about the changes in my body. I had an abdominal surgery so there was a considerable swelling and even a slight muffin top over the surgical incision due to inflamation and later due to fat. My stomach looked awful. For someone who USED TO boast of a concave belly, this was a real self-esteem and sensuality killer. But now my belly is flat as an ironing table! No kidding. My FACE is actually slimmer, better defined lines and all. After day 1, my tongue started developing this white coating, didn't matter how much I brushed and scrubbed, it had like this white coating over it. I researched this and learnt this was part of the detox process and when the detox is getting complete your tongue should become a nice pink colour. At the end of Day 4 my tongue has started turning pink with a few patches of white. Apparently, your tongue could also serve as an indicator for when to stop the detox diet.

Now to gross you out a bit, there's been consistent bowel movement all through this diet, makes me wonder where it's coming from seeing that I haven't had anything to eat in 4 days. My colon must be cleaning out. All the years of piled up junk. It's really awful what we do to our bodies.

Two of my colleagues who started the diet with me have dropped off. One because she just couldn't go on and the other for health reasons. How demotivating :(. Well, I will keep on and hope I do get to day 10. But people, I must say, it gets easier.

My weight at the end of Day 4: 65.5kg. Did I mention that my target is 62kg. That will be just about perfect for a person my height.

5.5kg in 4days!

YES!

Now I can wear my freak'um dress tomorrow! :)

DAY 3

My stomach had a big decision to make. Did it really require solid food in it everyday? Could it really go 10 whole days without the thump-thump of masticated rice and chicken falling in from my oesaphagus? So all day my stomach struggled with this BIG decision. Guess who suffered for it?

So as my stomach struggled with this decision the rest of my body just had a dull day. All I can say is day 3 was a bit hard. However, I hear it should be. I hear after day 3 you start feeling better. I am holding on to this hope. I planned to exercise a little but I was too tired to. Hopefully my energy level will improve tomorrow.

I wasn't exactly starving or anything. Just completely uninspired. All I wanted to do was take a nap but I had to sit in front of my PC all day. So day 3 was uneventful.

I've been asked, how do you keep off the weight after losing it. Isn't this a crash diet for all intents and purposes? We all know crash diets are not sustainable.

First, it isn't supposed to be a weight loss diet, it is a detox diet, but helps people attain their ideal weight. Because you are actually getting the nutrients you need to stay balanced including sugar, you will probably not lose more weight than you need to. However, there may be some muscle waste if you stay on the diet for too long. Ideally, you should only do this diet for 7days - 10 days. You should be detoxed by then.

Secondly, to keep the weight off, you are advised to enforce a lifestyle change after the diet. You need to exercise at least 3X a week. It's the healthy thing to do anyways. You should eat healthy, incorporate raw foods in your diet, fruits and salads. Cut out too much sugar, carbs etc. If you can, eat a diet of 80% raw food and 20% cooked food including meat, but preferably white meat.

However, this diet ends with an easing out period of 3days. After the diet, you shouldn't just break the diet with a mouthful of chicken and chips or rice and stew etc. You should do a day of juiced fruits, a second day of juiced fruits and maybe a little steamed vegetable without oil, then a 3rd day with more vegetables maybe carrots and from the fourth day you can go back to regular food but with a healthier attitude to food.

There are two reasons for easing out, first is if you suddenly introduce solid food into your body immediately after the diet your body may not be able to handle it and your stomach will cramp painfully. Secondly, your body has basically been deprived of carbs and proteins for about 10 days right? So your body protects itself from this deprivation by slowing down your metabolism, the moment you suddenly introduce carbs back in your body holds onto every scrap it gets and you tend to put on even more weight than you lost. So be warned.

Will tell you more about life after the master cleanse in subsequent posts.

My weight at the end of Day 3 was 66.5kg! Ladies and gentlemen, I have lost 4.5kg in 3days!

DAY 2

At the end of day 2, I weighed myself and... wait for it... the scale said 68kg!!!!!(doing a little jig (a little jig because I don't have the energy for anything more strenous). I have lost 3kg in 2 days!!!

I woke up feeling okay. No light headedness, no headaches, no hunger. I was even energetic. I didn't take my first swig till 10.30am or there abouts. I have been drinking a lot of water which is really advisable on this diet. Water is essential the more you can drink the better for your body.

I had lunch with a friend yesterday at A-Bar. Who knows that scrumptious hot jollof rice, with green vegetables and deep fried plantains they have on their menu there? Yes, the very one, that's what my friend ordered so I sat and watched him munch and swallow while I drank a bottle of water with slices of lemon in it. I simply kept the conversation going while he mumbled through his stuffed mouth and I sipped on my water. I swear, I should go to heaven for this.

The headache came back at about 4pm but after a few quick swigs of my "food", as I fondly call the evil brew, I felt loads better.

My colleague who is also on the diet told me she motivates herself by remembering that food isn't going anywhere right? Food will still be in existence at the end of the 10 days. Then we can eat. Maybe at the end of these 10 days I'll treat food with a little more respect- don't ask me what that means.

So, mind over matter and all that stuff. Yes I can!



Here's a picture of the tin.

My Lemon Detox Experience - Day 1

I love food. That's a fact. I love good food. I am always trying out new recipes. My kitchen is a constant blur of baking flour and grilling meat. You would think a person like me would never willingly go without eating solid food for 10 days. Yes, 10 days. Okay, guess what? I am on a no-solid food journey for 10 days. It's called the lemon detox diet. Some people think it's an extreme and crazy thing to do... heck... I think it’s an extreme and crazy thing but also a necessary thing to do. ‘Seen people who lost as much as 20 pounds in 7 days. ‘Seen people who were on the diet for 15days. ‘Seen impressive before and after pictures. The point is, it is a test of will as much as it is a diet.

Let us establish that I am beginning to suspect that I may be vain, just a li’l bit. ‘May be vanity to some people but to me it is plain trying to hold off nature for as long as I can through means that do not involve scary surgical knives (for now) or extreme eating disorders. So I exercise quite some and go on diets that simply involve eating less every now and then. Oh, did I mention I climb on the scale slightly obsessively EVERY TIME I am in the bathroom, which would be every morning and night…? I started having this suspicion when I bought this straight-jacket-like contraption called “Body Magic” for a lot of money, though I don’t really have love handles but I kinda like the way it defines a woman’s figure. So maybe I am just conscious of my looks or vain depending on where you are standing, sitting or lying.

I just had a surgery and had to stay at home for 4 weeks. I wasn’t allowed to work-out, or even lift anything above 3kg. Like that wasn’t enough I was also anemic post-surgery and was implored by my doctor to eat a lot and drink a gazillion iron tablets. That was all the excuse I needed to go on a see-food diet. So here I am, 6 weeks post surgery, my weight up by 6kg and all my pants too tight. In fact, I have to leave my buttons open or they’ll pop open by themselves. Forget all those skinny jeans, right now they don’t see eye-to-eye with my thighs.
The lemon detox diet involves no eating, just drinking a mixture of something called Madal Bal Syrup (if you live in lagos you can buy this at Proflex gym for N15k/1000ml), water, the juice of lemon/ lime and some cayenne pepper. The idea is to detox your body of toxins piled up over a long time. You will definitely lose some weight on this diet if you stay true. I mean, you are NOT eating for a whole 10 days, not so?

The syrup is actually a mixture of organic maple syrup and some palm syrup and a few other exotic syrups, all organic of course. So you injest this concoction and it cleanses out your body but you still get critical nutrients your body needs from the syrup and loads of vitamin C from the lemon juice. You are not allowed to add sugar or any other processed ingredient. You are not allowed to add any toxins in your body until the detox is finished. If you wish you could drink herb tea (I use peppermint) without caffeine. You could also do a flush (sea salt water or laxative tea) to help your body get rid of the toxins quicker. The pepper helps stave off hunger pangs and also gives you a few vitamins. But you should go easy on the pepper or the drink will be too spicy to drink.
So background over, I have decided to document the 10 days of this diet on this blog. That way I know I have to be accountable and get to the end of the 10th day. Wish me luck now…


DAY 1

This morning I weighed in at 71kg. The heaviest I’ve been ever! (insert crying-and-tearing-out-my-hair emoticon here). I woke up and mixed the concoction. The mixture is about 125ml syrup, 1¾ litres water, one teaspoon pepper, and about ¾ cup juice of lemon. I use regular ground pepper oh. I am Nigerian and can handle the heat… (wink-wink). Remember you can substitute lime for lemon. The idea is to use fresh citrus, not canned juice because those contain preservatives. I think the detox still happens if you use bottled or canned lemon that is at least 99.9% lemon concentrate. Just read the pack. But that’s my opinion. This may be necessary if you have to travel to work like me (Lagos Mainland to Lagos Island) and don’t have 15mins to spend juicing lemons.

So I shake it all together and off to work. At work I display the bottles on my desk. Two of my colleagues have decided to do the cleanse with me so it was the topic of the early morning discussion in the pool.

I hate the taste of the syrup but some of my friends don’t mind it. They say it’s just like lemonade. Madal Bal syrup leaves a nasty taste somewhere at the back of my tongue. But then, I’ve never liked Maple Syrup. However, remember taste is subjective so…

Day 1 was really difficult. I have this splitting headache and not an ounce of energy. I am confused because it’s just the first day. I research a bit and find out that it is something to expect in the first three days which are purportedly the hardest. After three days your body stabilizes and you feel better. Right now it is your body releasing all the toxins you’ve piled up over the years (remember all that alcohol and caffeine?) into your bloodstream. So I am supposed to be out of whack and I am! I am ready to stop oh but when I remember my 15k, I know I will finish this diet sha.

I am also grouchy and when my driver bashes my car against a pillar after work I am too weak to yell at him, but Lord knows I wanted to grab him and squeeze his neck… and then eat him. lol.

So that was day1, HORROR of all HORRORS.

Weighed out at 70kg!!!!! I guess it is all the water that went out. I had to go the bathroom like a million times. I reckoned it was good exercise walking to and fro the bathroom.