21 Pounds in 21 Days (20 page)
Read 21 Pounds in 21 Days Online
Authors: Roni DeLuz
James Hester introduced me to the diet. Over the years I had watched him change from being a very handsome man to become very overweight and sluggish looking. He really let himself go (I can say these things because he is my brother). Then, he experienced this miraculous weight loss. Eight weeks after I'd seen him last, my family visited him in New York for the holidays. When he walked up to me on the busy street, I paused. He looked different, younger and more vibrant than I had ever seen him. He was so amazingly gorgeous. His body looked toned and fit. His skin glowed. He looked like he had undergone serious cosmetic surgery. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him! Next, I noticed how much energy he had. I couldn't wait to hear how he accomplished this transformation so quickly. He then told me his little secret and offered to assist me in losing my weight, but said it wouldn't be easy. So he asked me to think about it and when I was ready to make the commitment, he'd come down to Texas and get
me started. We have a motto in our family “What we start, we must finish,” so I didn't call him for quite a few months. Then I made up my mind that I was going to go through with it and there was no looking back. James arrived on a Friday and we got started right away. He helped me for the first ten days and was a tough but very loving coach.
Once I started the detox, I was shocked that I was rarely ever hungry. I love food; I love to chew. I go to these wonderful places around the world where there's amazing food and amazing restaurantsâI should weigh about 200 pounds considering how much I enjoy eating. But while I was on the detox, I kept myself to the regimented schedule and drank tons of water to prevent unwanted hunger pangs. Even when I made my family their regular daily meals, I wasn't tempted to join them. I'd prepare my green drink and be very satisfied until the next meal came two hours later. Have you ever fasted for a number of weeks and given up the things that you really love to eat, like bread, sweets, flour, good wine, alcohol? It's really the same mind-set. Our mind will work for us favorably if we allow it to.
I have an extremely active family life and my job requires me to travel; therefore, if this detox was going to work in my favor, it had to be portable. Every three days I would go shopping at Whole Foods or Central Market HEB, get enough organic veggies for three days, then clean and slice them and put them into Ziploc bags. That way, I would have them in my crisper all ready to go. It took approximately twenty to thirty minutes each morning to set myself up for the day. If I was going out that day, I'd make two green drinks and Regenicare (a lemon-tasting supplement), put them in water bottles, and head out for the day. Whether I was out running around town or driving my sons to basketball practice every day, the bottles were in a cooler on ice ready to shake up and drink. I would also always have at least a gallon of distilled water with me at all times. My goal was to drink a gallon of water a day. Most days, I achieved my goal. When evening came, I'd take the bags of cut-up veggies out of the fridge, boil them down and puree them, and add a dash of spice to enhance the flavor a bit. It was really that easy.
For the last eleven days, the detox came on the road with me. I fly all around Europe in and out of different time zones. This time I
had one trip scheduled for London and one the following week to Paris, but I made a commitment to stay on schedule. So everywhere I traveled, I'd go online and Google live juice bars, then Mapquest the location from my hotel. I discovered that there is a juice bar right at the Gatwick airport. So how easy is that? When I was in Paris, by no coincidence, the nearest juice bar was just five minutes away from where I stay. I would get my juice in the morning or a wheatgrass shot during the day and be good to go! In addition to drinking fresh juice, I would take all my products in Ziploc travel-size packets on the road with me. I purchased a battery-operated blender and carried it in my suitcase. Toward the end of the detox, I prepared the soup in advance and froze enough to last for five days. James and Dr. Roni told me that it's better for you when it's fresh, but given that I was on the road it had to work.
A person who is very, very active in his or her life can take the diet on the road and have successful results. It is all about making the commitment to succeedâseeing the 21 days as a goal and not stopping until you reach it. I am living and breathing proof that it works if one is willing to do the work.
After 21 days of detoxing, I did lose 16 pounds and two inches. I had an incredible amount of energy. Prior to detoxing I suffered from restless leg syndrome and took Aleve every day for relief. Not one time did I have to reach for the Aleve. My legs never felt better. My legs were thinner and more toned, my waist and bustline decreased, my crow's feet and frown marks on my forehead started to disappear, my hair and skin looked shiny and healthy. I got back to a size 8, and had never felt healthier in my life. Dr. Roni suspected that I did not lose 21 pounds because I was perimenopausal, so I went to the doctors and had blood taken and discovered that I may be. She also suspects that some infertility medications I took many years ago might be interfering with weight loss. Recently, I underwent a major operation to remove a six-pound tumor from my uterine wall. That, too, could've blocked my success path to my total weight loss results. Bottom line: my body desperately needed to detox. I learned that if you're not losing weight the way the diet suggests, a health problem may be getting in the way.
So was the Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox easy? No, it was not. Was it something I enjoyed doing for 21 days? To be honest, I didn't love
it. But I didn't love being 25 pounds overweight either, and the older I get, the harder it is to lose weight easily. The detox can become a lifestyle for some people; however, I'm not one of those people. But I am definitely committed to detoxing two to three times a year. It was such a rewarding challenge to get healthy from the inside out. And I did like the results very much. I got more rewards than just weight loss; I discovered the benefits of feeling healthy. It's really awakened my metabolism. I am not sluggish any longer; I always have energy and I always feel good.
At times, I do return back to my old eating habits, but I'm not as indulgent as in the past. I want to keep looking and feeling as good as I do right now for a long time to come. Taking the toxins out of my body really helped me. I would definitely recommend this detox/diet to anyone who seriously wants to address their toxic eating habits and desires an opportunity to get healthy and stay that way.
N
ow that you understand the principles behind the detox, you're ready to get started. Because the program is detailed, I'm providing you with daily and weekly plans to follow. They describe activities that are essential as well as those that are optional. For instance, you'll feel really lousy and it will slow your weight loss if you don't get a colonic, or at least do a water enema. While a body wrap helps you detox and you'll feel better if you do it, it is less powerful, so it is optional. Use the information in this chapter as a guideline, not a prescription. However, it is essential that you follow the daily schedule, not just because it helps you detox most efficiently, but because it keeps you from feeling hungry, which helps ensure you'll stay on the plan and meet your weight-loss goals.
I also want you to remember that this is not an all-or-nothing program. I encourage you to choose the detox that works best for your goals and lifestyle. Each will give you results. Also, at any time you want, you can eat free soup. Remember, free soup is designed to give you minerals and fluids and a strong taste that will take the edge off of any hunger you may feel. It is best not to chew anything, since chewing reactivates your digestive process, which we are intentionally putting on hold to convert the digestive energy to healing. Whatever your personal reason for detoxing, why not use what you've learned to begin to implement lifestyle changes now? You're setting yourself up to live a healthier, more energetic life.
The daily schedule is the same whether you do the 21-day Diet Detox, the 7-day Tune-Up, or the 2-day Weekend Cleanse.
Daily Supplement Schedule
8:30
A.M
.
- high-density antioxidant berry drink herbal cleansing formula
- 1 cup hot herbal tea (lemon and stevia optional)
- 8-ounce bottle of water
10:30
A.M
.
- 8-ounce bottle of water with high-density green drink mixed into it
- 8-ounce glass of hot or iced herbal tea (lemon and stevia optional)
12:30
P.M
.
- 1 cup fresh vegetable juice (choose mostly green vegetables, but add a little carrot or beets for sweetness if you like). If you're not juicing, then consume another high-density green drink.
- 1 enzyme capsule (consume only if you juice; most green drinks already contain enzymes)
- herbal cleansing formula, according to the instructions on the label
- 8-ounce bottle of water
2:30
P.M
.
- 8-ounce bottle of water
- high-density green drink
- 8-ounce glass of hot or iced herbal tea (lemon and stevia optional)
2:30
P.M
.
- high-density antioxidant or berry drink
6:00
P.M
.
- 1 cup homemade cleansing soup
- 1 cup broth from cleansing soup mix
- 1 cup of your favorite herbal tea
- 1 enzyme capsule
- herbal cleansing formula, according to the instructions on the label
- 8-ounce bottle of water
7:30
P.M
.
- 8-ounce cup of hot or iced herbal tea (lemon and stevia optional) or 8-ounce bottle of water
Bedtime
- aloe vera
* Please check with www.mvdietdetox.com for changes and supplements.
Avoiding the Danger Zone
If you wait longer than two hours between eating, you may find yourself feeling a little hungry. This is when you're most at risk for not only breaking your detox, but doing so in a way that may make you gain a lot of weight and jeopardize your health.
When you detox, cells all over your body are new and wide open. You've turned back the clock so that your gastrointestinal (GI) system is almost as pure as a newborn baby's. You must transition it slowly into a diet of mixed foods, just as you prepare the digestive system of a baby to break down different types of foods, starting with rice cereal and slowly building from there.
Since your cells are so clean and new, if you suddenly put toxic foods into your system, you will feel much worse than before you started. You can even make yourself sick. If you eat foods that are very toxic, you can send your body into anaphylactic reaction, a severe allergic reaction that occurs when the body is exposed to a specific allergen or toxic substance. Examples of anaphylactic reactions include people who have trouble breathing after tasting or smelling nuts or seafood. Worst case, their airway closes and they can't breathe and can die. This is a particular risk when you've cleaned out your system, yet go off the detox incorrectly. Whatever you do, if you cheat, don't drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, take illegal drugs, eat a fast-food meal, or pig out on junk food. Eat vegetable cleansing soups, fruit, or salad instead. If you decide to discontinue your detox, you must transition back to a mixed diet by following the process described in Chapter 9.
21-Day Cleansing Treatment Schedule
In addition to following the hourly nutritional schedule, it's essential to engage in daily activities to remove the toxins you flush from your cells out of your body altogether. These activities, which are described in detail in Chapter 6, are depicted in the chart below. Since people's budgetary and time constraints vary, I have designated these activities as must-have (M), want-to-have (W), and nice to do if you have time and money (N). I strongly encourage you to do the must-have activities. Skipping them may cause you to feel poorly and even to become sick. The more cleansing treatments you are able to do, the faster you will flush the toxins out. Consequently, the better you'll feel. Though you are still likely to experience a healing crisis, it will be milder and shorter in dura
tion. If your healing crisis feels uncomfortable, reread “Riding Out the Healing Crisis” on page 89.
Day 1
- M
âColonic: schedule in advance with colon therapist - M
âWalk one mile at leisurely pace or use the Rebounder for 20 minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âChi machine
Day 2
- M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - W
âLymphatic drainage massage - N
âChi machine
Day 3
- M
âCoffee enema: see procedure on pages 145â146 - M
âWalk one mile at leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âChi machine
Day 4
- M
âWalk one mile at leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âBody wrap - N
âChi machine
Day 5
- M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âCellulite treatment - N
âChi machine
Day 6
- M
âKidney cleanse drink - M
âWalk one mile at leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - W
âDetoxifying bath - N
âChi machine
Day 7
- M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - W
âSauna treatment - N
âChi machine
Day 8
- M
âColonic - M
âWalk one mile at leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âChi machine
Day 9
- M
âWalk one mile at leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - W
âLymphatic drainage massage - N
âChi machine
Day 10
- M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âBody wrap - N
âChi machine
Day 11
- M
âCoffee enema - M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âChi machine
Day 12
- M
âWalk one mile at leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âCellulite treatment - N
âChi machine
Day 13
- M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - W
âDetoxifying bath - W
âSauna treatment - N
âChi machine
Day 14
- M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - M
âKidney cleanse - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âChi machine
Day 15
- M
âColonic - M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âChi machine
Day 16
- M
âKidney cleanse drink - M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - W
âLymphatic massage - W
âSauna treatment - N
âChi machine
Day 17
- M
âCoffee enema - M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âChi machine
Day 18
- M
âKidney cleanse drink - M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âBody wrap - N
âChi machine
Day 19
- N
âStart gallbladder and liver flush - M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âCellulite treatment - N
âChi machine
Day 20
- N
âContinue gallbladder and liver flush - M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - W
âDetoxifying bath - N
âChi machine
Day 21
- N
âColonic to end gallbladder and kidney flush - M
âWalk one mile at a leisurely pace or use Rebounder for twenty minutes - W
âBrush dry skin before showers - N
âChi machine
Trouble-Shooting Tips
Sometimes even the most conscientious detoxers have trouble losing weight. Some people lose several inches while detoxing, but significantly fewer pounds than they would like. Others experience times when they are not losing weight because the weight of the fat they are shedding is offset by increasing muscle mass, which weighs more than fat. While there are many reasons why people experience slower-than-normal weight loss (see list in Chapter 1), they often experience similar symptoms, including:
- Chronic bloating and gas after eating
- Sugar and carbohydrate cravings
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Chronic fatigue or tiredness upon waking
- Extreme feelings of hot or cold â¢
- Feeling bad after taking medications or experiencing side effects
- Depression and anxiety
- Food cravings after quitting smoking
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, these home remedies may reboot your weight loss. However, you may need to consult with your health care provider to determine if you are having a thyroid problem or hormone imbalance that may require more serious intervention.
- Intestinal discomfort: Extra enzymes or an aloe vera supplement.
- Candida:
Yeast imbalances can cause sugar or carbohydrate cravings. To identify whether you have one, take a
Candida
test at an alternative practitioner's office. If your test returns positive, you'll need to add protein shakes to your detox; drinking too many juices with too many complex carbohydrates will just feed the yeast or slow your weight loss. - Excessive cravings: Sugar-controlling herbs such as Glucofast, which is especially good if you are insulin resistant. You will have a hard time finding Glucofast at the health-food store; instead, go to www.mvdietdetox.com.
- Constipation: See a colon therapist or take the detox and cleansing tea daily in addition to the liver and colon herb formula.
- Fatigue: Try kelp or dulse (seaweed type of vegetable) that you add to cleansing soups, which give the body extra minerals, sodium, and iodine. If you feel most fatigued after exercise, you may need additional minerals, as described in Chapter 5.
- Extreme body-temperature changes: If you experience hot flashes, feel cold all the time, or have cold extremities, ask your medical provider to perform a hormone panel to evaluate your hormone levels. If you feel your menstrual cycle
is interfering with weight loss, try applying progesterone cream. It can also be useful for treating hot flashes. If you are cold all the time, ask your doctor if you need a thyroid panel. - Depression: If you are taking antidepressant medication, see your health care provider. If not, try adding essential fatty acids and protein drinks containing amino acids to the detox. This will help relieve the depression, but will slow the weight loss associated with this detox.
- Prescription drugs sometimes prevent you from losing weight. Some actually cause you to gain weight. If you suspect this is happening to you, consult with your medical care provider to discuss your alternatives.
- Sluggish metabolism: If you feel that your metabolism has slowed down due to a hormonal imbalance or if you have insulin resistance, try Glucofast (see above).
- Smoking: Is one of the reasons you smoke to keep your weight down? If so, you need to increase your exercise. Take on a sport or join the gym to keep your mind off smoking and eating.
- Parasites: If you have had parasites in the past or suspect you have them now; experience chronic bloating, gas, or indigestion; or travel frequently, particularly internationally, I suggest that you drink the following parasite-preventing tea daily during your detox (you must go through a parasite cleanse to get rid of active parasites). It is called Indian Tea.