The Healthy Doc Detox

I have a confession to make:

I've been drinking way too much wine, beer, and liquor recently.

I've been telling myself that I eat healthily, and I exercise, and so I should be ok. But the problem is that I am beginning to feel worn down, sick, and I have had stomach pains a lot lately. I really need to stop and get myself back on track.

More of this:

Less of this:

I'm not particularly embarrassed or anything about it. I think this is a natural part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I'm human. I like sugar, fat, and alcohol. I also really, really like broccoli. I just need to remind myself about broccoli every once in a while.

My detox is going to be a 14 day program just to jump-start myself back into intuitive, healthy eating. It'll progress stepwise with a new addition every three days until day 14. I know that 2 weeks of holding myself accountable is really all it takes for me. I've done this same idea previously by keeping a food journal, but food journalling is not something I can do any longer. It's addictive and it becomes a game to determine how few calories I can eat in a day. I know I cannot do that anymore, so I'll do this instead.


Days 1-3:
No alcohol
No soda
No fried snacks


Days 3-6
Only whole grain carbohydrates (whole wheat, cornmeal, quinoa, brown rice, etc)
Drink 8 glasses of water per day (64 oz+)


Days 6-9
Limit dairy to 1 serving per day
8-10 servings of fruits and veggies (I do this most days. I want to be sure I'm doing it everyday)


Days 9-12
Reduce sweets to fruit-based treats (smoothies, mock ice cream, etc) and dark chocolate (antioxidants!)


Days 12-14
Increase protein to at least 1 g/kg body weight

A lot of this is just basic good eating. I eat 8-10 fruits and veggies daily anyway, but some days I don't (especially when I travel). I want to make sure I do this every day because it's so important for good health.

Another thing to note is that I will not be drinking at all during the detox. I really have gotten into a 1 glass of wine or 1 beer after work habit. It's fine, but it also makes me really lazy at night. I need to really make alcohol a treat again.

I also will allow sweets, but only good quality ones. I've been enjoying way too many baked goods, store-bought sweets, and junk food. I need to remind myself that dried fruit, smoothies, and frozen banana with chocolate sauce taste amazing. I might also make some chocolate-coated almond butter stuffed bananas. Those are indulgent, but they are also REAL FOOD without refined carbohydrates. I can justify chocolate, bananas, and almond butter because they are good fuel for my body. I cannot justify ice cream and gummy worms...those don't help me in the energy dept and they just make my stomach hurt!

I plan to weigh myself this weekend (about day 3) and then after the 14 days. I think any weight loss beyond 1-2 lbs will likely be water weight, but that's ok with me. I won't be restricting calories because I really only try to eat when I'm hungry anyway. I'm just keeping a clear mind about the quality of my food.

Have you ever done a detox?