A friend has been singing the praises of detoxing and cleansing for the better part of a year.  He even gave me his old vegetable and fruit juicer, along with a list of supplements he swears by. Every time I saw him, I had another excuse why I’d not yet tried his suggestion.

The whole idea of having to “detoxify” I must admit, was foreign to me.  Furthermore, the concept that my colon was full of sludge and toxins I just cannot find any scientific evidence to support.  My doctor said that just was “pure nonsense.”

I had promised my friend that I would try it, though.  So I did.

Guided by the book, 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox, by Roni DeLuz and James Hester (Collins), I set out last weekend to do a 7-day “cleanse.”  I absolutely was not interested in the full 21-day fast, especially with Christmas and New Years coming up.

So last Friday I began.  It’s a program of liquid supplements, fresh juices, cleansing capsules, lots of water and tea, and absolutely no chewing.  Chewing supposedly starts the digestive process and sidetracks the detox.

I have to admit, I wasn’t ever hungry per se, but I did experience an unrelenting headache.  I did have a sort-of “empty” feeling all the time.  Most difficult was going out to dinner with visiting family members and only eating clear broth and drinking tea while they munched away on a fabulous Italian feast!  I also fasted at a party for friends getting married, and actually avoided frois gras, and Italian meatballs.

Although I had good intentions, I just couldn’t make it past the 3-day mark.  On the evening of the 3rd day, I was just ravenous and knew in my bones and soul that it had to end. So I broke it with a tiny piece of bread.

Happily, though, the next morning I had lost 7 pounds.  Since then, this week, I’ve had terrific amounts of renewed energy and feel really great.  The strong antioxidant supplement, and the powdered super-concentrated greens I think are very good for me.

I will probably try this again in the New Year, although my family might prefer I didn’t.  I don’t think I was such a nice, happy go-lucky guy while detoxing!