Detoxification Completed

           It is Sunday once again.  The UltraSimple Diet is over and not a minute too soon.  I am losing weight at a frightening pace.  Skinny when I started this endeavor, I am now down right emaciated.  I lost eight pounds in the last week and about four pounds in the preceding week.  The last time I was this skinny, I had just returned from eight months in West Africa (and no, I did not contract Ebola).  Getting dressed in the morning is a challenge.  What clothes do I have that won’t swallow me up and make me look like a bag of bones?  Enough about the weight loss; the question you are asking is: “how do I feel?”

            Dr. Hyman, author of the UltraSimple Diet, claims that by “reducing toxic stress” through his diet, I will feel renewed and rejuvenated.  Is it true?  In a word . . . maybe.  The past two weeks of no processed sugar, no wheat products, no caffeine, and no alcohol has certainly changed my attitude toward food.  I realize now that most of my diet in the past has been made up of these synthesized, unnatural foods.  Despite the change in my perspective, I do plan on eating many of these foods again, but in moderation.  Additionally, I will be adding many more fruits and veggies to my diet.  If the UltraSimple Diet is meant to reboot one’s attitude towards food and inspire healthy eating, then it scored a ten.  Do I feel less toxic?  Not really.  What I have felt for the past two weeks is a deep rumbling hunger.  Let’s get this straight, being hungry is not fun.  I no longer aspire to be on a reality survival show.  I want to know where and when my next meal will be.  Despite my newfound respect for food, I have learned to tolerate pangs of hunger and will no longer require a fistful of cookies to stave it off.  Although I came to appreciate the merits of sautéed veggies on brown rice, I don’t think I need to eat this particular combination again for a few months.  I also don’t see any more UltraBroths in my future (see last week’s blog post to learn the ingredients).  This morning, I happily sat down to a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and turkey bacon.  Give me some credit:   I had hot water with lemon rather than my usual cup of coffee.

            I retook the “Toxicity and Inflammation” quiz outlined in the UltaSimple Diet manual.  My pre-diet score was a 16, which rated me as having a “mild imbalance,” while my post-diet score was little changed at 13.  Where did my score change?  For the past week, I have not had any heartburn, belching, or passage of gas.  Amazing.  I can’t say I really care whether I pass gas or not, but my wife was thankful.  The one area where my score worsened was general fatigue.  For some reason, the feeling of starvation also made me feel more sluggish and adverse to exercise.  Imagine that.

            What is my assessment of the whole detoxification process?  It is a bit over the top.  I don’t plan on doing a cleanse like this one again.  If rapid weight loss is your goal, then the UltraSimple Diet is great.  My wife lost six pounds, and my colleague at work lost five pounds and a few clothing sizes.  I lost over eight pounds, and I imagine I must have passed beyond the stage of breaking down fat, to digesting my own muscles.  I will now go about trying to regain much of the weight I lost.  As for the benefit of this diet and ones like it for reducing toxicity and inflammation, I remain skeptical.  I feel as inflamed today as I felt two weeks ago, and this is despite the fact I largely abstained from vigorous exercise.  It is hard to go for a long bike ride or lift weights when you are craving food.  I am glad I have joined the multitude of cleansing veterans.  I imagine my liver is smiling.  While I may not have become a cleansing devotee, I do admit it has effectively reset my attitude toward food.

Next week . . . Ayurvedic Medicine (Ancient Indian Remedies in Asheville)