The Road to Health is Paved with Detox
It was go time. My mind was set. The white box of supplements had sat in the pantry for months, just staring me down, waiting patiently.
I walked past my wife on the stairs and casually said, "It's just a matter of time now until I lose 50 pounds and get back to my high school weight. It's already done."
I could almost hear her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
I had been listening to podcasts, reading books, getting certifications, learning so much about natural health, but I wasn't ready to let go of certain things... until one day I was.
I was sick of being sick. I was tired of being tired. My desire to get away from the fatigue, poor mood and joint pain was greater than my desire for comfort food, junk food, fast food and what tasted good in the moment.
So I went to my favorite place and had my "last meal." And I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then I followed the 21 Day Functional Medicine Detox. I made salads to take to work from the approved food list. I didn't count calories. I just ate good whole food and at the right time of day.
Three weeks later I was down almost 20 lbs.
I was thrilled with my success, but no one seemed to notice. I didn't care that much other than the fact that I realized I really needed to lose 50 pounds, so toxic was my body. My quick win had reinforced my mindset.
So I plugged away, having some "cheat meals" and continuing to go down 2-4 pounds per month. Was I on a diet? No, and I don't even like the word diet or the phrase "cheat meal."
Why? Diet implies something restrictive and temporary, against your will because you have to. I was doing what I wanted which was to eat food that would actually make me feel better.
Was I cheating? No. I was choosing to enjoy the taste of less healthy food with friends at times, maybe once or twice per week. I was having popcorn at the movies, going out to dinner, and celebrating birthdays with friends and family. And that is part of being healthy--surrounding yourself with loved ones and celebrating with food.
5 months after I began, I dropped from a high of 232 pounds to my high school weight of 177 pounds.
My body fat went from 32% to 10.6% with above average muscle mass.
My energy improved, knee pain, foot pain and sciatica disappeared and my body scan showed my biological age was 6 years less than my chronological age.
I literally had reversed aging through detox.
In Ayurvedic medicine, 42 is a magic number. In approximately 3 cycles of 42 days, cells turn over into new ones. Since I was eating clean, my cells were clean. The high quality supplements I was taking were pure fuel for my body to produce the hormones, stabilize the blood sugar and lose the toxic water and fat holding me down.
In order to change my body, my mindset had to change. I had become a visionary man. "It's already done. It's just a matter of time."
And because my body changed, my mindset changed and it became an upward spiral of success instead of a downward spiral of shame. That is why sometimes you have to "Just Do It."