My Spring Detox Experience

I recently completed a six-week cleansing/detoxification program. Jason and I attended a seminar, hosted by our nutritionist, in which the founders of the program explained why most “diets” do not work and how theirs was different.

Many people find diets difficult or are unable to maintain a lower weight for a couple reasons. One – because each body is created and run differently, a “one size fits all” approach may work for some but not others. Two – because they unknowingly flip their body into starvation mode. This signals the body to hold onto all fat. Three – once people reach their target weight the diet is considered done, and they resume previous eating habits.

The program we did, SHAPE ReClaimed, is designed to be done with one of their practitioners (all over the U.S.). It is catered to each specific participant and includes 5 weekly appointments where urinalysis is done to further track how the body is responding. It also includes taking a liquid nanomolecular dietary supplement (SHAPE drops) to help the body initiate healing (detoxing, stabilizing, restoring, etc.). Taken from their website:

“The SHAPE ReClaimed program is organized into three phases.

Phase I

The purpose of this phase is to cleanse and detoxify, release excess weight, reduce inflammation and help you redefine your relationship with food. You’ll follow the nutrition guidelines from your guidebook, take the SHAPE supplement, do regular urinalyses and make adjustments as needed, per your practitioner’s recommendation. You’ll be in Phase I for a minimum of three weeks, or until you reach your health goals.

Phase II

The purpose of this phase is to stabilize your brain chemistry and metabolism, learn more about your relationship with food and discover food intolerances. You’ll stop taking the SHAPE supplement and begin adding back foods you eliminated in the previous phase. You’ll be in Phase II for exactly three weeks.

Phase III

The purpose of this phase is to live according to the knowledge you gained in the first two phases to create healthy long-term habits. You can take the SHAPE formula on a regular basis as a supplement, or you may choose to do periodic 21-day cleanses. When you make the SHAPE ReClaimed program a priority, it becomes a lifestyle. You can stay in Phase III forever.”

Fascinated by the information presented, coupled with the desire to lose some weight, and having a way to check things made it very enticing. Within a month, both of us started the program and I have to say it was not what I expected.

Things That Surprised Me

I did not realize we would be keeping a food log. When we found out our kids had various food sensitivities, I kept a log for them. Never translated the practice as a way to help myself as well. It made me more conscious of what I was eating and when and pointed out some deficits (like I was extremely short on hitting the daily vegetable requirement EEK!).

Weighing and measuring the amount of food eaten at each meal was completely foreign to me. At first, I found it annoying, but then I started to realize I didn’t need to eat as much as I previously was and/or thought I did. It also gave me a guide on how to break up the food requirements during the day. After a week or so, we learned how big one cup of vegetables or 4 oz. of meat protein or a quarter cup of fruit looks like on the plate and it became easier.

This may seem like a no brainer – limiting the amount of food! I completely knew there was some snacking I needed to cut out and some vegetables I needed to increase. For me, I was only allowed 8 oz. of protein a day the first week. I expected to feel weak and tired and hangry!!! But as I consumed the vegetables (4 cups/day) and fruits (2 servings/day) throughout the day it was not nearly that bad. No carbs, no starches, no sugars, no processed foods, etc. Similar to a reduced carb diet.

Recording weekly weight (not daily) was expected, but not body fat measurements. This was a nice bonus as it provided another way to tangibly measure improvements!

Things I Learned

I was eating more protein and carbs than my body needed. At first, getting all 4 cups of vegetables in a day was hard, but as I began noticing how full I felt, it became easier. As the program progressed my daily protein intake was increased; however, there were many days I didn’t reach my limit because I felt satiated from the other foods. I tried to keep my fruit servings as a treat at the end of the day, but there were a few times I was too full!

Piggybacking off the above, there can be “too much of a good thing” when it comes to eating. Our family has eaten clean the last few years, so I mistakenly assumed portions and/or certain “ingredients” did not matter because it was good quality, healthy food. Not true. I was eating too much at meals and not noticing until too late my body was signaling “full – stop eating!”. Also realized I needed to include a broader range within each food type. IE: Making fish and chicken in addition to beef. Trying new vegetables and fruits. Each one has something different to offer nutritionally.

It became blatantly clear I can be an emotional eater. Knowing I am prone to this behavior, I have tried to be careful the last few years and be more conscious of making healthier choices when certain feelings come up. But something about having to keep a food log (and showing it to the practitioner) made me quadruple think about cheating. I am happy to report there was only one time I didn’t follow the guidelines. It was on a vacation to California, it was dessert after a healthy dinner, and I felt achy, bloated, and swollen jointed the next morning. Learned my lesson!

I was stuck in the rut of making the same meals over and over and over again! No one complained because they were meals everyone liked. But…boring!!! I love food that has flavor and crave variety. So, when we got to the point of introducing certain foods back in, I broke out the cookbook and started paging through some magazines. The result? We now have about 8 new favorite meals to throw in the rotation! I particularly like Clean Eating for their recipes and meal plan ideas.

Need to get off my toosh! While cleaning up my diet, giving the body a rest from certain foods, and detoxing certainly help – there is no replacement for getting physical exercise. Jason and I felt in our prime while we ate clean and did CrossFit. We haven’t felt that level since we stopped exercising. While it isn’t much, I started rowing again, and it helps!

Biggest Take Aways

~ It can take a long time to detox and every body handles detox differently. Just over two years ago, we went through the GAPS diet as a family. A lot of detoxing was done. I went into the SHAPE program thinking there wouldn’t be much more to do. Boy was I wrong!

I personally cut out most sweets and all alcohol at the beginning of the year. After fighting some inflammation for a few months, I thought it might kick it to the curb. After a couple weeks, I went back on a probiotic. Within a day or two, my lungs started detoxing. Due to muscle testing results and knowing my own body I knew it wasn’t cold/flu related. Other supplements were included to assist the body in detoxing and keep other organs strong as they worked overtime to push out the junk.

Fast forward 5 weeks (and still detoxing via lungs). After a couple days of taking the SHAPE drops, my detoxing intensified and now included drainage from the sinuses. Again, more testing was done to ensure it wasn’t something else. Turns out my body is a “super detoxer”, which means I was able to release the bad stuff extremely easy, but it was too much for my detox organs (liver, gallbladder, spleen, lymph system) to keep up with. As a result, the junk backed up, and decided to drain other ways.

What amazed me, is that even while I was going through this heavy detox, other parts of my body were healing. My skin and eyes haven’t looked as clear/good since doing the GAPS diet. I was losing weight and body fat at a healthy rate. I started sleeping a little better. Hormone problems I’ve been chasing for over a year settled. All yay! Thankfully, my body caught up and no more excess drainage now.

Everyone will handle detox differently, and that is why the SHAPE ReClaimed program is so beneficial. It is meant to be an individual process, with individual guidelines, and individual follow up with a practitioner who can modify things, pinpoint areas needing assistance, and make sure the body can heal and move forward properly.

~ If you really want to heal the body, it requires more than just changing your diet and/or starting some exercise. One must also heal emotionally/mentally. As I went through the program, we picked up on a few things that needed addressing. Some of them were organs needing more support. Some of them indicated an energetic imbalance, deep unresolved emotional issues/repressed memories, which were triggering physical symptoms. More work to be done!

I firmly believe our bodies are much more complicated than some would like to think. God’s designs are always intricate, and each piece has a clear purpose. It’s complicated. It can be messy. It can be one step forward and three steps back. And there are things we have not even discovered yet. But it is a journey I’m willing to take.