3-Day Detox with Expressions : Maple Syrup + Lemon

I guess this was a much needed detox which I’ve been wanting to embark on. During a detox, you felt like you are living the dungeons of hell but once the first three days have passed, you will get the hang of it and I like experiencing the after-effects of a detox where you feel lighter, cleaner and more energize.

So ever since I’ve tried juice cleansing detox, I wanted to do another juice cleanse but I never really find the time to make cold-pressed juices for myself or perhaps it’s just that I didn’t had the motivation to go on a detox? I am still eating mostly vegetarian food but not all vegetarian-friendly food are clean. Chocolates sold in the grocery store are vegetarian food too but they aren’t exactly great for the body because they often contain processed sugar. Do you know what I mean? Thus, I haven’t been eating 100% natural so that probably explains why I felt lethargic all the time.

So when Expressions came along and our paths met (so timely!) a couple of weeks ago, they recommended that I try out Expressions’ 3-Day Detox Health kit since I was still battling with weight loss. (Yes, after all these years… I was never once very slim and trim in my life… sadly.)

I’ve heard about Expression’s 3-Day detox where you just consume maple syrup mixed with lemon juice many years back but I haven’t heard much about it since then. In fact, this detox was similar to the diet which Beyonce had tried for her movie, ‘Dream Girls’, where she consumed only maple syrup mixed with lemon, water, and cayenne pepper for two weeks. For TWO WEEKS!?! Now, that’s pretty extreme and dangerous because I already experience faint spells for the first 2 days of this detox.

While Beyonce only had her maple-syrup drink, I actually had dietary supplements added to my diet during these 3 days. Looking at the nutrition point of view, it is actually quite a well-balanced detox as supplements is part of this detox. Also, these supplements are made from natural ingredients. Even the maple syrup is 100% pure but it didn’t have the nice maple syrup aroma. Maybe it is a different grade of maple syrup.

1) Cleansing of the digestive tract ( say yay to a cleaner digestive tract!)

2) Improve elimination of toxins

3) Mental Clarity

4) Reduce dependency on sugar, caffeine and alcohol

5) Weight loss

This 3-Day Detox programme by Expressions is pretty simple. All you will need is to take the supplements twice a day and drink at least 1.5 litres of the maple-lemon drink. The drink itself gives you that sufficient energy you will need for a day to carry out your normal light duties like walking. I wouldn’t advise you to workout hard on those days as you will probably be feeling weak and had no energy to even lift the dumbbell.

On the first day of detox, I was actually wondering why I had to swallow so many capsules. It is was prescribed that I had to take 8 Wheat Bran and Psyllium capsules followed by 2 Formula D capsules and 2 Formula C capsules. It takes awhile to swallow all the capsules down. I would take 1 capsule at each time along with 1 gulp of water till I had 8 capsules resting in my tummy. Then I would take a short break, before I continued swallowing the rest of the capsules.

Then I proceed to make my maple syrup lemonade which was actually quite refreshing and nice to drink. Instead of mixing it in a huge bottle, I made the lemonade in my cup, in smaller quantities as I did not want it to be too diluted. As the day progresses, my hunger pangs stepped in. On the hind note, I wasn’t really prepared for this detox as I thought I would be able to start at a later date. So it is crucial that you prepare your body prior to a detox by consuming lesser food and eating more fruits and vegetables. It really helps in making your detox a success.

So of course, I succumbed to temptation as I felt that I wasn’t mentally prepared for a detox. I ate a small bowl of fruits which made me feel better throughout the day.

It became so much more challenging on the second day of my detox as I had a running event so I decided to jog and walk instead of going at full speed (which I could though) and I had some fruits before my 5 KM run too.

My body slowly starts to get the hang of it on the third day as my appetite slowly decreases and I felt so much lighter. Mental alertness has definitely went up as I felt I was more productive in doing things. But I did take some food on the third day as I felt weak. Getting yourself starved is seriously no joke!

Right after the 3-Day detox, I went back to Expressions to get my measurement done and here are the results as shown below.

Yes, my body weight went down by 1.9 Kg and my body fat went down by 0.5% by my metabolic rate has gone down slightly. But I guess more importantly my fat percentage has gone down because I still had got quite alot to lose in order to have a healthy fat percentage (that is 28%) and healthy weight. What I am after is not about the kilos but the percentage of fat which I have to strive hard to lower it down to prevent any health problems from arising.

I guess now the hardest part is maintaining this weight and working hard on bringing the weight down further. I have read about intermittent fasting and its health benefits before and this type of detox is quite similar to that except that detox has a longer period of fast. Now that my appetite has decrease, I planned to eat smaller meals a day and keeping my portions small rather than chowing down huge bowls of fruits and salads which I used to think it was okay after watching how raw vegans wolf everything down. And of course, keeping up with a regular exercise routine which includes some home exercises which I am trying to incorporate in my everyday life besides going for gym classes.

That’s it, for now, folks. Eat merrily but remember to not go overboard with the processed food!