So I started to write this as I was sitting and waiting to have a good old, long time, on the toilet.
Why? Because I had just downed some Epsom salt water which tasted foul as part of a liver flush at the end of my fasting detox!
If this sounds like morse code to you then fear not all will be explained as I am going to take you step by step through my 5 day fasting detox that I did on Koh Samui in Thailand at the beautiful Oasis Health Resort.
But first, why the heck did I choose to go and not eat…and pay for the whole experience? Isn’t it just a fad or worse, bad for you?
Good questions and one my husband asked so here are just a few reasons for why I choose to give it a whirl:
- I have been aware of a lot of research that points to fasting as being really helpful to the body.
- As I am running my own health retreat in September I thought I should go on one. (The one I am running is NOT a fasting retreat – just full of tasty, naturally detoxing foods that will help you feel FAB!)
- I wanted to test it out and experiment on myself and see how I respond. The particular fasting regime I followed seems to have some roots in Ayurveda which is something I haven’t experienced a lot of and I am all about getting as skilled and knowledgeable as possible to help my clients.
- I recently put on about 3/4 of a stone (I knew it was happening I just couldn’t be arsed to do anything about it!!!) and decided I want to shift it and thought this would be the perfect way to reset my body and kick start the fat loss.
- I was intrigued to see if it would help my adrenal fatigue.
- I thought it would be super FUN!!! Honestly, I did…
Plus tons more but those are the main ones.
I also want to point out that whilst I LOVE detoxing and try to do a good detox every season/quarter I personally think it’s only healthy when it builds ON TOP of a healthy lifestyle.
Fasting for 5 days of the year and then going about the rest of the 360 days eating processed crap, drinking too much, smoking and avoiding all green food is utterly pointless. But detoxing when an addition to healthy lifestyle and mindset, I believe it a very natural, traditional and helpful way to kick start our bodies into greater more joyful health. (Read more about why here )
The rare picture of me in a bikini!!
So the big question….what was like?
It was a super restful, restorative, mainly fun, challenging and beautiful experience.
Of course, I have felt hungry and uncomfortable at times (those feeling are inevitable when it comes to seeing any sort of change in our lives), mainly looking like waves of exhaustion and feeling weak but all in all for both Joe and myself it was a positive experience.
Here is a run through of what our fasting schedule looked like:
Day 1-4
No food just diluted fresh juice (to avoid massive blood sugar spike), vegetable broth, bentonite clay and psyllium shakes plus and lots of supplements at specific points in the day. Colonics on days 2-4 using garlic or coffee and a daily yoga class at 8.30am which was hot, challenging and fun. Ohh and a daily Thai massage….heaven!!!
Best sunsets EVER!
Day 5
Liver flush day, so again no food, diluted juice, 2 glasses of full strength juice (drinking those felt amazing!), milk thistle, a glass of Epsom salts drink at 5pm and at 10pm some oil, grapefuit and lime concoction which really help clear our liver. Last massage….so sad!!!
I know it sounds pretty weird (I will blog about specific strategies in more details in the coming months) but it’s a very well planned and thought out detox and people often feel amazing after it and often do it for about 14-28 days, Joe and I just did a short one as Joe would waste away on anything longer….men!
Daily supplements
Overall we felt good, I had waves of feeling very exhausted, weak and a bit feeble but thankfully there is nothing else to do here other than rest, swim, sleep, read and get pounded by a masseuse. On the first day I had a bad headache for a few hours but it cleared and that is normal for me when I detox and on day 4 I felt a really feeble in the morning and couldn’t really do yoga properly but perked up in the afternoon enough to swim and kayak and do some work.
I have to say I felt AWFUL on day 6 – so after the liver flush, the day when I could started eating again but couldn’t eat anything really as I felt grim. It wasn’t horrendous I just slept a lot and felt much better the next day. Plus there was always lovely staff around to sort you out and answer any questions.
It honestly felt like such a privilege to be able to take some time out to do it, I feel really proud of myself for prioritising and investing in some dedicated and beautiful self-care. The resort was very peaceful and friendly, with two pools and our like house pretty much on the beach it’s the perfect environment to unwind. Plus they do everything for you here, set up colonics, make the juice and broth, lay out all your supplements, which is blissful. In the past, I tend to do detoxes myself but it can require a lot of organisation so I have been loving just following the instructions and having everything done for me!
Results baby!!! (after the detox)
Well, I am now writing this a week after completing it and eating food!!! (Eating food is so good – have just had a chocolate smoothie and YUM – I am so grateful for food right now!)
As I said the rest of the liver flush was grim, but now a week later I am feeling good, still not regained in my energy I don’t think and time will tell of the other results . I also lost about 8/9lbs in weight so am feeling so much better for getting rid of the excess I had been carrying past few months in super quick time. Now it’s just the challenge of keeping it off 😉
I definitely feel great for doing the colonics – during them I would often feel awful but feel better for having them, just cleaner and lighter and all in all am SO glad I invested in doing it – it feels like a deposit into my bank of health:)
Take aways & Lessons Learnt
- We NEED to invest in our health and ourselves. After years of abandoning self-care and deeming it as selfish and ridiculous, I am learning how important it is and no matter what stage of life you’re in you CAN make time for it.
- You can do anything you put your mind too. A fasting detoxing is not something I thought I could easily achieve but you know what I did!
- Food is fun but it’s easy to use it as a crutch. It’s amazing what comes up when you remove food for a short period of time and allow yourself to just connect with your soul and spirit.
- Retreats are SO worth it.
So if you are ready to invest in your health and take your body and energy to the next level then I only have about 2 spaces left for my retreat in September. This is a way more affordable option, that doesn’t involve flying halfway around the world but is going to help you see the transformation you want.
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