Dr Oz Three Day Detox Diet
Dr. Oz Detox (Round 2) Review: Tips for Success
I feel like a pro at this detox now that I have done it more than once. If you missed my initial review be sure to read that first. Go ahead...I'll wait :) I Survived the Dr. Oz 3-day Detox: A Review
Now that you've learned all about what it takes to start the detox and how I felt after round 1, I'm back to share with you tips from my second time doing the Dr. Oz 3-day detox.
Let me start by saying that I am definitely still a fan of this program. I once again lost 5 lbs and feel like my tummy "pooch" is much smaller. In fact, I started the detox this month smack dab in the middle of my "monthly visitor". My husband was scared it was going to magnify my grouchiness (I don't know what he's talking about, I'm never grouchy), but I think it actually had a positive effect on my mood because I didn't feel so bloated.
While this detox is intense for someone who loves her bread and sweets (me), I was surprised yet again by my eagerness to dive in and drink my meals for 3 days straight. On day 4, you would think I would have wanted to start my day with a stack of starch like pancakes or french toast, but I found the opposite was true. I wanted to eat light - I made some scrambled eggs with Egg Beaters and 2 pieces of turkey bacon. I almost made my breakfast smoothie instead! So, more than ever, I am a believer that using this to kick-start healthy eating habits is a major bonus of completing this program.
Okay, now to the good stuff. Here are some things I did the 2nd time around to help make this a success:
1} Enlist a friend to do it with you - When I told my neighbor about it, she wanted to join me this time and it turned out to be such a good thing for many reasons. Not only did it give us each someone to share our experience with and keep us on track (misery loves company, right?), we were also able to share the cost. I already had leftover items that came in large packages like the coconut oil, flax seed, etc. So I packed up whatever I had enough of in small Tupperware containers and sent it on down to her with a list of what else she would need to buy on her own. I was out of a few things too, so when she grabbed her stuff from the store, she picked up extra bananas, almond milk and coconut water for me.
2} Choose your 3 days wisely - If you try to start on your son's birthday when you will be tempted with pizza, cake and ice cream, you are setting yourself up for failure. That is why although I originally planned to do the cleanse Sunday-Tuesday, I realized I should give myself a free pass for Sunday (my son turned 6) and start Monday instead. Take out your calendar, look at what you have coming up and consider your schedule when choosing when to begin. My neighbor had plans to have dinner with friends on Wednesday evening, so she chose to go ahead and start Sunday to accommodate her schedule.
3} Plan for curveballs and DON'T cave - Even if your calender seems open enough, there are always things that could pop up and cause a potential problem. I had a business meeting rescheduled for when I was on day 2 and we planned to meet at a restaurant. While the thought crossed my mind to "cheat" for just one meal, I made my shake ahead of time and brought it with me instead. In addition, my son had an early release day from school on day 3 and I decided to take the boys to an indoor playscape to let them burn some energy. As I sat there smelling the homemade waffle cones and watching others eat burgers and fries I cursed my green lunch shake with every sip, but I drank it. I did not cave.
4} Tweak the shakes just a bit - I have no idea if the small tweaks I made changed the effectiveness of the detoxifying process but I found a few things made a big difference in the taste, texture and overall enjoyment factor of the shakes. I figured if it kept me on track and allowed me to finish, then I could count it as a success either way. Here are some of the tweaks I made:
-- Green Tea/Lemon - I am a fan of green tea and drink hot tea regularly anyway, but something about adding the slice of lemon made it almost impossible for me to finish the whole mug. By day 2, I omitted the lemon.
-- Lemon - I wasn't sure whether to use the lemon rind, just the pulp or just the juice. The first time around I used lemon juice because I thought it'd be too difficult to do it any other way. This time I sliced the lemon, then sliced off the rind and used the pulp (but removed any seeds). I think it made it taste better this way. Not quite as acidic.
-- Celery - The recipe calls for 4 stalks. I used 3. And I was sure to chop it up pretty good which helped it blend better, making it less stringy.
-- Kale/Spinach - I picked the "stem" off each leaf. I read somewhere that this helped with the texture. Also, I ran out of kale on day 3 so I substituted spinach in the lunch and dinner drinks. It had little effect on the taste, but I actually think I liked it better with the kale.
-- Apple and Cucumbers - Again, not sure if these were supposed to be used with the skin on, but I ended up peeling the cucumber and cutting the skin off the apple pieces.
-- Cayenne Pepper - I played around with the amount used from day to day. 1/4 tsp was definitely too much. 1/8 tsp was a little less than I would have liked so I kind of eyeballed it on day 3 and it was good. But be careful, a little makes a BIG difference.
5} Use the freezer - I kept most of the fruit in the freezer and found that it made the drinks much more enjoyable if they were ice cold. The first time around I didn't do this and added ice to the mix, but it turned watery really quick and then they didn't taste so good. And just an FYI - the flax seed should be kept in the fridge. I didn't notice that on the bag until this time. Oops!
6} Use a good blender - I cannot emphasize this enough. And by good, I don't necessarily mean super expensive. As I mentioned before, I bought the Oster My Blend for $30 at HEB and it has been amazing. I tried to prepare the shakes in the more expensive (albeit older) blender that we got for our wedding and it definitely left the drinks chunky. Yuck. My neighbor said she had to use her food processor at some points to make it really smooth.
7} Make it easy on yourself...rinse or clean your drink container as soon as you are finished - There were a few times it worked out that I could clean my container in the dishwasher, but if I wasn't ready to run a load I learned quickly that just tossing it into the sink was a big mistake. The first time I did that after the lunch drink, I spent 15 minutes cleaning the stuck-on coconut oil and flax seed from the container so I could use it at dinner time. If you don't have time to clean it completely, at least fill it to the brim with soapy water. You'll save yourself time and frustration later.
8} Take advantage of the baths - Aaahhh, this was the best part of the day. I only did the detox bath once during the first time. I usually just wanted to get in bed instead of soak in the tub. But this time I made the extra effort to soak and it really made a difference. The detoxifying properties of the epsom salt and the soothing scent of lavender made me feel like I was at an expensive spa. HOWEVER - I will warn you that on day 3, my extended soak left me feeling extremely thirsty and a little weak. Perhaps I stayed in the bath too long or hadn't had enough water to drink. Either way, I urge you to proceed with caution.
9} Allow yourself a tiny "cheat" - I did better this time (no bites of a nutrigrain bar or plate of broccoli like last time) but I found that allowing myself a handful of almonds or a teaspoon of almond butter satisfied my urge to eat/chew something. Or while I was making the lunch shake I would eat a few chunks of cucumber before dropping them into the blender. I figure that eating the ingredients already in the drinks is better than "cheating" with processed stuff...
10} Give yourself a huge pat on the back at the end - Go get a manicure. Treat yourself to a frozen yogurt. Brag about your success to your friends. For me, doing the detox once was so satisfying. Doing it twice made me feel like a health rock star. While I have many more nutrition habits that I need to change to truly be a health-nut, successfully completing a 3-day detox is something I never thought I could do. So celebrate! Just don't indulge in a bunch of junk or you'll be back at square one!
Don't forget to read my initial review from my first time doing the detox HERE.
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