Hey there,
I hope you are having a great weekend so far. Cold and pouring in the Bay Area, but don’t let that stop you from getting your movement today. Do your best to get your workout done early and make it a priority. Your whole day should be better when you put yourself first.
If you did the 5 Day Detox, congratulations, you are now complete with the program! But, is it really over? Not really, we are not just starting.
You probably did lose weight and body fat over the last 5 days; however, it doesn’t really matter if you go back to your same habits.
What did you learn from the process is the big question???
If you lost weight and body fat, that is great, but why did that happen with this particular program (compared to the 10 Day Detox or 21 Day Detox or any other programs you have done in the past)?
- The 5 Day Detox was a high protein, animal based program with a key focus on blood sugar balance/overall hormonal balance, holistic food combining to optimize digestion & elimination and the elimination of common food intolerances and allergens.
- If you did well, you are most likely a protein type and deal better with higher protein diets.
- You may have eliminated some of your intolerances or allergens.
- You improved your blood sugar balance and overall hormone balance.
If you didn’t lose weight or body fat on the 5 day detox this is most likely what happened:
- You did not eat often enough and your blood sugar balance & overall hormonal balance was not in your favor for weight and fat loss.
- You did not digest the animal proteins well- you may have had trouble with elimination and constipation occurred.
- You may have eaten a food or foods that you are intolerant or allergic.
- You may not be a protein type and do better on a higher carb diet with more starchy carbs like legumes (beans & lentils), carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, squash, and additional fruits besides apples & pears. Notice, I did not say grains. You will never “NEED” additional grains. There are plenty of other carbohydrate sources you can eat with a lot more nutrition value. Again, additional grains are not needed, but they are convenient and can taste really good.
There are a number of reasons for inadequate protein digestion:
- You probably had prior digestive complaints. Many are constipated for years.
- You did not drink enough water.
- Your body is too stressed to digest well. If you are constantly on the go and in the flight or fight mode of living, your body’s priority is not digestion. Blood flow is shifted to the extremities to run and fight. Why would you need to digest in times of danger?
- You did not chew your food enough, so there was faulty breakdown. Again, when you are in a hurry, we tend to limit our chewing.
- You may have over-cooked your animal proteins.
- You did not combine your meals as well as you could have.
- You are deficient in zinc.
- You are deficient in hydrochloric acid (HCL) *Common scenario given with age there is a reduction of HCL. At the age of 40, you have approximately 1/3 the amount of HCL you had when you were 20.
There are a few more reasons why someone would not have done well on an animal protein diet, but these are the most common.
Here is a great article on hydrochloric acid (HCL) deficiency by my friend and Expert Fat Loss Personal Trainer, Billy Beck: Simple Way to Determine Your Protein & Mineral Absorption
So, where do you go from here…you must constantly experiment and observe what happened.
If you did well, consider staying with the 5 day program model and possibly adding one new food a day back into the program. If you feel worse with addition of the new food, reduce for at least a month and try again. Be careful of starchy carbs given you probably do not do well on them.
If you did not lose much weight or fat with this higher protein model, don’t automatically assume you should be a vegetarian. Consider your HCL deficiency and the other ways I listed above to optimize protein breakdown.
For more on digestion: Digestion Tips
Lastly, consider the 10 Day Detox Program, which is the complete extreme. 10 days of no animal proteins. After Easter, I will be doing another 10 Day Group Detox. There will be a group discount!
This may be way too much information for you. If you need more specific help I can assist you as needed.
Your friend & coach,
Brien
