So many of our DT brides (and often the grooms as well!) embark upon a detox programme several weeks before the wedding with an aim of losing weight and improving their overall well-being before the big day.  Given our experience with couples, we are often asked whether we have any recommendations or success stories to share as to the best detox programme.

Indeed we do.

Lee and I decided to put our own toxin infested, coffee, wine and chip loving bodies on the line for the sake of our beloved couples and embarked upon an 8-week detox programme on 1 August 2011.  After researching the best body cleanse progammes available in the US and UK, we chose the Total Body Cleanse kit by Blessed Herbs from Northern Massachusetts in the US (distributed in the UK by Blue Herbs), a 4-week program which is broken down into weekly segments focused upon cleansing specific areas of the body.

Firstly the results.

• Between us, we lost over two stone and 6 inches from our waistlines.
• Our eyes are brighter – our complexions better.
• Although our energy levels were low for the first week, by the end of week 2, we felt more energetic than we had in years.
• Our sleep patterns have improved and our mood levels are more constant.

Secondly the downsides.

• The kit is expensive at £185 but more than paid for itself given the amount of money we saved on evenings out with expensive food and wine.
• No coffee, non-natural tea, sugar, fizzy drinks or alcohol.  I struggled mostly giving up Starbucks and Diet Coke but by week 2 I hardly missed either.  (Note, although I’ve resorted back to one cafe latte per day, I now have no desire for a Diet Coke).
• For the best cleanse, it is recommended you adopt an organic raw food diet as much as possible.  We compromised by preparing fresh juice during the day and eating one sensible meal in the evening.  By the second week, we strangely began craving food we normally wouldn’t eat, e.g. pork pies (Lee!).

The cleanse is broken down into the following segments.