START NOW! It doesn’t matter whether you decide to do your 48-Hour Plan in six days’, six weeks’ or even six months’ time. To avoid the potholes of cravings, mood swings and withdrawal symptoms, you might like to start walking along the road to a healthier life right now, and build up slowly and gently to the big Weekend.
In this chapter, we’re going to consider:
Who you want to spend the 48-Hour Detox Weekend with, if anybody.
What you’re going to be encouraged to do without during that weekend and what you might like to try cutting out now.
Why it’s important for you to do this plan.
Where you’re going to spend your three days.
When might be the best time to start detoxing for minimum withdrawal symptoms and maximum impact.
who?
Who should you spend this Weekend with? There’s no question that the effects of a cleansing weekend, on both body and mind, are much stronger if the time is spent in quiet solitude, with just you for company. Having done it by myself, I can only beg you to try – because turning the world off and shutting down the outside chatter is a bit like taking your brain out and giving it a good rinse! The three-day break feels as if you have had a week’s holiday, with the added bonus of having been healthy and utterly self-indulgent. But you need to know what sort of person you are and if you can cope on your own. If you’ve never spent a night away from your partner or have never been on holiday on your own, then doing it solo isn’t for you.
If you have a dog, or can borrow one, you may well decide that this is the best compromise of all. A dog won’t tempt you to open a bottle of wine, and you’ll get lots of fresh air and exercise. And if you’re not used to spending much time alone, pets – even borrowed ones – are fantastic company and make you feel secure at night – and they don’t talk!
If you really want human contact there are several options. Many women I meet are so enthusiastic about the Plan that they decide to spend a cheap weekend away with a girl friend, leaving their husbands to have some ‘quality time’ with the kids at home! You could rent a cottage, borrow a friend’s flat, or do a house swap with each other – sending dads and kids to one home, while the two of you get down to the Plan in the other home, without any distractions. Any arrangement you like, as long as it’s self-catering. Think of the fun dad could have with the kids. They could go off to do things together that they’ve never had the chance to do before, such as camping, fishing, visiting a theme park, playing football and golf, and so on. (Having read that list, I think if I was a daughter I would want to stay at home with mum!)
If you decide to spend the Weekend with a friend, the who is very important: it needs to be someone as dedicated to the experience as you, and not the sort of person who is going to lead you astray on the first evening with temptations of ‘just one tiny little drinkie’. She (or he) also needs to be someone who is happy to try just sitting and being ‘still and silent’ for 10 minutes at a time without being embarrassed and bursting into giggles. Someone you can be completely honest with, someone with whom you can discuss your bowel movements, or how lousy you feel. Someone who is used to seeing you without any make-up and in scruffy clothes or a dressing gown. The sort of friend or companion you have shared your innermost thoughts and secrets with!
That person could well be your husband or partner, and I can’t think of a better way to re-evaluate your relationship and renew your sex life. If you spend a long weekend together learning massage techniques, turning the TV off, and without the kids, you can’t fail to find out how you’re both feeling about your life together. But it’s a brave move and not for the faint-hearted!
So sit and have a think now about who you might like to spend this Weekend with and why they are suitable. But don’t make any final decisions till you have finished reading the book, and then come back to this page and fill in the form.
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WHO |
BENEFITS |
DRAWBACKS |
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Just Me |
No one else to think about. |
Can’t sleep in the house alone. |
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Pets |
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Best girl friend |
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Partner |
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Daughter |
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Sister |
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Mother |
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A.N. Other (gay male friend, yoga-loving male friend, etc.) |
what?
Have a look at the CRAVINGS LIST below and tick the things that ring a bell. It’s probably the most telling list in the whole book. I don’t usually need to do intolerance testing when I see clients, because simply asking them what they crave and what they can’t imagine living without is the single biggest clue to any intolerance they may be suffering from. Very few people crave seeds, nuts, water, fruit or vegetables! Come to think of it, when did you last see a saucy advert for pumpkin seeds? Everyone’s list inevitably includes bread and pasta, or chocolate, or coffee, or alcohol, or all four. Go ahead, you try it now.
cravings list; the usual suspects
(please tick what you can’t imagine living without, and add any offenders that aren’t on the list!)
· Cigarettes
· Alcohol
· Sugar
· Tea
· Coffee
· Dairy: Milk and Cheese
· Bread
· Cakes, Pastries, Biscuits
· Chocolate
· Sweets
· Sweet Fizzy Drinks, whether low calorie or not
· Salty Snacks like Crisps, whether low fat or not
· Fried Food
· Meat
· Takeaways
· Processed Food
How did you do?
You might like to start thinking about cutting right back very soon on one of the items you’ve ticked. If you reduce your intake of things you can’t imagine living without gradually, and only one at a time, your body won’t go into shock, with symptoms like a detoxing headache, bloating or skin eruptions. Pick a day when you feel particularly rested, strong and full of good intentions, and decide either to cut back on your intake slowly and gradually or, if you’re feeling really brave, give something up altogether. And do that with every ‘tick’, one a week, till you’re eating or drinking the very minimum quantities of all of them. Remember that you don’t need to give up your ‘ticks’ completely, just cut down to such a degree that doing without them for three days is not going to cause you a massive problem.
If you want to give something up gradually, look at this example: you might at the moment be in the habit of drinking 6–8 cups of tea a day, with milk and sugar or sweetener. Start in week 1 by halving the number of cups of tea you usually drink. In week 2 halve it again. In week 3 halve the amount of sugar; in week 4 drop the sugar completely. By week 5 start trying to do without the milk, and then eventually you’ll be down to 1–2 cups of black tea a day. Without the milk and sugar, you probably won’t enjoy the tea half as much, so it’ll be much easier to cut down on the number of cuppas. If you can’t drink it black, don’t worry – it’s more important to try and get past the sugar craving than give up dairy products at this point. You do not want sugar or artificial sweeteners in your diet at any time in the future, for the sake of your health and your weight, so this would be a really good place to start.
targets for cutting down or giving up an addiction
(be it 3 alcoholic drinks a night, or 20 ciggies a day, or a bar of chocolate every tea time.)
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WEEK 1 |
Halve the amount. |
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WEEK 2 |
Halve the intake again. |
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WEEK 3 |
One small portion a day. |
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WEEK 4 |
Try and have it once a week only. |
Work out your own plan, with your own diary, so it’s really manageable for you and you alone. Or agree to do it with a friend for encouragement and support. (If you think you’ll have trouble giving something up, try to start the process on a Friday – or Friday evening – so you have the weekend to deal with any symptoms or a bad mood!)
the one thing I want you to have more of: water!
One thing I really need you to change from now on, even if you do nothing else, is to start drinking more water, building up to 2 litres (3½ pints) of water – just eight large glasses – a day.
At this juncture, I don’t care if it’s bottled fizzy or bottled still, or tap water. I just need you to drink common-or-garden plain, unflavoured water in bigger quantities than you’re used to, from now on. It’ll help you get over any cravings, keep your blood-sugar levels even, stop mood swings and fill you up. And you’ll look and feel much, much better – I promise!
why?
Why are you doing this Weekend? Yes, part of the plan is to encourage you to follow a healthier diet, to detox and cleanse, and maybe even lose a little weight. But, just as importantly, the Weekend will also calm your whole nervous system and de-stress your mind. To reiterate: getting you off that hamster wheel and giving your brain and body a good clear-out. All of which will benefit the health of your mind, body and spirit for the long term (and for ever if you continue with just a few of the book’s suggestions).
You’ll also be stimulating all five of your senses this weekend: hearing, seeing, tasting, touching and smelling. Recent research entitled ‘The Secrets of the Senses’ (published by ICI and Oxford University) reports that most of us are suffering from sensory deprivation – and that this is affecting our health. For the last 100 years scientists have treated each sense separately. But, after a decade of multi-sensory research, Experimental Psychologist and Cognitive Neuro Scientist Dr Charles Spence, the author of the report, confirms for the first time that the five senses are integrated and should work together, not separately.
According to Dr Spence, 21st-century living under-uses our emotional senses but we’re suffering from a visual and auditory overload! ‘We’re spending 90 per cent of our time indoors, watching TV or sitting in front of a computer,’ warns Dr Spence. ‘We’re neglecting our two most important emotional senses – touch and smell – and this imbalance is negatively affecting our health and well-being.’
In fact, according to the research, personal pampering is a virtue and not a vice, and you may actually improve your productivity and efficiency if you spend a little time on nurturing those unfulfilled senses – touch and smell. So you can now wallow, guilt-free, in a scented bath, give yourself a massage, and know this is actually benefiting your health. But, in order to stimulate those neglected senses, the TV has to go!
Some of you will think it’s not possible to live without a television or a mobile phone. (I was one of those people!) But it is only for three days and it will change your life for ever. (And to make it easier you can always find somewhere cheap to stay for the 48-Hour Plan that has no mobile signal and a poor TV reception!)
In preparation for the Weekend, look at this list of things that we all do or use that could be causing us stress and sapping our energy – things that we need to cut down on and eventually eliminate as much as possible during the three days, if we’re to get back to a natural state of bliss.
stressers and energy sappers
Mobile phone and texting
Ordinary phone
Watching TV
Listening to the radio or music – unless it’s soothing!
Driving the car
Using the computer
Using a fax machine
Wearing a watch
Alarm clock
During the weeks leading up to the Weekend, start spending just one day a week, or just half a day a week, or one evening a week, without one or all of those stressers. Treat it as an experiment. Go on, try it!
We can live without these things because we used to, quite happily. Mobiles, e-mail, fax machines, computers, personal organizers are all wonderful hi-tech things that are supposed to make our lives easier. While it’s certainly easier for me now to write this book than it would have been 30 years ago, there’s no doubt that we work much longer hours and are more stressed than ever before. We’re now accessible to anyone and everyone 24/7, and that in itself can be very stressful.
ways to start reducing stress levels before the weekend
· 10 minutes a day fast walking outside in the light, no matter what the weather!
· 10 minutes a day spent doing absolutely nothing, thinking of nothing, in silence. (Do it in the bathroom if that is your only means of escape.)
· 10 minutes a day spent cooking, or gardening, or anything manual without any ‘noise’ on.
· 5 minutes a day spent stretching. (See exercises in chapter 10.)
· 5 minutes a day spent on skin-brushing. (See chapter 6.)
where?
The who section may well dictate where you might be going, if anywhere, to do your 48-Hour Plan. You may be sharing your home with a friend, or renting a cottage together in the country, or borrowing a friend’s flat. It doesn’t really matter where it is as long as it’s self-catering, and you can control the environment and the fuel that goes into your body. Hotels and B&Bs are out of the question – there are too many distractions and temptations!
But if you’re spending the weekend with a friend or partner, it might be an idea to find out what you both need in the way of outside influences. What will really help you both relax? Is there a big park near either of your homes, or a river, or the sea? Can you get peace and quiet outside as well as inside?
Personally, I need to be near water as often as possible. I am a Scorpio, so I crave being by water, especially the sea. So for me the ultimate detox would be spent on the coast without leaving the country. Others need to be surrounded by trees; some people like mountains and lakes, and some just don’t want to leave home. In fact, the first time I did the 48-Hour Plan, I found it much easier to do in my own home because everything was at hand and it felt comfortable. The next time, I went to Cornwall, where there was absolutely no signal on my mobile and a terrible reception on both TV and radio – so that worked too!
Try this simple exercise now to see which is the location to get the best benefits from your Weekend away. Just sit quietly without the TV or radio on, somewhere private such as the bathroom, and try and empty your mind for five minutes. Now take a piece of paper and a pen, and draw a circle with seven branches coming out of it. Put the word WEEKEND in the circle and, without giving yourself a chance to think, tap your subconscious by writing the first seven words or phrases that pop into your mind, very quickly, one word or phrase on each of the branches. It’s just like a word-association game, but is called ‘mind-mapping’ and is something I have found invaluable for studying, making life decisions and even writing this book. It’ll help you find out what your inner self really needs (unless you know already!).
Here’s how mine looked:
What’ll be on yours?
when?
Because you may need plenty of time to eliminate foods that doing without could cause you a problem over the three days, your Weekend may need to be planned well in advance in your diary. Also, the seasons and even the moon cycles, believe it or not, can play a major part in whether it’s going to be really tough or relatively easy to stick to the Plan. The more foods you want to exclude, the longer you need as a build-up and the harder it will be to exclude them all. So take your time and do take the seasons, the moon, and whatever else might help you into account! I don’t want you to feel terrible for the entire three days! It’s supposed to be a positive experience.
On the other hand, if you’re already matching many of my recommendations on diet and fluids intake, you may well be able to just plunge right in and follow the Plan almost immediately. Remember: you can start in six days, six weeks or even six months. The choice is yours – decide on when according to your own circumstances and habits.
seasons
Spring is truly a season for new beginnings. Everything is renewed, plants, trees, animals – all are thriving. The earth’s energy really surges at this time of year and it’s one of the best times to start a detox and introduce a new eating plan for life. The body is happier with cleansing foods like smoothies, raw vegetables and salads, fruit, seeds and nuts. The closer it gets to summer, the less we need in the way of ‘stodgy’ foods, and the easier it will be to improve your eating habits. Your sleep patterns change as well, and you should find yourself waking up earlier – naturally.
Summer is when we should reach up to the sun for our nourishment, just like the garden does. Being outside sustains us, and our food should be as colourful as our flowers! This is the easiest time of the year to lose weight and get up early, as we’re feeling more active.
Autumn is another time when the body is really receptive to a change in eating patterns. It is, along with spring, the most beneficial time to cleanse as the body prepares itself for winter. Many people find they get fewer colds or bouts of flu and don’t suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) during the winter months if they have prepared themselves for the shorter days by eating nutritious, cleansing foods. This is a time for much warmer foods – steamed vegetables, soups and hot drinks. We’ll be heading indoors, and we’ll want to sleep more – and so we should!
Winter: We need more fuel for our body’s furnace and more sleep to recharge our batteries (and our thoughts turn to ‘hibernating’ in our caves!). This is the time of the year to catch as many catnaps as we can – if only work or the kids would allow us to!
NEW YEAR, NEW START
Of course the time that most of us want to start a detox plan and swap old habits for new is the worst possible month – January. It’s one of the hardest times of the year for the body to cleanse because it has its work cut out just keeping you healthy fighting all the viruses around. On the other hand, this is the best time of the year to give up things like alcohol and cigarettes, because everyone else is trying to. It’s also a very good time for locking yourself away and being ‘quiet’ as the pressure of socializing eases right off after the Christmas festivities.
Whichever season you decide on to start your 48-Hour Plan, there will be plenty of meal suggestions appropriate for that time of the year. You’ll find recipes in chapter 17.
moon cycles
The moon affects the tides, our monthly cycles and even the birth rate. Did you know that many midwives and hospitals are on standby for a rise in birth rates during a full moon? The reason is simple. Inside every cell in our bodies there is a pull and a push going on in synch with the moon’s rhythms, just like the ebb and flow of the tide. There is even a tide in that glass of water sitting in front of you. (Drink up!)
During the full moon the pull of the moon on those tides is stronger than at any other time – hence a high tide, violent storms and people going a bit loony. Have you ever noticed how bloated you feel around a full moon? Check it out next time, it’s your cells heading for a high tide!
It’s hardly surprising then that the moon is going to have a profound effect on the cleansing ability of our bodies. On a new moon the pull on the cells is much weaker and less dramatic, much like a low tide, so side effects and withdrawal symptoms will be kept to a minimum. (And ovulating is associated with a new moon, so you might want to tuck that one away if you are trying for a baby!) So, as wacky as it sounds, if it’s proving really difficult for you to give up finally coffee, cigarettes or alcohol, make sure you pick a new moon day to do it. Mentally as well as physically a new moon is associated with new beginnings.
What’s the best time to do the Weekend? As the moon travels from full to new – a waning moon – it’s much easier, and more beneficial, for the body to detoxify and cleanse during those two weeks. The closer to the date of the new moon the more effective your attempt will be. But any time during the fortnight following a full moon will be suitable, so check your diary – most of them have the moon cycles listed.
stocking up
You may well have an idea of when, where and with whom you’ll want to do the 48-Hour Plan. You might even be starting to cut down on some of your cravings, internal and external. Soon you’ll be feeling strong enough to incorporate all the Plan for three days.
But, first, here’s a checklist of the non-food items you’ll need for your Weekend. You may have many of them already, and if you stock up gradually by adding the smaller items to your weekly shop bit by bit, the expenditure won’t hurt as much. Most major supermarkets now have a ‘health section’ where you will find many of the basics you’ll need. Others will be stocked in high-street health shops. For the bigger and more expensive items, you may want to ask friends and family to buy you one of them as a birthday or Christmas present.
non-food basics
Water Filter
Blender (Any inexpensive one, it doesn’t need to be state of the art.)
Juicer (There are cheap ones on sale, but a juicer isn’t essential unless you’re doing a spring or summer detox.)
Hand-Held Shower Attachment
Cozy Dressing Gown
Fluffy Towels
Yoga Mat or Floor Mat
3 small packets (3 × 200 gr/½ lb) of Epsom Salts
Body Brush
Face Flannel
Loofah
Natural Sponge
Your choice of Carrier and Essential Oils to use for self-massage (see chapter 6) and in baths (see chapter 8)
Oil Burner
Candles
Joss Sticks
Classical or New-Age Music on CD or cassette (and portable CD or cassette player if going away)
You may also want to start stocking up on some of the more unusual non-perishable foods on the list. Again, if you start popping them into your trolley during your weekly shop, you won’t notice the extra expense.
non-perishables to start stocking up on (organic wherever possible)
MUST-HAVES (unless you have an allergy)
Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Walnuts, Cashews, Chestnuts – any nuts, apart from peanuts, and as long as they’re unsalted.
Golden Linseeds (Flaxseeds)
Linseed Oil (Keep in fridge)
Sesame, Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds and Pine Nuts (Keep in fridge)
Lecithin Granules
Short-Grain Brown Rice or Basmati Brown Rice
Green Tea or other Herbal Teas
Aloe Vera Juice – an anti-inflammatory cleanser I would strongly recommend. Keep it in the fridge.
OPTIONALS
Tick items off as you buy them, concentrating on the ones you know you like (as opposed to buying things that you think you should like!). Once you’ve read the book through you’ll have a better idea of which techniques and recipes (see chapter 17) you’re likely to want to try, and then start stocking up on all those optional bits and pieces you’ll need.
Bottled Water
Light Tahini Paste (the lightest, runniest one you can find)
Clear Honey
Tinned Chickpeas and other Pulses
Dried Lentils
Tinned Tomatoes
Sundried Tomatoes
Vegetable Stock Cubes
Olives
Oatmeal
Your choice of Grain Alternatives (see chapter 5)
Sea Salt
Tamari (a salt substitute made from soya beans)
Nori Flakes (a salt substitute from the sea) or other Sea Vegetable Flavouring
Brown Rice Vinegar – this is more natural and less fermented than ordinary vinegars but Apple Cider Vinegar will do.
Sesame Oil (for the teeth)
Mustard/Mustard Powder
Olive Oil
Soya or Rice Milk
Coconut Milk
Dried Apricots and Figs
Dried Spices: Chilli, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Cumin Seeds or Garam Masala
Spirulina or Wheat Grass – supplements in powder form that contain high levels of nutrients and are useful in a detox.
fresh food shopping
When you’ve checked the meal suggestions, you’ll have a good idea of what fresh produce you’ll need for the Weekend. All I can say is, Have plenty of fruit and vegetables! (There’s a lot more information on the merits of fruit and veg in chapter 5.) But I leave the choice largely to you. Certainly, lemons, fresh garlic, ginger and herbs are pretty essential. For some of the more exotic ingredients, such as galangal (a lovely sweet ginger used in Thai cooking) you might want to try out your local Indian or Thai shops.
preparation checklist – have I…?
· Decided who is joining me for the weekend.
· Cut down on my addictions.
· Started drinking more water.
· Tried a day without the ‘stressers’.
· Decided where to go.
· Checked seasons against my food preferences.
· Checked moon cycles.
· Checked for a weekend with no social engagements.
· Checked the long-range weather forecast.
· Started buying items on the shopping lists.
· Made sure I am ready for this.
Are you ready for the first stage? Drinking more water – much more water! The next chapter will explain why this is so important, which type is the best, and how much is the right amount.