In late October, a picture of me was posted on Facebook. I had emceed my friend’s celebration event and my other friend, Emmanuel Lopez, caught a photo of me from the side.

My arms looked meaty…

I hated how I looked. So, that’s when I knew I had to do something about my growing weight.

Part of the weight gain had to do with a book I had just written…

I had just finished the manuscript to my seventh book, State Your Fees With Ease. I can write 25,000 words in a week, but it comes at a price. I eat sloppy, I’m at my desk 16-hours a day pounding out words on my computer and I have odd sleeping patterns. It’s not unusual for me to gain 10 to 15 pounds during the book writing process.

So, there I was with my post-book body…

And I wasn’t happy about it. Normally, I’d hit the gym, pump some iron, and just do something, anything. Even if I hadn’t worked out in months, I’d hit the gym as if there was no passage of time.

And then I’d be in pain for a couple of weeks…

I also didn’t want to follow an energy-depleting juicing cleanse…

A juice cleanse would help me lose weight rapidly, but as soon as I start eating food again, the weight would come back. My goal was to release weight AND make a permanent change to my eating habits. Not to deprive myself all in the name of a quick fix.

My friend told me about a cleanse called Wild Rose Herbal D-tox…

I bought a box at a local health food store. It contains instructions on how to take the supplements, a pamphlet with what you can and cannot eat [PDF], PLUS four bottles:

• A liquid herbal extract that you drop into a small glass of water to drink at both lunch and dinner.
• Three separate pill bottles containing enough pills to take during the cleanse.

You take a combination of six pills twice a day (at breakfast and at dinner), along with the enclosed liquid herbal extract.

The first two days were a breeze…

I felt great.

But by Day 3, I started feeling the effects of the cleanse. I was on the toilet so much the morning of Day 3, I spent most of the afternoon in bed, exhausted. Days 4 and 5 were also rough, but I didn’t feel as depleted. By Day 6, I was getting used to the effects of the cleanse, so it was smooth sailing by that point.

The meal plan was fairly easy to follow…

The cleanse is for 12-days and you eat clean. You’re pretty much following a gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and yeast-free diet. In other words, you stay away from dairy, refined sugars, wheat and yeast.

At first, it seems hard. Planning is key. I planned out my meals and bookmarked recipes, thus improving my success with the cleanse.

Although you can eat meat while on the cleanse (it has to be organic chicken, lamb, beef, etc.), the only flesh product I ate was fish because my sister is pescetarian and I was preparing meals for both of us. I found it easier to eat what she was eating, then to do a separate meat meal.

I bought all the ingredients in advance. For the 12-days, I spent $80 per person for the ingredients. That works out to be $1.33 per meal (including snacks). With the cost of the Wild Rose Herbal D-tox ($39.99), I spent $120 to help cleanse my inner body. Not bad.

The meal plan…

After reading through what I can and cannot eat [PDF], I put together an elaborate eating plan with a different meals each day. But after spending six-hours preparing and cooking the meals for Days 1-4 for two people, I was exhausted.

So, for Days 5-12, I ended up repeating the meal plan. I was now down to 4-hours of food prep and cooking for two people.

• I cooked on Day 0 for Days 1-4.
• I cooked on Day 3 for Days 5-8.
• I cooked on Day 7 for Days 9-12.

Day 1

• Breakfast – Unsweetened almond milk, apple slices, almond butter
• Snack 1 – Pumpkin seed granola (omit the raisins and maple syrup), apple slices
• Lunch – Kale tuna salad
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn
• Dinner – Tangy Tofu stir-fry with brown rice

Day 2

• Breakfast – Cinnamon oatmeal with dark cherries
• Snack 1 – Pumpkin seed granola (omit the raisins and maple syrup), apple slices
• Lunch – Kale hummus with red, yellow and orange peppers
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Lemon pepper salmon, baked sweet potatoes and quinoa

Day 3

• Breakfast – Vanilla almond chia parfait
• Snack 1 – Pumpkin seed granola (omit the raisins and maple syrup), pear slices
• Lunch – Kale hummus with red, yellow and orange peppers
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Lentil stew

Day 4

• Breakfast – Unsweetened almond milk, apple slices, almond butter
• Snack 1 – Pumpkin seed granola (omit the raisins and maple syrup), apple slices
• Lunch – Lemon pepper salmon, steamed broccoli, brown rice
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Lentil stew

Day 5

• Breakfast – Vanilla almond chia pudding
• Snack 1 – Pumpkin seed granola (omit the raisins and maple syrup), pear slices
• Lunch – Quinoa black bean burger, mixed greens
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Tangy Tofu stir-fry with brown rice

Day 6

• Breakfast – Unsweetened almond milk, apple slices, almond butter
• Snack 1 – Unsalted almonds, apple slices
• Lunch – Lentil stew
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Lemon pepper salmon, baked sweet potatoes and quinoa

Day 7

• Breakfast – Cinnamon oatmeal, peaches
• Snack 1 – Apple slices, pear slices
• Lunch – Quinoa black bean burger, mixed greens
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Tangy Tofu stir-fry with quinoa

Day 8

• Breakfast – Chia fresca, apple slices, two boiled eggs (or substitue eggs for almond butter)
• Snack 1 – Pumpkin seed granola (omit the raisins and maple syrup), pear slices
• Lunch – Kale tuna salad
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Lentil stew

Day 9

• Breakfast – Vanilla almond chia parfait
• Snack 1 – Rice cakes, almond butter, pear slices
• Lunch – Quinoa black bean burger, mixed greens
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Three bean sweet potato chili

Day 10

• Breakfast – Cinnamon oatmeal with dark cherries
• Snack 1 – Unsalted almonds, apple slices
• Lunch – Lentil stew
• Snack 2 – Rice cakes, almond butter
• Dinner – Tangy Tofu stir-fry with quinoa

Day 11

• Breakfast – Chia fresca, apple slices, two boiled eggs (or substitue eggs for almond butter)
• Snack 1 – Apple slices, pear slices
• Lunch – Three bean sweet potato chili
• Snack 2 – Pumpkin seed granola (omit the raisins and maple syrup), apple slices
• Dinner – Quinoa black bean burger, mixed greens

Day 12

• Breakfast – Cinnamon oatmeal with dark cherries
• Snack 1 – Rice cakes, almond butter, pear slices
• Lunch – Kale tuna salad
• Snack 2 – Lightly salted popcorn (buy the loose kernels and pop on the stove or in a popcorn popper)
• Dinner – Lentil stew

My drink options…

• Teas – only green tea or herbal teas are allowed (unsweetened of course). Any black tea, such as Salada or Tetley, are not permitted.

• Juice – Whenever I had a sweet tooth, I’d juice apples, carrots and a little piece of ginger to make a natural, refined sugar-free drink. Total yum!

• Coffee – Small amounts are allowed. I ended up buying a coffee substitute called Caf-Lib and enjoyed that instead.  Discovered that the coffee substitute contains barley which is a no-no on the detox. Better to drink the real thing, but again, in small amounts and without the cream or sugar.

• Alcohol – None is permitted on the 12-day cleanse.

• Dairy – None is permitted. This includes creamers, milk, yogurt, milkshake, anything made with an animal’s milk. You can drink unsweetened almond milk and it’s highly recommended during the cleanse. If you have a nut allergy, try hemp milk (consistency is similar to 2% milk).

Timing of meals…

• Breakfast was between 6:30am to 8:00am (depending on when I woke up)
• Snack 1 was between 9:30am to 10:30am (depending on when I got hungry)
• Lunch was between 12:00pm to 1:30pm (depending on my hunger)
• Snack 2 was between 3:30pm to 4:00pm (this time was pretty consistent)
• Dinner was between 6:00pm to 7:00pm

I was asleep between 10:30pm and 11:00pm.

The good news? I lost 8-lbs in 12-days…

I went from a size 16 to size 14. My aim was to fit into a size 12 again. I have quite a number of gorgeous dresses that I haven’t been able to wear in three-years because they’re all size 12s. My sister lost 12-lbs and she’s tickled pink.

And all we did was start eating clean.

Lessons learned?

1. The cleanse is only as successful as your plan. I found that having a meal plan and shopping/cooking in advance was the single reason why I stuck to the cleanse.
2. Don’t cheat. As much as you’d like to sneak in a taste of cake, don’t. I was babysitting my niece and she asked for cheesies. As I was pouring them out into a dish, I was tempted to dry just one. But I didn’t because I was afraid I’d derail my efforts.
3. Variety is great, but commitment is better. Although I ate some of the same things during the 12-day cleanse, I found it was just easier to do it that way. I tried to add variety to the eating plan, but while cooking, I found I could save time (and money) by simply repeating the same meals. I wanted to be disciplined following the cleanse.
4. Read labels. Sugar, wheat and yeast is in EVERYTHING! It’s better to prepare things from scratch rather than buy things in tins. Sugar, wheat and yeast are hidden in so many packaged goods, so beware.
5. Have a buddy. It was nice taking this journey with my sister. Plus, she loved everything I cooked. So, it was nice getting her encouragement and support.

Have you followed the Wild Rose Herbal D-tox? Post your experience, lessons learned, and questions below.

NOTE: A beautiful reader let me know that some of the links to the recipes are not working. I’ll try to find alternatives that matched the original recipes that I used. I’m set to go through the cleanse in April 2017, so I’ll need to find them fast.

If you have a link to a recipe for the ones above where the links no longer work, please add them below. Thanks so much!