After packing on 11 pounds from October thru December during the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas holiday gluttony, I was stoked to finally check out Dr. Roni DeLuz and James Hester‘s “1 Pound a Day: The Martha’s Vineyard Detox Diet.”   I was offered the book to review summer but honestly, kept putting off starting the detox because I knew it would require me to strictly eliminate many items from my regular diet and I knew that would be hard to do during the holidays.

The book is a follow up to the duo’s New York Times bestselling “21 Pounds in 21 Days.” which took anxious dieters by storm and got a lot of people excited because of the promise for rapid weight loss the healthy way. In sum, the diet is really a detox from toxins in the body and from pollution we are exposed to daily.  You essentially become an overnight vegan. It requires users to only drink juiced fruits and vegetables, pureed soups and broths with water for 21 days, then add back solids and other eliminated foods back in slowly for the following 9 days. You’re supposed to eliminate caffeine, alcohol, all solids, dairy and other vices from the diet as the body works to expel toxins from the body.  The book contains ample soup recipes, testimonials of success cases and other advice and pointers on food, how different types of food affect the body and various herbs, and other natural elements and food that are good for the body.

It’s a strict regimen and not easy to do.  You definitely need some will power or a sincere interest to complete it before even trying it. If anyone is thinking of doing it, he or she should read the book cover-to-cover first and get indoctrinated in all the benefits of detoxing.  Also, those who are carrying extra weight that they want to get rid of and are serious should also read it thoroughly because it provides the other reasons to detox beyond just weight loss. Knowing the greater good may help a person stay on it.

On the first two days, I had a caffeine headache because I did not wean myself off of my cup of coffee a day addiction. I just went cold-turkey which I do NOT recommend. It’s probably best to come down by doing half-caffe for a few days, then gradually eliminate it.  After those initial days, things got better.  Surprisingly, I did not experience hunger pangs on  the diet.but that is because I planned. I purchased sufficient broths, and made adequate amount of soups in advance so I could just have some whenever I wanted to satiate hunger. Also, I did not let myself get too hungry before getting more soup or juiced juice. 

I took a multi-vitamin to keep me energized throughout the day, and took enzymes in pills, green juice, probiotic capsules to replace good bacteria lost during detox, and a sugar-control herbal supplement.

The effect is a flatter tummy within the first 2 weeks on the system, and better bodily fluid movement and riddance of any and all bloating and gas.  For extra credit, you can take a homemade detox bath, or body wrap or make an appointment to see a hydrocolontherapist. There are recipes and instructions on how to do these or where to find a colonic specialist.

In a nutshell, the book is really just the 21 in 21 book but with an added 9 days that teaches you how to come off the detox better so you do not relapse too quickly into bad eating habits and pack the pounds back on. I lost about 20 pounds on it and since wrapping it up last week and have NOT felt the need to go back to coffee, sugar and all my other bad eating habits.  To keep off the weight lost and continue on the downward trek in inches and weight loss, I am also adding back my regular exercise in my routine. I started ballet and running again.  I plan to incorporate some of the eating advice from the book along with advice I got from another eating session I took last year around this time to maintain.  I am also getting an exercise jump start with a celebrity trainer this week as well.

While this diet/detox isn’t an option for the faint of heart or for those with little to no will power, it does work. But like most weight-loss efforts that include eliminating certain types of foods from your diet altogether, there is a high risk of getting back all the pounds lost if users don’t alter their eating and exercise habits after wards. I learned Radio veteran Robin Quivers of The Howard Stern show did it and got super skinny but has since packed back on more weight than before. 

Overall, it’s still a good way to kick start a lifestyle change, to quickly unload some excess weight gained (like from overindulgence from the Holidays) or to prepare for an event like a wedding, reunion, red carpet event or the like. 

Get the book from my Affiliate partner at Amazon.com for $19.07 hardback or $13.25 softback. 

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book complimentary to test out the rules within the book and provide my honest feedback.