Lose Weight, Feel Better – 3 Week Diet Reboot Plan

Spring and summer are around the corner, and many of us are planning beach vacations, even if limited to backyard pools, as the world health situation is still somewhat unclear. The train of thought then leads to a beach-body-ready shape, meaning we need a boost to lose weight, firm up, get more energy and feel better within and about ourselves. Motivation is very important when trying to achieve all these goals, and what’s better to motivate than seeing quick results, to keep you going to get in a better shape?! While quick results are often gimmicky, meaning they are not easy to maintain, the right approach and tools to delivering them will ensure they stick and bring on more.

Most of us know what’s sabotaging our weight loss efforts – certain foods we eat, like processed sugary junk foods, fast-foods, soda and candy and how much of them of course (I don’t actually suggest to ban them forever, if you can engage in their consumption in moderation) … and those foods we don’t eat. That’s right, by foregoing some healthy foods we may be losing on an opportunity to slim down. If you are ready to get in your best shape, inside and out, start by cleaning out your diet and detoxing your body, to give you a boost to better health and looks. Ditching processed sugar first, as many admit to having a difficult relationship with it, will be the step number one to better eating habits. Setting boundaries with foods are as important as setting them with people, ensuring toxic relationships are out and your personal space and interests are respected. Sometimes it takes complete abstinence from certain foods, like sugar, to reduce or eliminate perceived dependence on it. A detox is meant to be short, as it often keeps people on a restrictive regimen, aiming at producing fast results. Resulting weight loss is often based on mostly water loss, with some fat and muscle mass loss. If you habitually consume foods high in sodium, sugar and fat, you may be constantly experiencing water retention, and the weight loss from a detox may be significant due to a flushing effect – losing lots of water weight.  Detox with a restricted calorie intake may also give your liver and kidneys a break from processing high amounts of sugar, sodium, and fat in your diet (1, 2). However, if you have an underlying health condition, chronic disease or an eating disorder (even one that had resolved), restrictive detox may not be for you at all, so first consult your doctor and do not do it alone, if at all.

 How to do a 3-week diet reboot?

• Prepare to eat only whole, unprocessed plant-based foods for 3 weeks – buy plenty of green leafy vegetables, cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale), all other non-starchy veggies (zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, tomatoes (actually fruit), eggplants, radishes, cucumber, bell peppers, cabbage, mushrooms) – you’ll be eating lots of those; starchy veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes and butternut squash (1 cup a day); berries and fruits (limit bananas, pineapple, mango and watermelon to ½ cup a day); legumes – 1 ½ cup a day; whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, barley, oats, faro) – 1 cup a day; nuts and seeds – raw and unsalted, one ounce (1 oz) a day;
• Put away vegetable oils, including olive oil, these are still processed foods. Use lemon juice, balsamic and apple cider vinegar for dressings
• Stock up on filtered water and herbal teas;
• Start every meal with a bowl of salad (yes, even breakfast – make it a fruit salad, if you can’t stomach eating greens first thing in the morning) or vegetable soup to fill up on healthy plants;
• Get ready to meal prep – cooking beans, grains and veggies in batches will help with time management when assembling your meals. Make a pot of vegetable soup to last you a few days;
• Start every morning with 2 glasses of fresh, filtered water, and drink plenty of it (up to 3-4 liters) throughout the day. Add cut up fruits and herbs like lemon, lime, oranges, watermelon, mint and basil to a pitcher with water to give it a refreshing and appealing taste and smell. Don’t drink more than 2 glasses of water within a 2-hour window, your system can’t process more than that, straining your kidneys;
• Wait until you are hungry to eat, don’t eat just because it’s breakfast or lunch time – trust your body on this one;
• Lock up all processed sugary foods for 3 weeks  – stash them all as high as your highest shelf goes, so they are not easily accessible in case you feel that you may not resist them when faced with them. If you crave sweets – eat dates and use honey or maple syrup to sweeten your treats.

In this 3-week diet reboot you will be eating as much food as you want to feel satiated, not stuffed, from the food list above – only unprocessed, whole plant-based foods. You will eat when you are hungry, no diet or detox is sustainable if you are constantly hungry, thinking about food all the time and feeling weak.

3-Week Diet Reboot Meal Plan Sample:

Breakfast: 2 cups of water, smoothie bowl made with mixed fruit, cup of fresh spinach (you may use frozen, reduce the amounts in half), topped with 1 Tbsp of pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, 1 Tbsp of old-fashioned oats.

Lunch: bowl of mixed greens salad dressed with lemon juice, brown rice and black beans, steamed or roasted broccoli dressed with lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper; ½ orange for dessert.

Dinner: bowl of vegetable soup, green salad bowl with mixed in cooked beans or lentils and roasted sweet potatoes. Frozen cherries and ½ banana for dessert.

Snacks: carrots and cucumbers dipped in home-made hummus; fresh or frozen berries; cut up melon or honeydew, steamed edamame beans.

As you can see, there are no processed foods in the meal plan above – only whole plant-based ingredients. It may require you more work than usual, but keep in mind, this is only for 3 weeks, so it is totally feasible, provided you plan ahead and purchase everything you need to go through with it.

What to expect during and after a 3-week sugar detox.

Changes take time for adaptations to take place. You may feel discomfort from not eating your regular foods – sugar cravings, restlessness, even anxiety sometimes – just keep in mind it all passes. On the first day you may be fine, filled with motivational drive and accompanying hormones, keeping cravings and irritability at bay. Day 2 and 3 may be a bit more difficult. Some people may experience headaches and fatigue. If your body is used to deriving quick energy from simple sugars in your diet, it will take it a few days to switch to using complex carbs from whole foods you are eating, and stored fat from your body for energy, leaving you tired and irritable in the meantime. Just think that you are doing your body good by having it learn how to live on a healthier fare, using up excess fat, improving metabolism, absorbing vital nutrients and minerals, cleaning out blood vessels from cholesterol, feeding fiber to health-ensuring gut microbiome, achieving mental clarity and improved cognition (3). You will most likely see a few pounds off at the end of the detox, but as I mentioned before – some of it will be water, which is a good thing as well if there was too much of it to begin with. You may get a feeling of being lighter, your digestion will improve, you may notice clearer skin and more energy on the days that follow.

Pros of a 3-Week Diet Reboot:

• Weight loss
• Forming new healthy habits
• Ditching cravings and finding new tastes
• Reduced bloating
• Improved digestion
• Increased energy

Cons and Precautions of a 3-Week Diet Reboot:

• Mood swings, irritability, anxiety
• Preoccupation with food
• Headache and fatigue
• Lifestyle changes

While a 3-week detox may bring on some changes that you can see and feel, the long-term changes to your diet and lifestyle are required to experience long-term improvements. It is unrealistic to stay on a detox plan for prolonged periods of time – it is rigidly restrictive and does not consider life as we have it, with holidays and birthday parties, emotional highs and lows, illnesses and so on. However, a modified eating plan with lots of healthy whole plant-based foods will definitely help in losing the weight and keeping it off, along with achieving better health. The detox may help you with developing life-long healthy habits like drinking more water, eating more fresh fruits and veggies, starting every meal with a salad, and waiting till you are hungry to eat. Ditching processed foods sounds like a sound plan, but eliminating them completely out of your diet may make you feel deprived, which is proven to bring on binge-like gorging on them at some point. Focusing on adding lots of healthy options, rather than elimination sugary foods, may help with feeling less deprived. After adding more fresh plant-based foods you’re your diet, you will eventually build a habit of having them daily, at most meals, and develop the taste for them. Foods rich in fiber, such as legumes, whole grains, veggies and fruits help you feel fuller longer by not only filling you with volume, but also turning on an appetite suppressing mechanism, that only fibrous foods can do (4).

Stay nourished, my friends!