So here I am at the start of the 2 week programme – feeling very excited and full of trepidation. I've delayed the start of my detox as had a busy day yesterday full of meetings which I thought wouldn't probably be the best time to embark on a new regime!
Began my 2 week detox with the delicious buckwheat pancakes I made yesterday (a bit more ‘rustic’ tasting than the usual Pancake Day fare - reminds me of French galettes – ahh now there’s an idea for some detox friendly ‘wraps’) with berries and my mix of seeds (pumpkin, flaxseed, sesame and sunflower) for breakfast. A great way to boost those antioxidants, omega-3s and important vitamins and minerals.
The supplements however were a different matter! Very confusing indeed about which ones to take when and how many – how on earth am I going to remember? I solved this by writing on the lid of each supplement how many to take and when. Another idea would be to use a pill organiser box such as this one from amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medisure-Large-Weekly-Organiser-Compartments/dp/B001LXUK1Y/ref=pd_cp_d_3
Fortunately, Tuesdays are one of my ‘working from home’ days, so I was able to enjoy preparing and eating my lunch (the beetroot and Butternut squash soup, with carrot sticks and homemade houmous) at leisure. The evening meal (Lemon garlic cod, with green rice – both from the recipe list, and loads of veggies) took a bit longer along with a good measure of stress – getting to grips with unfamiliar recipes is easier said than done. But it all tasted surprisingly delicious – definitely recommend the green rice, will be having some of that tomorrow for lunch. What with a bit of snacking on some nuts and seeds when the urge for a piece of toast kicked in, and loads of herbal teas instead of my usual coffees and black tea, my first day went surprisingly well, roll on the next 13.
Let the form filling commence
I also weighed and measured myself today and filled out the questionnaires which came with the pack. There are 3:
1. Data collection sheet – this double sided form is where you record your weight, height, waist and hip measurements and calculate your BMI (body mass index) and waist / hip ratio, one side is to be filled in prior to starting the programme and the other side after you have finished it on day 14.
The body mass index is calculated by dividing your weight (in kg) by your height x 2 (in metres), if you’re no good at maths or can’t find a calculator don’t worry there are hundreds of websites that can do it for you (plus tell you a bit more about the index) – all you need to do is plug in your vital statistics. http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx is a good one. Whilst the Waist / Hip ratio is your waist (in cm) divided by your hip (in cm). Both these calculations are basically used to predict how ‘healthy’ you are (weight wise and waist wise) or if you are at increased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
2. Medical Symptoms Questionnaire – there are 2 of these forms, one to fill out prior to starting the programme and the other one after you have finished it on day 14. It is pretty self-explanatory but does take forever to fill in. I chose the time scale for rating symptoms of 30 days, as thought this would give a better overall picture of my health. Don’t forget to fill in the other side and tot-up the totals to give your total medical symptoms score. This will give an idea of the amount of toxic stress you are under.
3. Toxin exposure Questionnaire – Another long form… thank goodness there is only one of these! This one is to assess the amount of environmental toxins you may be exposed to – frightening stuff!
So how did I get on? Well can’t believe I’m about to broadcast my vital statistics across the world wide web, but in the interest of scientific research and any potential clients, here goes:
As for the medical symptom questionnaire: Headaches, faintness, dizziness – yes occasionally. Bags under the eyes – oh yes. Stuffy nose, sinus problems, hay fever, sneezing – yes, big problem. Hives, rashes, dry skin, flushing – most certainly. Bloatedness, heartburn, wind – how delightful. Pain/aches / stiffness in joints and muscles – sometimes. Fatigue – most definitely… You get the picture. My total score was 49. Apparently the higher the score, the higher the likelihood of an increased toxic load, with scores of 50 and above indicating the need for some gentle detox. So at 49 I’m on the cusp, will be interesting to see what my score is at the end of the 2 weeks.
So all-in-all, if this had been my school report it would say something along the lines of ‘Could do better - definitely room for improvement…’
Began my 2 week detox with the delicious buckwheat pancakes I made yesterday (a bit more ‘rustic’ tasting than the usual Pancake Day fare - reminds me of French galettes – ahh now there’s an idea for some detox friendly ‘wraps’) with berries and my mix of seeds (pumpkin, flaxseed, sesame and sunflower) for breakfast. A great way to boost those antioxidants, omega-3s and important vitamins and minerals.
The supplements however were a different matter! Very confusing indeed about which ones to take when and how many – how on earth am I going to remember? I solved this by writing on the lid of each supplement how many to take and when. Another idea would be to use a pill organiser box such as this one from amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medisure-Large-Weekly-Organiser-Compartments/dp/B001LXUK1Y/ref=pd_cp_d_3
Fortunately, Tuesdays are one of my ‘working from home’ days, so I was able to enjoy preparing and eating my lunch (the beetroot and Butternut squash soup, with carrot sticks and homemade houmous) at leisure. The evening meal (Lemon garlic cod, with green rice – both from the recipe list, and loads of veggies) took a bit longer along with a good measure of stress – getting to grips with unfamiliar recipes is easier said than done. But it all tasted surprisingly delicious – definitely recommend the green rice, will be having some of that tomorrow for lunch. What with a bit of snacking on some nuts and seeds when the urge for a piece of toast kicked in, and loads of herbal teas instead of my usual coffees and black tea, my first day went surprisingly well, roll on the next 13.
Let the form filling commence
I also weighed and measured myself today and filled out the questionnaires which came with the pack. There are 3:
1. Data collection sheet – this double sided form is where you record your weight, height, waist and hip measurements and calculate your BMI (body mass index) and waist / hip ratio, one side is to be filled in prior to starting the programme and the other side after you have finished it on day 14.
The body mass index is calculated by dividing your weight (in kg) by your height x 2 (in metres), if you’re no good at maths or can’t find a calculator don’t worry there are hundreds of websites that can do it for you (plus tell you a bit more about the index) – all you need to do is plug in your vital statistics. http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx is a good one. Whilst the Waist / Hip ratio is your waist (in cm) divided by your hip (in cm). Both these calculations are basically used to predict how ‘healthy’ you are (weight wise and waist wise) or if you are at increased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
2. Medical Symptoms Questionnaire – there are 2 of these forms, one to fill out prior to starting the programme and the other one after you have finished it on day 14. It is pretty self-explanatory but does take forever to fill in. I chose the time scale for rating symptoms of 30 days, as thought this would give a better overall picture of my health. Don’t forget to fill in the other side and tot-up the totals to give your total medical symptoms score. This will give an idea of the amount of toxic stress you are under.
3. Toxin exposure Questionnaire – Another long form… thank goodness there is only one of these! This one is to assess the amount of environmental toxins you may be exposed to – frightening stuff!
So how did I get on? Well can’t believe I’m about to broadcast my vital statistics across the world wide web, but in the interest of scientific research and any potential clients, here goes:
- Weight = 63.1kg (gulp… so that’s where all those delicious French cheeses and gateaux went)
- Height = 162cm
- BMI = 24 (OMG – another point and I would be classified as overweight… Not exactly the best advertisement for nutritional therapy!)
- Waist = 81cm - eeekk! That’s not good at all - puts me in the ‘high risk’ category according to the NHS website (www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/Appleorpear.aspx ), although am feeling particularly bloated this morning after enjoying my last meal of freedom last night – a large pizza express La Reine pizza! So hoping that it is more bloating than actual fat.
- Hip = 97cm
- Waist / hip ratio = 0.84 (now that really is a shocker - 0.85 and over puts you in the ‘apple’ category eg high risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes….)
As for the medical symptom questionnaire: Headaches, faintness, dizziness – yes occasionally. Bags under the eyes – oh yes. Stuffy nose, sinus problems, hay fever, sneezing – yes, big problem. Hives, rashes, dry skin, flushing – most certainly. Bloatedness, heartburn, wind – how delightful. Pain/aches / stiffness in joints and muscles – sometimes. Fatigue – most definitely… You get the picture. My total score was 49. Apparently the higher the score, the higher the likelihood of an increased toxic load, with scores of 50 and above indicating the need for some gentle detox. So at 49 I’m on the cusp, will be interesting to see what my score is at the end of the 2 weeks.
So all-in-all, if this had been my school report it would say something along the lines of ‘Could do better - definitely room for improvement…’
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