Over 10 years ago, I experienced the biggest heartbreak of my life.  It came with such intense pain that it forced me to move countries .  Anyway, I survived.  Obviously.  But in order to pick up those shattered, emotionally torn pieces, I threw myself into a stringent health regime.

I diligently packed my gym bag every morning and I was there 2 – 3 times a day, for at least 4 days a week.  I was insatiable.

Taking it up an extra notch, I also focussed on my eating habits and began a 3 day detox.

After spending the weekend partying hard in a city as vibrant as Tokyo (think of a karaoke singing, sake drinking Carrie Bradshaw…but with black hair…), every Monday to Wednesday was my break from the boozing, smoking and bad food.

There was to be strictly no caffeine, no nicotine, no sugar, no carbs and no meat.  The menu plan was straight forward.

Breakfast:  A cup of warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice and a bowl of fruit.

Lunch:  Fresh salad with whatever vegetables I wanted and dressing was olive oil with garlic and lemon juice.

Dinner:  Steamed vegetables.  On the 3rd and final day, I could have some fish.

Tough ? Maybe.  (Did I mention he left me for his ex ?)

But this was my endeavour  to change all of that relentless emotional pain into something that was at least controllable and productive.  To gain some self-esteem.  To stop thinking about why the douche-bag dumped me.

Needless to say, the results were unequivocal.

It was my most healthiest, fittest, energised time.  Ever.

Just another one of those instances where hardship turns itself into a personal triumph.

Anywho.

Fast forward to today and of course I’m completely over the break-up.  Life is awesome.

But lately (especially the past month, what with blogging conferences, a 4 day long weekend lounging around at home and nasty viruses), I have resorted to eating rubbish food. And of course these things just happen sub-consciously, but the damage was done.  My palate is now so immune to tasting artificially sweetened or extra salted processed crap, that even all those flavours have lost their effect.

And let’s face it, my 40 year old metabolic rate is dwindling down to a snail’s pace.  So, the kilos just keep piling on like a stack of lego blocks.

It’s time to try and recover – even an inkling of – what my body felt like a decade ago.

With some thought and preparation, stocking up on lots of green vegetables and other fresh foods, today seemed to be as good of a time to start making some changes.

If there’s anything that I learned from my Nutrition course last year, it is to experiment and try different types of food and meal schedules (I refuse to use the term “diet”).  Just keep it simple, sensible and with variety.

So, if some idiot guy can be the catalyst in achieving a resilient, strong, kick-arse body, then surely all the existing surrounding moral support today can help me reach even higher heights ?

I’ll be sure to report back at the end of the week.  Hopefully my hunger pangs and junk food cravings won’t get the better of me.  I promise I won’t poke anyone in the eye.

Have you ever done a detox ?  What were your experiences ?