I started my detox journey on 1st February 2018 with a plan to stay at The LifeCo Bodrum for one full month to try a variety of the detox programs offered to see how my body responded to each type of diet- all of which are juice based and vegan raw food. For me this was the first time I fully immersed myself into a detox plan and took myself away from the hustle and bustle of city life in London.
I felt I needed to throw myself into detox program a million miles away from the toxic city life I had become accustomed to in order to get the full effects of a detox both mentally and physically. The last 5 years my body had been through quite a lot of stress and trauma which effected my weight, so it was always up and down and never stable, one of my goals was to get my weight to a healthy place and sustain it but more importantly I wanted to nourish my body with goodness and get rid of all the harmful toxins I had accumulated over the years due to medication etc. During a talk with The LifeCo founder Ersin Pamuksüzer something that stuck in my head when we were discussing weight loss benefits of detox was when he said ‘don’t get so fixated on weight-loss, weight will come and go all your life but your mind will always be there so you need to take in greater care of it’ – this was so perfectly said and something I will never forget.
I started my detox with Green Salad detox which consisted of 3 green alkalize juices plus one with fruit first thing in the morning that gives you a bit of a kick, for lunch and dinner you have a delicious green salad with a great dressing (with no oil) usually with some added nuts and seeds.
I then moved on to the Master detox which is the most popular detox at the LifeCo for people that want a deep body cleanse – it consists of 5 shakes which include fruit/vegetable juice, alkaline water, bentonite clay and psyllium husk. Throughout the day you are also given wheatgrass, lemon and Himalayan water shots to keep your energy levels up. I know for people that have not juice fasted before it sounds tough, but the juices are so nutritious and filling you really don’t get hungry, plus the psyllium husk is full of fibre and makes you feel full. An important part of the master detox is that you must have daily colemas because of the bentonite clay – it’s a self-administered colonic machine called ‘The Angel of Water’ which cleans your colon and gets rid of all the harmful toxic built-up over the years.
Next, I decided to try the ketogenic diet which I had read a lot about – it’s supposed to be great for burning fat and weight-loss. You measure your ketone and glucose levels every morning with a blood prick test to find out if your body is in ketosis – which basically means it’s burning your fat stores for energy. I have to say it’s quite an intense diet consisting of only healthy fats such as nuts, avocados, selective low carb vegetables.
I ended my amazing detox journey at The LifeCo with the anti-aging program which works wonders for your skin – it’s basically intermittent fasting so you eat in a six-hour window from 12pm – 6pm. It was nice to end my time here sampling all the amazing raw vegan dishes from the Saf kitchen – it also got my body used to digesting food again, I felt wonderful, my skin was glowing, and I learnt a lot about raw food cooking.
So other than the nutritious foods and juices you have a full program of exercise and different therapies as well as educational talks and workshops which all add to your overall detox experience. I started my day with the group walk at 8.15 every morning, which is a great start to the day especially if the sun is shining. Then yoga starts at 9.30, I have always found yoga quite intense and was more of a gym girl, but I absolutely loved the Vinyasa flow yoga at the LifeCo, it was light and not difficult at all with good stretch poses and a nice meditation at the end. One thing for sure is that you will never get bored as there is so much to do here – the infra sauna, steam, oxygen air therapy which I was doing every day. To build my immune system and give me a good vitamin boost I had a few anti-fatigue protocols which were given by intravenous. I also tried some great body sculpting therapies such as Venus, I’m usually quite dubious about these kinds of body sculpting therapies that claim to tighten your body and reduce cellulite, but I was pleasantly surprised, and I could definitely see a difference in the firmness of my skin and the dreaded cellulite on my thighs was much less visible.
I cannot begin to describe what a truly wonderful this experience this has been, and I feel so fortunate that I was able to take a month out of my life to do this as I have not only experienced physical results, but my mind is so much sharper, my thoughts are so much more positive and my energy is at a much higher vibration. I don’t have to set my alarm and snooze for an hour before I force myself out of bed in the morning as my body just naturally wakes up before the sun comes up – I feel full of energy and positive about the day ahead of me. I realised how important environment is during a detox. Here at The LifeCo Bodrum I have been surrounded by beautiful luscious green trees and mountains and have been taking daily walks to the beautiful sandy beach each morning.
So as my journey here at The LifeCo comes to an end and I’m set to fly back to London tomorrow I am not only leaving 10 kilos lighter with my skin looking radiant and shining without the help of my favourite make-up…. but with a better and much clearer out-look on life, with a deep sense of calm. For me my detox journey was not just about weight-loss, that was an added benefit – I really feel I have nourished my body and given it the care and attention it needed as well as well as detox my mind from the worries and stresses that I battled daily. I have also met some amazing people who I now consider as friends which is invaluable. I will never forget this experience and I now realise how important it is to take time out from your daily life by doing something for you and more importantly for your health – this is the best gift you can give to yourself.
Alana Panton
