HOW I BECAME OBSESSED BY A DIRTY MALTESER AND LOST 7LBS

July 5, 2010November 9, 2010 PASSION for the PLANET beauty, detox, diet, healthy

I can’t take my eyes off the Malteser lying on the floor of the train carriage. All my brain can think is how much I’d like to eat it.I am on week two of The BeautifulBreak Detox. I haven’t had any chocolate for 10 days and I am becoming obsessed.

Fortunately I have a little bag of delicious healthy treats to prevent me from doing something daft – like eating that damn Malteser.

The BeautifulBreak Detox is designed to help cleanse the body, flush out toxins, reduce stress on the digestive system and re-alkalise the body. Most of us have sluggish digestive systems, our bodies are acidic (which can lead to a range of health issues), we’re dependent on caffeine or nicotine and crave sugary or salty foods.

None of these are great for feeling your best.

The trouble is, detoxing always sounds so difficult – and a bit painful. But as detoxes go this is really very easy. They provide all the food for you – the meals, the snacks, drinks and even daily treats known as “detox temptations”. These are a selection of fruity flapjacks or little fruit cake balls – delicious.

In addition you do a lot of sweating.

Five times a week I head to BodyWorksWest for my wrap. Naked, apart from a pair of those “oh so flattering” disposable pants, I lie down on a damp sheet and the practitioner, Ilona Wesle, surrounds me with temperature controlled hot water bottles and then wraps me up in layers of blankets and towels until I look like some sort of fat Egyptian mummy, with just my face poking out at the top. And there I stay for about an hour – sweating in places I didn’t even know I could sweat. I sweat so much I begin to wonder if one day she will unwrap me and I will have completely melted!

The wraps are designed to increase peripheral circulation and stimulate the metabolism to eliminate waste products and toxins. According to Ilona, this is not just good for your health, it can also help to reduce cellulite. A definite bonus.

During the first few days I found the food very bland and longed for some flavour, but within less than a week my taste buds had adjusted and each meal was tasty and bursting with flavour. It just goes to show how so much salt in the diet and in the body can affect how we taste and experience our food.

After three weeks, my skin is softer and smoother, my stomach is flatter, I’ve lost nearly 7lbs and my thighs are cellulite free.

It’s one of the easiest detox plans I’ve tried – the wraps may be time consuming but they are also an excellent excuse to relax and meditate, sleep or enjoy an audio book. The food is tasty and well thought through with plenty of variety (the Thai green curry was my favourite), and the detox temptations are delicious. They are so good I’d happily eat them even when I am not on health kick.

And, despite my obsession you’ll be pleased to know I didn’t succumb to any dirty Maltesers!

You can hear more from Ilona Wesle from Beautiful Break Detox on PASSION for the PLANET.

About the Author: Chantal Cooke is a professional journalist, writer and author, co-founder of PASSION for the PLANET and a London Leader in Sustainability.