3-Day Detox Plan to Help You Lose Weight - Nosh Detox

3-Day Detox Plan to Help You Lose Weight

Have you been feeling sluggish of late? Or maybe you're just looking for a way to shed a few pounds in short order. If either applies to you, then it could be time for a detox.

If you've heard about detoxes before, you might be expecting a prolonged fasting period, but that doesn't have to be the case.

It's possible to give a quick boost to your well-being and weight loss with just a 3-day detox.

How Can You Tell If You Need a Detox?

You might think that this question is self-explanatory. But while weight loss is one of the most popular reasons for doing a detox, there are plenty of other reasons you might not have considered.

For instance, common skin ailments like acne, rashes, and dryness have their root causes addressed by doing the occasional detox. Detoxing is also known to promote better mental clarity. And of course, a detox does much of its work in the digestive tract.

And that last point explains much of why detoxing is thought to be effective. We know that your digestive health has a substantial impact on your overall well-being, either for good or for ill.

We also know that modern diets leave a lot to be desired in terms of promoting good digestive health, especially concerning colon health. It's not uncommon for excess material to build up in the lower GI tract, where it can cause an abundance of health problems.

Therefore, even if you're within a healthy weight range, the odds are good that you could still stand to benefit from periodic detoxes to cleanse your body of this harmful buildup.

The 3-Day Detox Plan

Doing a detox is essentially a mild form of fasting, and as such seeks to achieve many of the same benefits. The following is a sample detox plan. Use this as a guideline to help you design a plan that fits within your personal needs.

And as always, you should always check with your regular physician before beginning any new dietary program.

The Night Before the First Day of Your Detox

Though your detox technically hasn't begun yet, you should start preparing the night before to ensure you get off on the right foot.

Take a light supper around 6 in the evening. In addition to a modest entree, include a salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Other potential offerings could include lightly cooked vegetables, a baked sweet potato, or brown rice. You can still add fresh herbs for flavor. You can take a light dessert consisting of fresh fruit around an hour after you've eaten . 

Day One of Your Detox

Your detox begins the following morning. When you first wake up, eschew your normal coffee or tea and instead substitute two glasses of room temperature (not cold) water. For your meal, take one moderate-sized smoothie made from fresh fruits and vegetables (we'll detail ideal some good choices below).

For lunch take another fresh smoothie. To tide you over in the afternoon you can have another glass of water. If you find yourself wanting something more substantial, as you probably will, flavoring your water with ginger and cinnamon can help you deal with your cravings.

For dinner, vegetables will make up the cornerstone of your meal. Whether you take them as a salad or lightly steamed, you will want at least four different varieties. Flavor with fresh herbs and a simple homemade dressing of olive oil, crushed garlic, and either lemon or lime juice.

Before retiring to bed, you can take a couple more glasses of lukewarm water to help you feel fuller.

Day Two of Your Detox

The second day of your plan should follow a similar outline as the previous day, though with a couple of additions.

Breakfast and lunch should remain the same, however, you may add one or two pieces of fresh fruit to your afternoon snack. And for supper, you should add one potion of either brown rice or quinoa to your meal. For dessert, you may have a couple more pieces of fresh fruit.

Day Three of Your Detox

On the final day of your detox, you break from the routine of the previous two days and start reacclimating to a normal diet.

For breakfast, take two or three pieces of fruit. If you're feeling exceptionally hungry, which will probably be the case by this point, you may add either another smoothie or a serving of oatmeal with coconut yogurt.

For lunch,  have either brown rice or a baked sweet potato. Also, include a homemade salad of the type we've already outlined but with a handful of nuts or seeds added on.

For dinner, have another simple salad or some steamed vegetables along with brown rice or quinoa. And at this stage, you should include a piece of grilled fish or chicken, or your plant-based protein of choice if you're vegetarian.

What Fruits and Vegetables Should I Use in My Smoothies?

For the first two days of your detox, you'll be getting the bulk of your necessary nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables. So to ensure that you aren't deficient in any key vitamins or minerals, select the most nutrient-dense options possible that you can.

Include selections like dandelion greens, leafy greens like kale and chard, broccoli, and the like. And to help make the smoothies a little easier to drink and round out the nutritional profile, mix in more flavorful choices like carrot, fresh berries, citrus fruits like grapefruits and pineapple, beet, and tomato.

Start Living a Healthier Lifestyle by Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Losing weight takes time, and keeping it off requires replacing old habits with new, healthier ones. It's a long-term commitment. So you shouldn't expect a detox to be a quick and easy fix.

What a 3-day detox can be, however, is the start of a healthier lifestyle. You'll be able to see and feel the difference in the form of a slimmer figure, healthier skin, and higher energy levels. That gratification can be the encouragement that you need to stick with your new habits.

Detoxes are effective, but what if you feel ready to try out a more intensive regimen? If you want to do a full body cleanse, check out our article explaining how to do flush out toxins and shed weight with a more intensive fast.