Detoxing with Food at Thailand Detox Retreat
Talk to any fitness guru and they’ll tell you that the key to losing weight and staying healthy is eating right. When I visited a Thailand detox retreat, I knew that the workouts would be grueling, but I also knew I had to seriously change my diet. The food at Lamai Fitness, in hindsight, was amazing food. But at the time, I hated it. It was fruit and vegetables, fish and soup. I felt like crying-all I wanted was pizza and ice cream.
There is a process that most people follow when they come to Lamai. First, you go through detox for about one (sometimes two) weeks. Then, you continue with healthy eating, but its not as intense or restrictive. I’ll walk you through what a week of detox looked like for me when I first arrived.
Pre-Breakfast
Shot of Apple Cider Vinegar
I have a strong gag reflux, so the thought of taking a straight shot of this stuff first thing in the morning was off-putting. So, to help with the taste, I added the shot to a bottle of water. This significantly helped, but be warned, it’s no sugary breakfast cereal.
I will say this, the apple cider is actually very invigorating, and stomach settling first thing in the morning. I could just feel myself getting healthier.
2-3 L-Carnitine Pills
These pills basically give you energy, help with workouts, and reduce appetite. Although, they shouldn’t be taken for more than a few weeks.
Banana
Although we were encouraged to wait until breakfast to eat, I’d get lightheaded and sick if I didn’t have something in my stomach before a workout. So, I would typically grab a banana in the morning after my apple cider vinegar.
It wasn’t too much (or else I definitely would have gotten sick during the workouts) but it was enough to hold me over until breakfast.
Breakfast
Wheatgrass Shot
It wasn’t fun to drink, but again, I could feel myself getting healthier. And you don’t need to drink a lot to get the benefits!
Fruit Salad
I loved having fruit salad every morning! And the best part is that they would switch up the fruit everyday. Sometimes you would have dragonfruit and papaya, other days pineapple and mango. It was so refreshing!
Lunch
Detox Shake Mixed with Coconut Water
Before lunch and dinner, while I was detoxing, I would drink this thing. It didn’t taste good. I had to hold my nose and down the thing. But, it helps while you are going through detox. You can actually buy these detox shakes, and get a little bit more information about them here: http://amritaretreat.com/edd/.
Fish and Vegetables
The salmon was my personal favorite at the cafe-I ate it every single day-on and off detoxing. But, again, eating pickled vegetables took some getting used to. After a week I could tolerate them, and after two weeks I actually enjoyed eating them.
If you have a problem eating a certain type of food, give your body some time to get used to the food. You may begin to appreciate the effect that food has on your body.
Snacks
If I got hungry in-between meals I would go down to the cafe and have a cup of tea. They had all kinds of flavors and would alternate them each day.
Dinner
I ate dinner after an intense workout session-so I would have one of these guys pre-dinner. It is an energy drink from Australia, called Dechamp, that we would all guzzle down to help replenish fluids. Think gatorade but with less sugar.
Hello detox drink!
We had to drink another one of these before dinner…I wasn’t happy…
Soup with vegetables
This was the hardest meal for me by far. I’m used to eating a big dinner after I get home from work. It was really hard for me to get used to vegetable soup every night before bed. But, I did it.
Eating After Detox
After detox my eating was very similar. I stopped the wheatgrass shot and detox drinks. And then sometimes for dinner I would eat eggs, or a salad. I went to a couple local restaurants and ate steak one night and ate octopus off a food truck the next. Detox was the hardest part, but I learned a lot from it…
What I learned from visiting a Thailand Detox Retreat
- You need less food than you think you do. I blame huge portion sizes in the US-but we simply don’t need the amount of food that we consume. The first few days at Lamai I was starving, but then, my body adjusted, and I was much more active on much less food.
- The way you eat really impacts how you feel. You really have to get over how bad healthy food tastes for about two weeks before you feel how amazing good, healthy food feels to your body. You body is a living thing and the food that you put into it should also be living and rich! Fruit and vegetables can make your body sing with energy.
- You have to find what works for you. I need snacks during the day. I learned that it is okay to snack if that’s what your body needs. After this Thailand detox retreat, I took what I learned and went home, and went on to lose an additional 15lbs in less than a month-the same that I did while I was at the resort. The secret? I stopped eating some of the foods I was eating at Lamai, and substituted some new foods into my diet. I started following my blood type diet, cut dairy, cut gluten, and cut sugar. When I first came back from Lamai I had one cheat meal a week-I’ve since increased it to about two or even three. But I maintain an 80/20 rule.
I still don’t have my diet figured out 100%. But, I’ve taken steps in the right direction and I feel so much better! I have more energy, less headaches, and am generally a nicer, less stressed out person. When you make a lifestyle change, remember that at first it’s not going to be easy, but in the end, its going to be so, so worth it.
If you want to learn more about the food that I ate, check out The Wild Tribe website.
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