How I detoxed using a 9-day cleanse

(Copyright 2012 Rohit Seth)

Contrary to what my family and friends might think, I did not do this cleanse because I'm getting married in August. My fiancé and I decided to take "eating" matters into our own hands because we'd been bad—very, very bad. Think: Thai takeout, sushi feasts, and lots of mixed cocktails laced with sugary syrups.

Hey, when you're planning a wedding, it's stressful, and you can't help but eat and drink your feelings.

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We decided to try the Isagenix 9-Day Deep Cleansing System. We didn't do much research on cleanses; we just picked the least expensive one we could find. Plus, the reviews were pretty good, and this one actually involves eating (albeit a little), and chocolate snacks and shakes.

How it works
This 9-day cleanse really lasts for 11 days. The first two days are "shake" days, which is a combination of drinking a shake for breakfast, eating a light, low-glycemic lunch, and drinking a shake for dinner. And in between you can eat Isagenix Snacks, which remind me of my dog's vitamins, but actually have proven to be quite tasty. (But who knows, maybe I only liked the taste because I had forgotten what good food tastes like), drink lots of water, and take capsules that are meant to speed up your metabolism and give you energy.

Then, the next two days are "cleanse" days where you virtually eat nothing at all. You drink a lot of water, the Cleanse for Life serum (it's like a shot) multiple times a day, and in between, you can eat those tasty Isagenix Snacks to curb your appetite.

After that, there's four more consecutive shake days, and then two more cleanse days.

The hope is that you'll get rid of the toxins in your body, and in the process, lose a little bit of weight (an average of 7 pounds, they say) and inches from your waist where you're likely storing elements that shouldn't be in your body at all.

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Here are my diary entries for days 1 through 5 (read about days 6 though 11 in my next post!)

Day 1 (Shake Day)
This is not your ordinary milkshake. It tastes a little chalky, not as sweet, and definitely not a treat. The snacks, which we ordered in both chocolate and vanilla, aren't bad. They're like dense wafers or a harder version of those freeze-dried ice creams. For lunch, I had a grilled piece of tilapia and a small serving of roasted eggplant. All in all, the day wasn't so bad, and I feel a lot lighter on my feet.

Day 2 (Shake Day)
I've never craved a scrambled egg this much before in my life. This shake is not doing the trick. I feel a little lightheaded and weak. Somebody give me protein, please! And these snacks, they might as well be potato chips. When you eat one, you want to have another, and another, and another. The snag? You can only eat 2 in between meals (and they're the size of quarters!). When lunch came around, it was like heaven. Putting that first piece of grilled chicken in my mouth was like an explosion of taste like I've never had, and that was when I realized what a luxury consuming actual food was. But yeah, I've lost 3 pounds.

Day 3 (Cleanse Day)
Going into this day, we knew it was going to be rough. It's detox, after all. Looking at the schedule of what we're supposed to ingest was scary enough. Instead of drinking shakes and eating low-glycemic lunches, you have just little shots of what's called Cleanse for Life and the delicious yet tiny snacks to keep you going throughout the day. By 2 p.m., I had a mini freak-out about how hungry I was.

Day 4 (Cleanse Day)
Still freaking out… My mental turmoil led me to a Facebook group of other Isagenix cleansers for support — some of whom started their cleanses on the same day as my fiancé and I, while most were people who go on cleanses repeatedly. (Wait, people do this more than once?) Apparently, some even do it for 30 days at a time. I don't think I'm quite that dedicated to my body or nutritional well-being. I'm happy to report I've lost 5 pounds so far (my fiance lost 12!).

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Day 5 (Shake Day)
This shake is the best thing I ever tasted. The one low-glycemic meal that I ate for lunch (grilled chicken and eggplant) was glorious; it was like I was consuming food for the first time. If nothing else, this cleanse has reawakened my sense of taste and has given me an intense appreciation for food.

We have six more days to go—four more shake days and two more cleanse days.

This article originally appeared on Health.com.