Kathy and Carl embarked on the 28-DAY CLEANSE & DETOX Program together, but for very different reasons. Carl realized he couldn’t make lasting change on his own, and Kathy was skeptical the program would help her much— but joined to be a supportive partner. Here’s how the strength of their bond carried them through the program that transformed their health in unexpected ways and allowed them to see that lasting change really is attainable.
Q: What made the two of you decide, “Okay, it’s time for a change?”
Carl: I was struggling in the last year, thinking I was doing everything I should be to lose weight, and I was not only not losing weight, I was gaining. Every week I’d get into my “system” and lose four to six pounds, then each weekend I would “celebrate” or make exceptions to my plan and gain back five to seven pounds. This was happening week after week and my weight was gradually increasing over time. I was in a place of desperation, not knowing who to turn to that could really make a difference. I just knew that doing it on my own wasn’t working. Then a close friend who did your program and loved it gave me your contact info.
Kathy: I signed up because Carl wanted to. I would not have done this without the desire to support him. It was my commitment to doing something as partners that kept me focused.
Q: Since completing the cleanse, what changes did each of you see in your health?
Kathy: In addition to losing about 10 to 12 pounds, I’ve noticed several improvements, including a drastic 90 percent improvement in my sleep. It has been years since I’ve successfully slept through the night and that happens regularly now. After a bad chiropractic adjustment years ago, I’ve had a hemifacial spasm that’s left me unable to control the left side of my face. It’s not painful, but it makes eating and speaking difficult and often embarrassing. I’ve been trying to manage it with Botox but have seen little improvement. A week into the detox, however, the spasms were barely detectable. I canceled my last Botox appointment and don’t plan to go back. My face finally doesn’t feel exhausted and I’m able to fall asleep because the spasms aren’t keeping me awake. My hair isn’t falling out as it normally does when I shower, and I’ve only used Motrin for pain once. I feel 20-plus years younger in the energy department.
Carl: I’m down more than 16 pounds and the stiffness in my joints has gone away completely. My shins get very itchy in winter and it’s only a minor issue this year. I’ve also had a white coating on my tongue which is likely candida. The detox has already helped immensely. The constant weight-cycling with healthy eating during the week and “celebrating” over the weekend has also stopped.
Q: Committing to a lifestyle overhaul is a big deal. What were your biggest concerns before starting the program?
Carl: One of my major weaknesses around food is the social aspect. If “we” are eating something then I go all in. Even though I don’t need the food, I justify not being true to my plan by saying something to myself like, “It would be rude of me to decline their hard work.” If Kathy made dinner, I was gladly eating it and I was going to enjoy myself as much as I could. That meant weight gain every weekend. I knew I couldn’t do the program if Kathy wasn’t owning it with me.
Kathy: I didn’t believe a program would make any difference for me. I went vegan for a full year a few years back and only watched myself become more crippled so I didn’t believe the program would make a difference in terms of anything other than weight loss and increased partnership. I was wrong, obviously. It was sugar that was the evil ingredient. I didn’t believe it, but I do now.
Q: Doing the program with a partner really helped both of you make progress. Why was that so important?
Kathy: I’m not a planner when it comes to food; I’ve always been someone who went to the market and bought the ingredients for supper the same day. When I met Carl and we decided to share houses my lifestyle changed dramatically because he is a huge planner. One shopping trip per week. He does a huge veggie chop every week so salads are easy to assemble. If he had not been so organized around the cleanse I would have failed. It’s not in my nature to follow rules.
Carl: In our decision to do it together, it was like embarking on a mini adventure where we never left our town but explored the world as if we were discovering a new land no one had discovered before. We could talk about the highs and lows, the experiments, failures, and successes. We have both eagerly awaited hearing success from each other as we have progressed.
Q: What motivates each of you to stick to your new lifestyle?
Carl: The best thing is sharing this with my 21-year-old daughter. I can’t force her to eat well, but her seeing my progress inspires her to do better, and she’s suffered from very bad GI issues over the years. Otherwise, I think I get the basics and feel like I could follow them for a long time.
Kathy: The improvement in my hemifacial spasm—if sugar makes it unbearable then it better be the best darn sugar in the universe otherwise, I don’t want it. I’ll never go back to alcohol. I see it as a poison now and have zero intention of drinking ever again. Ever. Even in Paris!
Q: Having successfully completed the cleanse and detox program and feeling like you can maintain this new healthy lifestyle, what would you tell others looking to do the same?
Kathy: Success comes from prep or at least planning. The ability to ask questions along the way played a big role, too, and helped me find options and the flexibility I needed. Your daily emails came early and allowed for me to set intentions for the day—you have really thought all the pieces through. I am grateful for your support.
Carl: Having learned new distinctions around food, and how our practices around food can help or hinder everything we want for our lives, we now realize we have choices around food we didn’t know we had. Like the Wizard of Oz, we had the ability all along, we just didn’t know it! Thank you for everything. I will be spreading the word to anyone who will listen!