I’ve been on a gluten free diet for some time now, as well as cutting out a bunch of other foods (if you didn’t know already).

A little while ago I mentioned that I was starting up a 30 day health kick on my social media channels and immediately friends chimed in saying that the liver does a natural cleanse of our bodies and that detoxes are not necessary. No need to argue those points because there are differing opinions on the topic! Who knew that cleanses and detox diets would stir up such a debate?

Having cut out so many foods from my diet and not having lost a pound, I felt I needed a boost to my sluggish metabolism. Yes I exercise – maybe not extensively as my current schedule doesn’t permit 5 days at the gym at the moment – but it hasn’t been enough to kick-start my metabolism.

I was thinking that something was missing from my already restrictive diet. So I started a 30 day health kick by drinking vegan protein shakes. The protein shake has 22 grams of pea protein and hemp protein and keeps you feeling full all morning. You can either have another shake for lunch or for dinner.

Once a week, you have a cleanse day – it’s like intermittent fasting – where you consume a cleanse juice filled with nutrients and minerals as well as snacks every hour or two. Some more info on intermittent fasting here (which I find interesting).

So two weeks in and what are my results at the half-way point?

The first week of my 30 day health kick, I didn’t see any weight loss surprisingly! It was actually a good sign for me since most times, you end up losing water in the first week anyway – which you immediately gain back after re-introducing foods to your diet.

I’ll be honest, I found the first few days a little challenging. I upped my intake of water but I must admit, I was really missing my coffee. However by week two, it did get easier AND I started noticing a difference in the way I felt in terms of energy level, and how my clothes were feeling…

Since I’ve been my drinking protein shakes, I’m happy to say that I have more energy and I’ve finally crossed that plateau!  I’ve managed to lose 5 lbs so far and 4 inches in two weeks!  This metabolism boost has really helped me get closer to reaching my goal.

I’d say that’s pretty good results for only having one shake a day for breakfast (instead of the recommended two per day on this particular program) on my 30 day health kick!

Two more weeks to go. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more, see here.