Detox Diaries: David Kirsch 48-Hour Super Charged Cleanse

Tester: Steven, 25

In college, I thought I had always eaten healthy. Boca Burgers (meatless patties) and eggs were regulars in my apartment but also because I had limited cooking abilities. Being a normal college kid, I played basketball for two hours a day and regularly had booze-filled weekends. And besides the once-in-awhile takeout or late-night pizza, I always thought my diet was better than my peers. But now, being out of school for almost three years, plus a lack of homework in the working world, I've found myself with more time. Maybe it was the redundant taste of meatless burgers, but I have recently developed a passion for cooking. But, being a larger guy (6'3", 210 lbs), you could say I have a pretty big appetite. So the things I cook now aren't always the healthiest. (My favorite meal is a box of macaroni & cheese with a cut of salmon.)

To get back in touch with eating better, I had previously tried another cleanse that was a three-week, taste-bud numbing program. It worked great. But for the short term, I decided that this 48-hour cleanse would be something fun to try!

DAY ONE

I came in with a strategy: Avoid hunger as much as possible and resist all temptation. It's only two days, after all! Each day, you mix 4 oz. of the pre-mixed pink-lemonade formula with 4 oz. of water, four times a day. Upon the first sips, I thought, "Wow, this isn't bad!" I would compare the taste to a diet pink lemonade. It has a little bit of a strange aftertaste, but it's fine going down.

It says on the bottle to stay hydrated with water, decaf green or herbal tea in between detox doses. I soon figured out this was for a reason. Shortly after my first drink, I got a bit dehydrated. My mouth was feeling dry, almost to the tune of cottonmouth. So with a bottle of water by my side, I quenched the thirst. Seemingly seconds later, I had to urinate. This would become a pattern.

Drink #2 went down just as smoothly as the first and surprisingly, I wasn't feeling hungry. I decided to hit the gym and lift some weights. Doing an upper body routine, I didn't notice any decrease in strength or energy, but after about 40 minutes of heavy lifting, I was a little more tired than usual. Alas, it was time to head home for dose #3. Still not starving as I expected to feel, I sipped the third drink slowly (as advised, do not chug). I wasn't tired of it yet, but the cottonmouth feeling was a bit annoying.

A few hours later I was headed to Madison Square Garden to see the New York Knicks take on the Washington Wizards. Being a Knicks season ticket holder, I was interested to see how I would hold up around stadium food. I bought a water at the game to stay hydrated as the cottonmouth feeling was coming more frequently, but was still very manageable. The real challenge came when my buddy next to me purchased a burger and waffle fries. Being offered a cripsy, crunchy, salty waffle fry is a tough turn down, but a necessary one for me to reach my goal of finishing out two days.

After the Knicks triumph in a victory over the lowly Wizards, I returned back to my humble abode and enjoyed a late night dinner. Drink #4 was mixed and ready to go! I sipped it while playing a game of Madden 2011 to ease my mind and cravings. My strategic approach, in which I am hungry less, involved a lot of sleep in preparation for night one. I stayed up well past the midnight hour and finally laid my head to rest around 3 a.m. The plan was to sleep late without an alarm to get my body right and my stomach less focused on hunger.

DAY TWO

I awoke very well rested at 11:30 a.m. Looking in the mirror, I noticed a staunch difference from the day before. With that positive thought, I got my day started with thoughts of the next day and all the delicious food I would eat! Note that the program advises you to clean your pallet and rid yourself of the addicting foods and instead, indulge in a diet of greens and lean proteins like chicken and fish. Hopefully I can make it till then! I decided to watch Food Network and Travel Channel.

A few hours later I mixed up my lunch. I think more than the actual food, I missed the action of chewing, savoring, and swallowing. This cleanse definitely makes you realize your daily habits and that something as simple as walking by the grocery store makes me want to stop in and make a quick purchase. I stayed strong as I finished the wellness drink in about 15 minutes.

Over the next few hours, I yearned for something to chew on. I stirred up my afternoon snack and turned on the Travel Channel. My mouth started watering, but seeing food being made filled my cooking craving, even though it made my stomach growl. I went to the gym where I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes. My energy levels were fine.

Upon my return I tried the David Kirsch Thermo Bubbles. I had heard mixed reviews about this drink saying it made a lot of cleansers "feel weird". After drinking it, I felt fine. In fact, it really tasted like Emergen-C's "Pink" flavor. There was a brief point where I felt dizzy for a minute, but it quickly passed and I cannot directly link it to the Thermo Bubbles. The purpose of the Thermo Bubbles is to burn fat and build muscle. So overall, it was fine and I would recommend them to supplement the regular cleanse. On the downside, they're also pink-lemonade flavored so it felt redundant to my palette.

At 8:30 p.m., I had my final pink lemonade of this journey! How exciting! It's a great feeling of accomplishment that I have finished, and while my stomach is growling and I am hungry, I know that when I lay my head to rest tonight, I will be able to eat in the morning. That is what's driving me now.

RESULTS

I stepped up to the scale the next morning, and I lost 4 lbs. I'm really excited to eat, but the results were real and I'd definitely recommend the cleanse for a quick fast before you start a new diet.

The David Kirsch 48 Hour Super Charged Cleanse is $29.99 per bottle, and available at davidkirschwellness.com.