You’re doing this again. Why bother? You’re just going to go back to eating what you have been for the last few months when it’s done.

You aren’t having a beer with dinner? And you haven’t had coffee for a week? Everything OK? You feel like punching me yet?

It was all said to me – or some variation of it – during my week of detoxing, and while some of it might sound harsh, it was greatly appreciated. I’ve found that nothing motivates me more than having someone tell me I can’t do something.

So here I am, again on the other side of a detox week, to tell you being here is as good as I remember it. How I got here was again a different adventure than the previous two years.

My first experience detoxing went so well two years ago, I expected the same when I did it again last year. And of course, it was a thousand times worse. The first time around, I had cravings for certain foods (mostly cheese), but no major problems.

The second time was such a disaster, I caved a little at the end. I went through caffeine withdrawal that made me a miserable person to be around, or at least more so than usual. After a couple of days, the muscles in my back and legs started to feel achy and uncomfortable no matter how I stood, sat or laid down.

This time was somewhere in between. The extent of my withdrawal was a headache late in the first day and sitting on the verge of a headache the second day. The ache in my muscles came back, but not as bad as last year, and it eventually went away.

The biggest problem I’ve had lately is preparing food in advance, and for detox week, I did just that. I put together salads, and cooked up some organic chicken and lean ground turkey ahead of time so I wouldn’t be waiting to the last minute to create my meals. I think I was able to keep some amount of sanity knowing that I had food waiting for me. It certainly kept me from second-guessing the whole thing.

There was temptation, and it was self-inflicted. Saturday night, the missus and I joined some friends for dinner at the British Beer Company in Manchester. It was perhaps the only time I stepped inside one and only drank water.

On Sunday, we joined our parents for lunch at The Sausage King, and when I ordered a salad, almost everyone’s jaw hit the floor. An unusual selection for me, but I also discovered that the salads there are just as good as everything else on the menu.

In the end, the week achieved what I was hoping to get out of it. Physically, I feel better, and not just because I lost eight pounds.

But it was also a chance to reboot. Over the previous months, I had gotten away from the healthy lifestyle I had learned in the “90 Day Commit to Get Fit” program and I needed to find my way back. Detoxing was a good way to restart and get back with the program.

Hopefully, I won’t be in need of another one any time soon.

Joe Marchilena writes a weekly fitness column for Hampshire Hills. To find out more information about the “90 Day Commit to Get Fit” program, call 603-673-7123 or e-mail hhinfo@hampshirehills.com.

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