Will February be fab for dieters?

Feb 7 2010 by Mieka Smiles, Sunday Sun

JANUARY has slipped away and, for many of us, so has the resolve to lose weight. But fear not . . . according to a study, February is the new month to shed those extra pounds. Here we road test three ways to get back on track and kickstart your weight loss. MIEKA SMILES reports.

International Nosh Detox Kit
International Nosh Detox Kit £67.50, available from www.noshdetoxdelivery.com

WE dieters are bombarded with countless products, plans and gimmicks – all promising to help you shed those extra pounds.

From diet clubs like Weightwatchers and Slimming World, to a dubious array of pills and diet foods, it can sometimes get a bit confusing. And for someone like me who barely has enough hours in the day to cover basic hygiene rules, finding the time to learn new diet plans and shop for endless ingredients from specialist health food shops is nigh impossible. Despite the best-laid plans I always end up falling at the first hurdle.

So after a hectic week at work, I was delighted when the International Nosh Detox Kit was delivered directly to my desk. It contained almost everything I needed for a five-day detox to kickstart my somewhat stalled weight loss. The only job for me to do was nip to the supermarket and pick up some fresh fruit for the smoothies. Fab.

Nosh – standing for Natural, Organic, Safe and Healthy – is a London-based company that delivers "detoxification-weight- loss programmes" and supplements to people’s homes and offices around London. But now those living outside of the Big Smoke can benefit with the help of this nifty kit.

It contains eight different smoothie recipes, four reusable bottles for each day of your detox and four tubes of "superfood" activators to add to the smoothies. There are also a variety of Dead Sea bath salts, a natural bristle brush, herbal teas, castor oil and Nux Vom – all said to help with the elimination of toxins.

On top of all that is an easy-to-follow instructional booklet, including an idiot- proof hour-by-hour schedule of how to follow the detox plan. Easy, right? Well for any normal person. But as I have the will- power of a gnat, not so much.

So now’s the time to own up. Shamefully, I managed precisely one morning of the plan before my husband wooed me away with suggestions of Sunday dinner. I did manage to taste one of the smoothies – delicious by the way – as well as a herbal tea which was also completely palatable.

And although I didn’t stick to the plan long enough to benefit internally, I did make use of the body brush and, once I got the knack of it, noticed a marked difference in my skin tone and texture.

I think anyone confused by the abundance of detox kits out there couldn’t go far wrong in ordering one of these babies. As for me? I’m determined to set the box aside and have another crack at it in the not-too-distant future. And next time I promise to do it properly.

Mieka Smiles