It was right before the holidays when the relentless planner, worrier and perfectionist in me decided that my boyfriend and I would be ripe for a detox after we rang in the New Year.

The Inspiration

On November 30th, an email about David Kirsch’s 48-Hour Super Charged Cleanse arrived in my inbox. At this point I was already imagining how our midsections would swell after all the holiday parties and delicious home cooking – not to mention the New Year’s Eve plans that were already making my liver nervous. So I decided it was fate, held my breath, and clicked BUY.

Preparing for Battle

During the week leading up to what our friends and family deemed the "Infamous Cleanse" ("You mean you can’t eat anything!? You can’t even have a glass of wine!?"), I began to mentally prepare my boyfriend for what lay ahead. He had never done anything like this before, and, as I had witnessed on several occasions, morphs quickly into what can only be described as Wolverine and King Kong's love child when he is hungry.

Understandably, I took a few preventative measures to guarantee that we’d get through it without killing each other. These steps included: stockpiling coconut water, Açaí juice, 2 gallons of home-brewed herbal teas and our own homemade detox tea. Our last act of self-preservation was clearing out the refrigerator to avoid any temptation. Finally, I booked a couples massage with one of my favorite massage therapists in Chicago, Janna Childs of Four Hands Massage, for the first day of the cleanse to give us something to look forward to.

The Cleanse: Day 1

We began the cleanse on a Saturday morning with a hot detox tea (a substitute for our regular coffee fix) and our first taste of the David Kirsch cleanse – 4oz. of the ultra-potent vitamin boost and organ cleanse, plus 4oz. of water. Presto! Breakfast is served!

Eager to get our day underway, we showered, packed lots of fluids and headed out for our massage. After 90 minutes of pure bliss, we floated down Michigan Avenue towards our car like sleepy soba noodles. That was until the first whiff of food sent our stomachs into a growling frenzy. I quickly came to, and firmly pulled my boyfriend past the door to the restaurant that he was ogling like an issue of Sports Illustrated. Poor guy, I think this was the moment he realized what he was in for!

Finally back at home, we cleaned, napped, packed up our Christmas things and made our way to Blockbuster to rent some "time-filling flicks". By that point we had already ruled TV out, as we learned quickly how many commercials involve food. Instead, we laughed aloud to "Dinner for Schmucks" and then decided on an early bedtime – taking our tea-filled bodies into bed feeling victorious. Somehow neither of us turned into the Incredible Hulk and we felt oddly satisfied with our bellies full of liquid.

The Cleanse: Day 2 (The Celery Incident)

Sunday morning I woke up at 7:29 (one minute before my alarm went off) feeling light, rested and ready to conquer Day 2 of the David Kirsch Cleanse. With a three-hour yoga class at The Lab ahead of me, I knew I would need reinforcements, both with me, and IN me. What to do?

My boyfriend occupied himself with several errands while I was at yoga, until 1:30 when we met for our David Kirsch lunch (large cups of tea and a quick nap). Around 5pm my will began to waiver, and I decided that three hours of yoga deserved three pieces of sea-salted celery (I mean, COME ON!). I sat down and enjoyed what I have to say was the best celery I’ve ever had… crunch by crunch, until… GASP! It hit me that I had cheated! I had been so worried about my boyfriend, and here I was the one struggling!

When he woke up, I made him three pieces of the celery too, thinking he must be as crazy as I was. He excitedly obliged, eating one piece with such care, and exclaiming that it was the best celery stick he’d had in his whole life! Then, in an effort to calm the food-loving monsters we had just provoked, we decided another trip was in order. We refueled on coconut water and hit the road to do some shopping. After being pulled out of at least four stores by my boyfriend, I realized that shopping is the perfect distraction for a cleanse. Not once did I think of food!

Once home, feeling lighter in my stomach as well as my wallet, we snuggled up to watch movie number two and finish our final cleanse. Feeling again like victors in this great battle, we guzzled down more tea and slid into bed to reflect on what we had learned.

• Lesson 1: 48 hours is our limit for cutting out solid food.
• Lesson 2: We have a new appreciation for the hunger, food and the discipline it would take to fast without a program like the David Kirsch Cleanse to keep us going.
• Lesson 3: We’re thrilled to have jump-started 2011 in this way!