Before (L) and after (R) – Ma Khine Mie Mie Kyi six months after she first tried the Expressions detox.

MA KHINE Mie Mie Kyi was stuck in a rut. She was 30 years old, 5 foot 1 and weighed 73kg (162lb) — 18kg (40lbs) heavier than she was when she got married 13 years ago.

When she heard about a detox and diet program from Singapore, she decided to try it out and lost 17kg (37lbs) in six months, bringing her weight down to 56kg (125lb).

“I achieved a near-impossible feat,” she said. “I was a 30-year-old mother of three with little time to myself. Now I am the same weight I was when I got married at 17.”

Since she did the detox she has continued to lose weight and now weighs just 55kg (122lb).

Of course, she now sticks to a balanced diet and only eats her favourite fatty foods in moderation.

“I really have the detox to thank,” she said. “It kick-started my healthy eating plan. I now stick to a low-calorie diet and I feel more active for it.”

The diet consists of a three-day detox in which you can only drink three litres of a mixture of water, lemon juice and maple syrup. After the three days you must stick to a low-calorie diet. The amount of calories per day will be calculated depending on your Body Mass Index.

During the next 14 days you must undergo electrotherapy once a day — a program that targets cellulite on most parts of the body.

For energy, you must take one herbal supplement capsule morning and evening.

The miracle detox originated in Singapore’s Expressions Slimming and Wellness Studio. Ma Khine decided it worked so well that she would go into business for herself and has been selling the herbal pills and maple syrup around Yangon since June.

Dr Theresa Chew-Tan of Expressions Singapore said that unlike other slimming products such as teas and exercise machines, this detox removes toxins from inside the body and balances the metabolism so that it becomes harder to eat more than is necessary.

More out of curiosity than a desire to lose weight, and always up for a challenge, I thought I would give the three-day detox a go to see if I could do it.
After consulting my doctor, I measured my weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat percentage. According to my BMI I should stick to a 1200 calorie-a-day diet if I want to lose weight. I told him firmly that I don’t.

Day 1

I wake up early and make myself three litres of the water, lemon and maple syrup mixture. I feel so determined to get through the detox that it’s easier than I thought. I don’t even feel hungry — until dinner time.

Suddenly I am so hungry that my stomach hurts and my head starts to pound. I take my herbal supplement and hope that my stomach is satisfied with that. Eventually the headache starts to fade and I forget about the hunger pangs.
A family member offers me some food but I close my eyes and shout, “No”.

Day 2

I wake early again and prepare food for my family while trying not to look at it. I take my morning capule, drink my lemon-maple concoction and try to control myself.

I get to work and my stomach angrily tells me that it is 11am and it needs to be fed.

“What a fool to be starving yourself like this when you’re not even fat,” I tell myself. My mind has joined forces with my body. Luckily, I don’t give in and make it through another day.

Day 3

The last day of the fast is the worst of all three. I swallow my herbal pill bitterly and consider throwing the bottle against the wall.

The smell of maple syrup is so disgusting that I want to vomit.

Then I remember that I haven’t touched my favourite crispy snacks, fruits and juices in 48 hours. One part of me is ecstatic that I have made it this far and only have one more day to go. The other part is thinking that I might punch my boyfriend if he comes near me today. Taking a deep breath I tell myself to be patient and overcome my violent urges.

In the end, I made it through the three days and lost 4lbs. I assumed I would eat everything in sight for the next few days but I only felt the need to eat my usual-sized meals. I felt normal but a little more energetic.

Dr Chew said the three-day detox program should be done twice a year to achieve the maximum benefits.