We Care promotes itself as a leader in the movement of juice fasting and colonics. They have an impressive roster of celebrity clients who swear by the results. After reading their website, I checked the reviews online. They were overwhelmingly positive. But what hooked me was the idea of being tucked away in the desert and being forced to eat a straightforward diet of only juices, teas, water, and supplements for a week. Would this be simplified eating? As soon as I found myself a little nervous even thinking that, I knew was on to something. I booked the trip.

I should add that the winter in Minnesota was cold, cloudy, and snowy from November on. I stayed most of the winter indoors and had put on a good chunk of weight. I couldn’t wait to get anywhere warm and sunny, if only for a day. I also had a pain in my left side that was greatly irritated by sitting at my desk. I had it checked at my doctor a couple of times, and they couldn’t find anything.

Having never tried such a thing and knowing almost nothing about it, I boarded the plane with more than a little trepidation. Arriving in Palm Springs, it was 90 degrees, sunny, and dry. As far as I was concerned, I was out of the Minnesota weather for a bit, so the trip was already a huge success.

Following We Care’s recommendation of a four-day diet of only fruits and vegetables before arrival was a tad tricky – but I did it. I discovered some amazing new things to eat along the way because I was forced to think outside my own box of how and what to eat. Tops on the list were the eggplant salad at the Palm Springs Hilton. Maybe it was because I was famished, but that salad blew my mind so much that I am pretty sure I will dream about it for months to come.

The days at We Care are filled with classes on healthy eating, yoga, and other activities geared towards getting healthy and staying healthy. You pick and choose from a menu of additional activities like massages, skin treatments, and hypnotherapy. I made an effort to try as many of them as possible, as I have never done such a thing before. The staff was great and explained everything perfectly.

The result? By the time I got home, I had lost 18.5 lbs. I feel better than I have in months, if not years. For me, We Care totally worked. I learned enough about eating to know most of my notions of nutrition and balancing a diet were way out of line. But it’s not a quick fix. It will take time, effort, and continued learning as to what will work for me.

Did what I learn constitute “simple eating”? Not really. Following the recommendations from the spa will be a bit challenging. But for the difference in how I feel, it was well worth it.

In the coming months, I will try and chronicle more of what I learned and how it’s changing my life.

For now, I’m happy to be feeling this good and looking forward to the new adventure.