With the festive party season fast approaching, many people will try to slim down. Express.co.uk reviewed the Glass House Retreat, Essex, which promises to help dieters detox and shape up quickly. One of their programmes offers weight loss and as little as a weekend – does it work?
What do you get?
When attending the retreat, dieters get access to a fully-fitted gym, daily fitness classes and three meals a day.
Visitors also get the chance to relax with full access to the pool and sauna and three inclusive spa treatments.
There are three different food programmes, Equilibrium, Weight Loss and Pure Juicing.
I opted for the weight loss programme, which offers: “three raw plant-based meals a day designed to help you lose weight.
“This diet is healthy and detoxifying as well as effective. A great introduction into the world of raw food.”
Check-in begins at 3pm on the first night and visitors are allowed full access to the facilities straight away.
DON’T MISS
Guests also get a full consultation on arrival where their measurements, including weight, Body Mass Index, fat percentage and muscle mass.
The personal trainers are then on hand to give an overview of what slimmers can do to get improvements.
Food
At the retreat, dieters are given all there meals which are designed raw and vegan made from local produce.
Guests can choose their breakfast, lunch and dinner from an extension menu.
Breakfast: I chose a strawberry and banana smoothie on the first day and granola for day two.
Lunch: I chose a pineapple teriyaki on the first day and vegetable stir-fry on the second.
Dinner: The retreat offered tomato soup on night one and vegetable sushi on the second day.
Although the portions were smaller than I was used to, each meal was fresh and full of flavour which made them very satisfying.
How does it work?
They said: “The weight loss menu has been designed with the head chef and an expert clinical nutritionist from the London Clinic of Nutrition.
“It has a reduced amount of calories at 600-800 calories daily which puts people in a calorie deficit, leading to weight loss. The meals are perfectly balanced from a macronutrient perspective; including an abundance of healthy proteins, healthy fats and low glycaemic load carbohydrates.”
Workouts
The retreat offered four workout classes a day which included High Intensity Interval Training, yoga, boxing and aqua aerobics.
These were on at various times during the day and dieters could visit the gym at any point.
The workouts were high intensity but the intimate class sizes meant the trainers were willing to adapt moves and try different things on request.
Treatments
The retreat offers treatments designed specifically to aide the weight loss process.
Lipofirm Pro Body Treatment
The website said: “Lipofirm Pro technology uniquely combines two technologies – TriLipo Radiofrequency and TriLipo Dynamic Muscle Activation.
“Working simultaneously using a single applicator, they create a synergistic effect that delivers non-invasive fat removal and lymphatic drainage.”
This involved sitting under a machine for 30 minutes while getting small electric nips meant to tighten the muscles around a specific body part.
Instead of losing weight, measurements and pictures are taken before and after the short treatment.
Although this requires no actual exercise, I lost 3cm from my waist and the results are set to last for 17 days.
Lifecube
The website said: “Cryotherapy has energising, anti-ageing, and healing properties. It’s an innovative technology developed to mimic the effects of extreme cold on your body’s regenerative systems.”
This involves going into a small box which is minus 120 degrees for four minutes to help boost the metabolism. This is also meant to improve mental health and ease muscle soreness.
Although I felt no immediate benefits, it is recommended to repeat the experience often to see the results.
Results
Weighing in before and after the retreat, there was not any difference on the scales.
However, the healthy foods and workouts definitely left me feeling less bloated.
If wanting a break from Christmas madness, this could be the perfect place to relax with a spa treatment and detox the body.
For those hoping to lose weight, a longer stay may work better but the two day retreat can be a good start.
The two day package is available from £579 for single occupancy and £463 each for a pair sharing.