We are on the road so much, and as all travelers know, you tend to let your program fly out the window when you’re in new places. Trying local food and drink is a part of my job, as is meeting people, which often means drinks, then dinner. While I love all of it, it does take its toll—and we try to do a reboot/cleanse at least once a year.
For the last two Februaries we’ve been going to the Buchinger Wilhelmi fasting clinic in Uberlingen, Germany, on Lake Constance, about an hour and change from Zurich, to do a two-week fast. I know that for many the idea of not eating for 10+ days may sound like torture, but once you get into the rhythm, you feel so good. (The clinic was started by Otto Buchinger in 1953—you can read more about it here.) We became good friends with the 4th-generation director of the clinic, Leo Wilhelmi, and very comfortable with our doctors and therapists, but were also curious about their Marbella clinic, run by Leo’s brother, Victor (and started by their grandmother, Maria, in 1973) and their cousin Katharina, so
we decided to give it a go. We met up with our friends at the Marbella Club Hotel (more on that in Spain summer issue—but let’s just say it’s a great pregame stop) and the next afternoon, after a sunny lunch with lots of rosé (bad, I know!), we headed just 10 minutes up the hill to the clinic.
I won’t give you the day by day, but basically the drill is: after a blood and urine test, you’re assigned a doctor who weighs and measures you and customizes your program. Every morning you see your nurse first thing, and afterwards, they have a bus that brings you down to the beach for a sunrise walk next to the sea, which is just magical. If you want to, you can walk or taxi back on your own (which we did), so you don’t have to worry about backtracking to the bus. Coffee isn’t served at the clinic (not on the program!), but after our long walks we would sneak away to this one little coffee shop in town that made a great espresso. There’s a lovely pool on property, and even though it was January, it was super sunny and people laid out and swam.
Days are filled with nurse visits, walks and therapy appointments (I particularly loved the acupuncturist, the osteopath and the medical pedicure). There’s a good gym, private Pilates, and loads of free classes, from yoga to breathwork. They maintain two dining areas—one for those on the low-calorie program (with 800-calorie options that include several courses and are super filling), and one for people who have just arrived or have finished the fasting portion of their stay. (For the first two days you still eat solid food, and when you’re done fasting you gradually restart solid food for two days before leaving.) All of their produce comes from an organic farm that they run just a half hour from the clinic, and you can really taste it, even in winter months—the soups made from pumpkin and cauliflower were so good. While you might think that a dining room full of people fasting would be quiet or boring, it was quite the opposite. There’s such a community that comes from being in the same boat, and there’s never any awkwardness to starting a conversation. At points, everyone was so chatty it almost sounded like we were in a bar. And given that there was sparkling water, a bowl of lemons and some hand-stuffed tea bags with mint in them, it did become a bar of sorts, with Matt and some others making “cocktails” for everyone.
Of course, since I am such a fan of Uberlingen and Leo, I’ve gotten lots of questions about which one I like more or would recommend. The truth is I love both and for very different reasons—it’s such a personality/preference situation. If you like long walks in nature that change every day and want more of a quiet, introspective experience, then Uberlingen is your place. If you thrive in sunshine and are more of a water person/love sitting by a pool plus more of a social vibe, I’d say Marbella. Obviously, the German and Spanish cultures are so different, but the experience in the clinics is very similar, with excellent doctors and therapists who work within the same fasting approach—with great results.
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