I tried an holistic fast to detox a couple months ago. I was on the all natural hippie diet called - Feeling Light.
It was mostly a juice and water fast. That article in Self makes it sound so easy. It's not at all. I have never been moodier or more tired. Every morning i would wake up and feel like i was having a hangover- pounding head, dizziness. I lost 6 lbs in 7 days of torture. Fasting claims that your body starts to feel more energized after the initial 3 or 4 days- NOT TRUE, it also says that your body starts to turn its hunger mechanisms off-NOT TRUE. The weight lost after the fast I gained it back when i went into my raw fruits and veg ONLY diet. How do you gain weight when eating only raw fruits and veg?? Probably because it was all water weight.

I know it might sound like all that organic vegetarian crap is better for you but i must vouch that i tried it for a couple months starting with the "cleansing fast" its just a bunch of crap that made me feel totally deprived, grouchy, and tired. The only thing it did for me was a bout of anemia and i didnt loose much weight either, it was making weight loss a lot harder than it should be. I ended this diet with a vicious binge and started Atkins shortly after.
Atkins was totally the opposite of the "feeling light" diet, in fact it was the one diet that i thought i would never try. I think it's just suited for my metabolism or something because miracle of all miracles, I can loose weight eating bacon, cream and cheese... but i cant loose weight eating carrots, rye bread and banannas.
If you want to try fasting, it might be a different experience for you, everyone has a different body and a different metabolism, i just wanted to share my experiences.