Detox before diet

heniko

Hi everyone, A question. Do any of you do any type of detox before the actual diet? I know many diets have phases, most of which have this detox first stage. What type of detox do you do? Thanks!

Bernadette60614

There is a very long closed thread on detox recently where I posted my experiences.
I didn't do a detox before starting to improve my eating habits, I did one when I was just feeling crummy...and I wanted to see if that feeling was related to what I was eating. As it turns out, I felt fantastic after the detox and it changed the way I ate considerably.

The practitioner who supervised this program was Dr. Judy Fulop is who is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, has spent 10 years with Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 8 years with Cancer Treatment Centers of America and 4 years with St. Joseph Hospital.

I would recommend that if you chose do to a "detox", you look for one which is medically supervised. I described my experience in some detail and that might provide you with some ideas/guidelines.

"Detox" is a broad term and there are lots of different ways to approach detoxes. Most of what I read in magazines is stuff which Dr. Fulop did not advise.

Stage14

Personally, not this time no. I've done detoxes and diets with "stages" before, and the weight comes off, but it goes right back on. This time, I'm changing how I eat in ways that are manageable for the long haul and just eating at a small calorie deficit while working out 3-5 times a week. It's working great for me.

trogalicious

Jewlz280

I, personally, do not believe in detoxes. If your plan is to eat better after the 'detox', just start eating better and drinking lots of water and your body will do it without any drastic measures. I do know some people with medical issues who have done them with some success, but nothing long term and none of these fad detoxes you see on TV or in magazines.

ETA: Before I am jumped for not having much loss, therefore good advice, I lost 45-50lbs. and kept it off before joining MFP.

rileysowner

Your liver and kidneys do a fine job of detoxing you daily. Nothing more is needed.

ZombieEarhart

No need to 'detox'- just start logging and making changes until you find a nutritious, sustainable way to eat at a deficit.

Iron_Lotus

Thanks for saving me the trouble


NO.

brraanndi

No detox needed.

Just management of how many calories you take in and how many calories you put out.

Cindyinpg

Thanks for saving me the trouble


NO.

I am having deja vu.... I think we've all been here before.....:ohwell:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/821828-detoxes-and-cleanses
Edit to drop link... Again.

heniko

LMAO love that one!


The reason I asked about detoxing is I've heard doing this, helping us wean off "bad stuff like sugar and caffeine. Both of which sadly addicted to ... Someone suggested to me a 7 day detox plan to kick start my diet. Basically having chicken soup for a week + raw vegetables and cooked chicken. Buuut if no detox is needed, then that's all I need to know. Thanks!

SLLRunner

Hi everyone, A question. Do any of you do any type of detox before the actual diet? I know many diets have phases, most of which have this detox first stage. What type of detox do you do? Thanks!

I don't detox and I don't diet. I simply work to eat at a calorie deficit. MFP is a perfect tool for keeping track of exercise and food because it enables me NOT to have to use my math skills, which are horrible.

itsjustdawn

Exactly this.

TheSlorax

no. still addicted to sugar and caffeine and I still have "chemicals" all up in my bizniz. I am 62 lbs lighter though.

trogalicious

Also, there is no kick start.

FlaxMilk

Some diet plans recommend a detox period for the psychological boost people get from dropping the water weight. You'll honestly drop some water weight anyway when you begin. However, for some people, having an exact plan to follow for a few days gets them in the right frame of mind. For others, it drives them crazy and makes them crack and binge halfway through or the instant the phase is over. Other than that, barring specific medical needs, there probably isn't any real benefit. I wouldn't follow any kind of plan that isn't nutritionally complete though. Any phase that makes you get inadequate protein, fat, or whatever else, even for a day, isn't one I would want to follow.

shapefitter

Simple detox, for a week. Cut out sugar, alcohol, and caffein.

Jewlz280

Quote
LMAO love that one!


The reason I asked about detoxing is I've heard doing this, helping us wean off "bad stuff like sugar and caffeine. Both of which sadly addicted to ... Someone suggested to me a 7 day detox plan to kick start my diet. Basically having chicken soup for a week + raw vegetables and cooked chicken. Buuut if no detox is needed, then that's all I need to know. Thanks!
Quote

Wow... usually this gets ugly really fast. THUMBS UP OP! :drinker:

annekka

I did a week of juicing ala Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I needed it, I was feeling crappy. Since then I have not, and would not do an unsupervised detox as my body did have some adverse affects namely regarding TTOM. I will say that I have done week long supervised juice diets before, so I had a fair idea what to do. I do continue to juice 1 day at a time every few weeks as I like juicing. I will probably do 2 juices per day plus a healthy nutrient rich meal for my upcoming week off for at least a few days.

If you do it, listen to your body and don't kill yourself trying to follow the detox.

girlwiththemost

Detoxes and cleanses are pretty much garbage, in respect that we have organs which do a great job in detoxing our system.

The idea of a structured plan to help ease you into healthy eating is something that I do support. I find that it helps kick start the process, and helps when you start to lose motivation. Tons of personal trainers, and nutritional experts will offer meal suggestions and structured plans that can help you out.

Meal plans that restrict your meals to only a few specific food items are also garbage, look for meal plans that offer variety and are realistic for everyday life. You don't need to shock your system with severe calorie deficits to begin a healthy eating path.

I like the basis behind the 21 Day Sugar Detox - you are encouraged to eat what you need, and gives you a food list of low sugar foods. It's not unrealistic, and it encourages healthy whole foods. While I don't think detoxes are necessary, this plan is a decent starting point for encouraging healthy eating and can be modified to work with your life.

Bernadette60614

I'd add this:

You will lose weight by restricting calories/increasing exercise and combinations of the two.

I'd done that a million times.

Millions of Americans do it millions of times.

The statistics are that the majority of people who lose weight put it back on.

The only way I've lost weight and kept it off (40 lbs loss and 10 years maintaining that loss) without feeling deprived was by changing what I ate.