Detoxing?

Zoe_Rebecca

I've heard a lot of people saying that detoxing is seriously good, not juts for weight loss but feeling generally better in yourself..

I'm trying the fruit and veg only detox for a while because I don't think I could or would want to do any sort of liquid fast but is there any actual truth behind it? Don't want to waste time and health more importantly on something which will just make me feel fatigued and undernourished rather than better.

Thanks x

evileen99

A detox is useless. There's a sticky at the top of the page about detoxes and cleanses with lots of good info.

Unknown

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zoeysasha37

Detoxing is not necessary , it's a waste of time!

Zoe_Rebecca

Thanks that's what I was thinking, a lot of money for a couple of days considering how little you actually have! People just seem so crazed by it at the moment haha

InForBacon

Good on you for asking. For the most part they're completely worthless. Your body isn't full of unnamed "toxins" and your internal organs already do the work that any "cleanse" claims it does.

Only thing that gets cleansed is your wallet.

Most of the benefits people talk about are purely psychological/placebo effect.

Unless it's a bacon cleanse. Those are totally worth the money.

Unknown

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YalithKBK

The only time you need to "detox" is if you're consuming something that is LITERALLY toxic. Unless you're doing some sort of drug or are eating out of a sewer or nuclear fallout site, there is nothing "toxic" in you that you need to get rid of. Going to any extreme with your diet is never good for your body and restricting your nutrient intake is counter-productive. Eating a well-rounded, health-conscious diet is better than blatantly throwing out a group of food.

Branstin

Here is some information for you:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1159755-looking-for-a-detox-cleanse

beowulf

In the interest of balancing this thread a little bit I have to say I love juice fasting.

I do it maybe once every year or so for one week. I feel great afterwards. It is a spiritual experience.

(Haters, don't bother telling me I'm an idiot. Brief fasting or light eating is a time-honored spiritual practice. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.)

The sticky decrying "detoxing" and "cleansing" complains about expensive products and procedures that claim to help your body "clear toxins". I can't comment on those products as I've never been tempted to try them. The "cleansing protocols" I'm aware of are all based on fresh fruits and vegetables. It sounds like that is what you were considering. These protocols are cheaper than eating a normal diet (unless your normal diet is based on nothing but cheap, subsidized junk food).

The sticky complains that your body can cleanse itself, that it doesn't need help. The "cleansing protocols" I've read about agree that your body can cleanse itself, but claim that overeating and/or eating overly processed foods tax your body and interfere with its normal functions. They claim that "giving your digestion a rest" frees your body to spend more energy on its normal healing function. If you are interested in reading one medical doctor's take on this topic, you might want to read Dr. Joel Furhman's 'Eat To Live'; you can probably find it at a local library. I don't think he uses the term "cleansing", but he does describe the body's natural healing abilities and is in line with every other "cleansing protocol" I'm aware of. He includes numerous clinical and "scientific" references. You might want to try his plan for one week...see if that changes how you feel.

If you are considering a "cleansing protocol" based on natural foods, don't blindly jump in, don't buy any products. Do read enough to make yourself comfortable before you start.

Zoe_Rebecca

I've heard a lot of people take heroin. I'll steer clear though since, you know, facts and stuff.

Haha damn it, that was my next idea ;P

Zoe_Rebecca

Good on you for asking. For the most part they're completely worthless. Your body isn't full of unnamed "toxins" and your internal organs already do the work that any "cleanse" claims it does.

Only thing that gets cleansed is your wallet.

Most of the benefits people talk about are purely psychological/placebo effect.

Unless it's a bacon cleanse. Those are totally worth the money.

That would be so awesome!!! Probably gain about 20 stone and have a heart attack but would still be so awesome haha xD

Zoe_Rebecca

In the interest of balancing this thread a little bit I have to say I love juice fasting.

I do it maybe once every year or so for one week. I feel great afterwards. It is a spiritual experience.

(Haters, don't bother telling me I'm an idiot. Brief fasting or light eating is a time-honored spiritual practice. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.)

The sticky decrying "detoxing" and "cleansing" complains about expensive products and procedures that claim to help your body "clear toxins". I can't comment on those products as I've never been tempted to try them. The "cleansing protocols" I'm aware of are all based on fresh fruits and vegetables. It sounds like that is what you were considering. These protocols are cheaper than eating a normal diet (unless your normal diet is based on nothing but cheap, subsidized junk food).

The sticky complains that your body can cleanse itself, that it doesn't need help. The "cleansing protocols" I've read about agree that your body can cleanse itself, but claim that overeating and/or eating overly processed foods tax your body and interfere with its normal functions. They claim that "giving your digestion a rest" frees your body to spend more energy on its normal healing function. If you are interested in reading one medical doctor's take on this topic, you might want to read Dr. Joel Furhman's 'Eat To Live'; you can probably find it at a local library. I don't think he uses the term "cleansing", but he does describe the body's natural healing abilities and is in line with every other "cleansing protocol" I'm aware of. He includes numerous clinical and "scientific" references. You might want to try his plan for one week...see if that changes how you feel.

If you are considering a "cleansing protocol" based on natural foods, don't blindly jump in, don't buy any products. Do read enough to make yourself comfortable before you start.

That's what I've heard people say, the only reason I wanted to try it out was because of how it's supposed to make you feel better in yourself

LAT1963

That's what I've heard people say, the only reason I wanted to try it out was because of how it's supposed to make you feel better in yourself

So does taking a walk in the sunshine, or meditation, or....

If you are having tummy discomfort, add a little fiber to your diet (easiest way is chia seeds, though oatmeal is what most folk have on hand). But a "cleanse" or "detox"? Concepts made up to sell you stuff.

LAT1963

Good on you for asking. For the most part they're completely worthless. Your body isn't full of unnamed "toxins" and your internal organs already do the work that any "cleanse" claims it does.

Only thing that gets cleansed is your wallet.

Most of the benefits people talk about are purely psychological/placebo effect.

Unless it's a bacon cleanse. Those are totally worth the money.

That would be so awesome!!! Probably gain about 20 stone and have a heart attack but would still be so awesome haha xD

I eat bacon almost every morning, and I'm losing weight. It's all about your calorie budget. Life is to short to go without bacon.

add: I also do not have any cholesterol or triglyceride abnormalities. Triglyceride and cholesterol problems in fat people often disappear as they approach their target weight--regardless of what their diet composition is. The problems in many people seem to be correlated more with body weight than with fat intake. So even people with moderately high cholesterol can go on a low carb/moderate fat diet and wind up ok in the cholesterol department. Whatever a dieter can stick to that gets the weight off is fair game when it comes to trying to get off cholesterol meds by losing weight.

People who can't eat fats are those with genetic cholesterol conditions, usually marked by levels multiple times higher than normal.

In all cases, cholesterol can be lowered by adding fiber to your diet, because part of your cholesterol comes from your body recycling cholesterol out of the bile released to your gut to help digest fats. If you eat fiber, your gut contents move through faster, so there's less time to pick up the recycling, so to speak. This is how oatmeal gets its claim to be "cholesterol lowering". It is also how the anti-cholesterol drug "cholestyramine" works.

I know I'm right about this, but you (of course) should web-search and verify before using my random forum advice. Food for thought at least.

asdowe13

Good on you for asking. For the most part they're completely worthless. Your body isn't full of unnamed "toxins" and your internal organs already do the work that any "cleanse" claims it does.

Only thing that gets cleansed is your wallet.

Most of the benefits people talk about are purely psychological/placebo effect.

Unless it's a bacon cleanse. Those are totally worth the money.

I'm on this detox - 2-7 days a week!

Alluminati

In the interest of balancing this thread a little bit I have to say I love juice fasting.

I do it maybe once every year or so for one week. I feel great afterwards. It is a spiritual experience.

(Haters, don't bother telling me I'm an idiot. Brief fasting or light eating is a time-honored spiritual practice. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.)

The sticky decrying "detoxing" and "cleansing" complains about expensive products and procedures that claim to help your body "clear toxins". I can't comment on those products as I've never been tempted to try them. The "cleansing protocols" I'm aware of are all based on fresh fruits and vegetables. It sounds like that is what you were considering. These protocols are cheaper than eating a normal diet (unless your normal diet is based on nothing but cheap, subsidized junk food).

The sticky complains that your body can cleanse itself, that it doesn't need help. The "cleansing protocols" I've read about agree that your body can cleanse itself, but claim that overeating and/or eating overly processed foods tax your body and interfere with its normal functions. They claim that "giving your digestion a rest" frees your body to spend more energy on its normal healing function. If you are interested in reading one medical doctor's take on this topic, you might want to read Dr. Joel Furhman's 'Eat To Live'; you can probably find it at a local library. I don't think he uses the term "cleansing", but he does describe the body's natural healing abilities and is in line with every other "cleansing protocol" I'm aware of. He includes numerous clinical and "scientific" references. You might want to try his plan for one week...see if that changes how you feel.

If you are considering a "cleansing protocol" based on natural foods, don't blindly jump in, don't buy any products. Do read enough to make yourself comfortable before you start.

It's not about you though. lol.

Icandoityayme

I eat bacon almost every morning, and I'm losing weight. It's all about your calorie budget. Life is to short to go without bacon.
[/quote]
This a million times over

sjaplo

In the interest of balancing this thread a little bit I have to say I love juice fasting.

I do it maybe once every year or so for one week. I feel great afterwards. It is a spiritual experience.

(Haters, don't bother telling me I'm an idiot. Brief fasting or light eating is a time-honored spiritual practice. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.)

The sticky decrying "detoxing" and "cleansing" complains about expensive products and procedures that claim to help your body "clear toxins". I can't comment on those products as I've never been tempted to try them. The "cleansing protocols" I'm aware of are all based on fresh fruits and vegetables. It sounds like that is what you were considering. These protocols are cheaper than eating a normal diet (unless your normal diet is based on nothing but cheap, subsidized junk food).

The sticky complains that your body can cleanse itself, that it doesn't need help. The "cleansing protocols" I've read about agree that your body can cleanse itself, but claim that overeating and/or eating overly processed foods tax your body and interfere with its normal functions. They claim that "giving your digestion a rest" frees your body to spend more energy on its normal healing function. If you are interested in reading one medical doctor's take on this topic, you might want to read Dr. Joel Furhman's 'Eat To Live'; you can probably find it at a local library. I don't think he uses the term "cleansing", but he does describe the body's natural healing abilities and is in line with every other "cleansing protocol" I'm aware of. He includes numerous clinical and "scientific" references. You might want to try his plan for one week...see if that changes how you feel.

If you are considering a "cleansing protocol" based on natural foods, don't blindly jump in, don't buy any products. Do read enough to make yourself comfortable before you start.

I think there is a huge difference between "Brief fasting or light eating" and putting things like maple syrup and lemon juice in your body that are supposed to make your liver cleaner.

One is a reasonable response to over eating - the other snake oil.

Just sayin'

LAT1963

Fasts are not an effective weight-loss tactic. Some people find other value in them (spiritual or whatever). But don't fool yourself into thinking a fast is a weight-loss tool.

rayonrainbows

about a year and a half ago i tried a fruit & veg detox (just one i made up using fruits & veggies, not some commercialized plan), and i felt horrible. i was constantly hungry, and after a week of fruits/vegs, with some beans/nuts added in later, i binged and ate a whole pizza and never looked back. the detox was supposed to just be the "kickstarter" for my diet, but it totally gave me an unhealthy view of what weight loss is, and it turned me off from starting my fitness journey for about 6 months.

when i decided to try again, a friend on MFP told gave me amazing advice (it worked for me at least): don't detox. just spend your first two weeks trying to make sure your protein levels are high. ---- it gave me the control over my food that detoxing did (limits, a plan), and it actually made my first bit of cutting leave me feeling more satiated than normal. bloody brilliant i think. i stuck with mfp long enough to lose about 12 lbs (until life changes blah blah gained it all back and here i am again)

anyway, that's my two cents. the 'cleanse' was not a healthy choice for me, and i definitely wouldn't recommend it anyone. buttttt if you did it in a healthier or more balanced way, for a shorter period of time, maybe you'd enjoy it. like an above poster said, "Brief fasting or light eating is a time-honored spiritual practice."

LAT1963

Oh--another digression about detoxes--Scientology has this detox thing they do for new recruits that they call "getting clear", I think. It's a diet program with a special combination of vitamins. Nothing harmful, but designed to generate belief more than have health benefit.

People on their diet say "Well, I'm convinced I had toxins to get rid of because as soon as I went on their diet I could feel them getting flushed out--I got these hot and cold flashes and flushes where my face turned red and...(yadayada)."

What's in their vitamins? Mega-doses of niacin.

What are the side-effects of mega-doses of niacin? Hot and cold flashes and flushes where your face turns red and....(yadayada).

They tell their converts that these symptoms are due to all the toxins they are getting out of their system--convincing the recruits that this is evidence of their bad habits in their prior lives, from which Scientology will rescue them. But it's just the niacin.

(I'm reminded of this by my prior digression, because some forms of high cholesterol are reduced by mega-doses of niacin. The side effects wear off after a few weeks of taking it.)

rayonrainbows

@LAT1963 ---- woah, that's actually awesomely interesting info. crazy world

beowulf

I think there is a huge difference between "Brief fasting or light eating" and putting things like maple syrup and lemon juice in your body that are supposed to make your liver cleaner.

One is a reasonable response to over eating - the other snake oil.

Just sayin'

Agreed.