fasting cleanses?

the people advocating against cleanses and detoxes are trying to help people. they want to prevent people from being tricked into doing something that a) doesn't work, and b) is a scam. they all have lives of their own and i'm sure they can find other things they could be doing with their time. but they genuinely want to help people, so they take the time to respond to these threads day after day after day after day.

This x100.

It not about being mean or trying to create an argument, it's ensuring that the OP, and any other people who read this thread, have all the facts. And by facts I mean scientifically-proven evidence.

I have a bioscience degree and I've done research as a health journalist into a whole host of "holistic" therapies and never found any evidence that detoxing and cleansing would be beneficial to me or anyone else. I consulted doctors and dieticians and would take their word over claims on the Internet any day of the week.

I am not completely close-minded and hold up my hands and admit I do find holistic therapies in general very interesting (acupuncture and chiropracty had amazing results for me, even though I strongly suspect there was placebo effect in play. Crystals, parasite zapping, kineseolgy and reiki were beyond a joke). But I would not advocate fasting with the sole purpose of somehow "cleansing" toxins that our bodies do a very good job of removing already.

To the OP: it is good to ask questions and get advice before starting on a new routine, which is exactly what you have done. I hope you are able to plough through this thread and find the sensible advice throughout that backs up my belief that there is no scientific basis for cleansing and that it is unnecessary.

I am a holistic practitioner by trade. I have certifications and degrees in some of the stuff you mentioned above. I have countless documents on people I have helped. Without question and for a FACT that stuff is NOT a joke.

I am definitely in the wrong place. I believe in holistics and not eating ice cream which includes ingredients of rat poison.

I have no business being in this thread.

I am a holistic practitioner by trade. I have certifications and degrees in some of the stuff you mentioned above. I have countless documents on people I have helped. Without question and for a FACT that stuff is NOT a joke.

I am definitely in the wrong place. I believe in holistics and not eating ice cream which includes ingredients of rat poison.

I have no business being in this thread.

What?

the people advocating against cleanses and detoxes are trying to help people. they want to prevent people from being tricked into doing something that a) doesn't work, and b) is a scam. they all have lives of their own and i'm sure they can find other things they could be doing with their time. but they genuinely want to help people, so they take the time to respond to these threads day after day after day after day.

This x100.

It not about being mean or trying to create an argument, it's ensuring that the OP, and any other people who read this thread, have all the facts. And by facts I mean scientifically-proven evidence.

I have a bioscience degree and I've done research as a health journalist into a whole host of "holistic" therapies and never found any evidence that detoxing and cleansing would be beneficial to me or anyone else. I consulted doctors and dieticians and would take their word over claims on the Internet any day of the week.

I am not completely close-minded and hold up my hands and admit I do find holistic therapies in general very interesting (acupuncture and chiropracty had amazing results for me, even though I strongly suspect there was placebo effect in play. Crystals, parasite zapping, kineseolgy and reiki were beyond a joke). But I would not advocate fasting with the sole purpose of somehow "cleansing" toxins that our bodies do a very good job of removing already.

To the OP: it is good to ask questions and get advice before starting on a new routine, which is exactly what you have done. I hope you are able to plough through this thread and find the sensible advice throughout that backs up my belief that there is no scientific basis for cleansing and that it is unnecessary.

I am a holistic practitioner by trade. I have certifications and degrees in some of the stuff you mentioned above. I have countless documents on people I have helped. Without question and for a FACT that stuff is NOT a joke.

I am definitely in the wrong place. I believe in holistics and not eating ice cream which includes ingredients of rat poison.

I have no business being in this thread.

so i was right? you DO have a drawer full of crystals. do you believe that wearing a crystal or placing it on your body can heal you or help your health?

the people advocating against cleanses and detoxes are trying to help people. they want to prevent people from being tricked into doing something that a) doesn't work, and b) is a scam. they all have lives of their own and i'm sure they can find other things they could be doing with their time. but they genuinely want to help people, so they take the time to respond to these threads day after day after day after day.

This x100.

It not about being mean or trying to create an argument, it's ensuring that the OP, and any other people who read this thread, have all the facts. And by facts I mean scientifically-proven evidence.

I have a bioscience degree and I've done research as a health journalist into a whole host of "holistic" therapies and never found any evidence that detoxing and cleansing would be beneficial to me or anyone else. I consulted doctors and dieticians and would take their word over claims on the Internet any day of the week.

I am not completely close-minded and hold up my hands and admit I do find holistic therapies in general very interesting (acupuncture and chiropracty had amazing results for me, even though I strongly suspect there was placebo effect in play. Crystals, parasite zapping, kineseolgy and reiki were beyond a joke). But I would not advocate fasting with the sole purpose of somehow "cleansing" toxins that our bodies do a very good job of removing already.

To the OP: it is good to ask questions and get advice before starting on a new routine, which is exactly what you have done. I hope you are able to plough through this thread and find the sensible advice throughout that backs up my belief that there is no scientific basis for cleansing and that it is unnecessary.

QFT.

The single largest advocate for cleanses in this thread has not been able to answer questions about what would be changed through the use of a cleanse or what it can do for you.

I practice intermittent fasting and think that maybe a brief fast might benefit you (dinner to dinner) psychologically if that is what you're looking for. Just drink water for 24 hours, you would be surprised at how great you will feel. No need to add any strange ingredients or upset your stomach/intestines with highly acidic juices. You can still fit in a good chunk of your calories when you break your fast for dinner. As far as weight loss goes, there isn't going to be more benefit than just a restricted calorie diet but, like I said, you may feel better and it won't hurt you.

I have no business being in this thread.

That's the first sensible thing you've said all day.

It's called the Master Cleanse.

I suggest you read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/851582-master-cleanse-aka-lemonade-diet-my-30-day-story

Also: The Master Cleanse is a particularly ridiculous and potentially dangerous 'cleanse' as the extreme version of it encourages the use of enemas and laxatives. The loon who came up with this in 1940, Stanley Burroughs, was convicted of practicing medicine without a license and imprisoned, and he was convicted of second degree murder, later overturned, for his role in the death of a desperate leukemia patient, whose cancer Burroughs tried to cure with the Master Cleanse and other irresponsible batsh!t crazy practices. To put his totally whacko’ness into perspective, here is a following quote from him when asked about protein “we are able to assimilate and build the nitrogen also into our bodies as protein … by natural bacteria action….” In other words, by breathing!

There is absolutely no reason you need to detox or cleanse anything. Our body does a very good job of it already and there is no medical evidence that these diets actually rid the body of any toxins that would not be discarded in bodily waste under a normal diet.

Eat right, train, rest, repeat.

Edited for typo

ThAnk you for sharing the "my 30 day story" link! Everyone who joins mfp should read it! :flowerforyou:

Are you asking us if we have had success making ourselves urinate and defecate at high rates of speed?

Are you asking us if we have had success making ourselves urinate and defecate at high rates of speed?

Are you laying down a challenge?

Yes, I believe I am.

you could always do a juice fast which would be way more healthy- google it but what it basically is , is juicing mega amounts of veggies along with some fruits- I have never did it but I long to do it... One day soon I hope!

I am a holistic practitioner by trade. I have certifications and degrees in some of the stuff you mentioned above. I have countless documents on people I have helped. Without question and for a FACT that stuff is NOT a joke.

I am definitely in the wrong place. I believe in holistics and not eating ice cream which includes ingredients of rat poison.

I have no business being in this thread.

Could you maybe elaborate on what specific degrees you have and how many science courses you've taken (i.e. anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, etc.)? I'm just curious.

I graduated with a bachelor's in biomedical science, and start medical school this upcoming August. Nowhere in my time during the abundance of human science courses (including nutrition, biochemistry, etc.) did anyone ever say a cleanse could be a healthy option.

To the OP, I wish you luck, and would encourage you to not partake in the cleanse. The human body is an amazing machine that is constantly working to keep itself in balance. Eat right, exercise, and take small steps, you will get there!


Edited for grammar.

There isn't much support here.

you left off "for doing stupid things."


OP, listen to the folks that have been here found continued and proven success.

there is no need to do a "fasting cleanse" however a lot of people use "IF" succesfully inlcuding bodybuilders / athletes etc , intermittent fasting is proven to be healthy for you, most people use it once or twice a week. try the eat stop eat program by brad pilon its very interesting reading.

The OP isn't talking about IF. That requires self control and effort. They're looking for some magic juice that will make them want to die after a few days of drinking it, and thinking that it will be all they need to see change.

I'm not looking for some magic juice to make me instantly lose weight. I exercise and try to my best effort to eat the healthiest I can. I was just reading online about detoxes and found this one and was wondering if anyone had personal experiences with cleanses themselves. I'm not some lazy person looking for a quick fix. I was genuinely curious and I appreciate everyone's responses.

Please don't think people are attacking you - far from it.

The majority of the argumentative posts are in direct answer to one person who is really one of the very few on this site who thinks it's a good idea to do a cleanse.

When there are 50 who say, "Don't do it, here's why," and one who says, "Great idea," we are hoping you will take notice that it's not a proven method of - well - anything but hunger.

Nothing against you!!

Drinking salt water and taking laxatives is not healthy, as others have said.
And aside from all that it sounds disgusting and boring.
Food FTW.

1. Drinking saltwater is usually done to induce vomiting
2. A diet high in acidic foods (such as lemonade) can promote heartburn. Adding cayenne pepper into the mix doesn't help.
3. Senna tea is a powerful laxative (just because something is natural doesn't mean it isn't a drug). Using it when it isn't needed can damage the intestines.

What are you hoping to get out of the cleanse? That will help us guide you to something that, at the very least, won't harm you.

I wanted to lose my last 5 pounds before I take my trip to Mexico where I will be spending the majority of the time laying on a beach in a bikini. I've hit a plateau and can't lose the last of my weight. Haven't budged in about 3 months. I'm most likely not going to do that stupid master cleanse. It was just one I was glancing at that I could do with items in my household.

do some form of strength training, eat plenty of protein, also get enough healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, healthy carbs to fuel your workouts, and don't cut your calories too low.

Aim for losing fat at 0.5lb a week, i.e. a very moderate deficit. The leaner you are already, the more likely you are to lose lean body mass along with the fat, which means a) you're losing less fat than you'd think and b) you're losing healthy tissue and c) muscle keeps your metabolism fast and makes your body look fit and healthy.... you don't want to lose it in other words. This means you have to take fat loss really slowly to ensure that it's just fat that you're losing. Quick fixes (like this cleanse you are looking at, or other crash diets) will not make you lose fat any quicker, they'll just make you lose more water, or lean body mass.

The thread "in place of a road map" will help you to calculate how many calories you need to eat each day to lose 0.5lb a week, which would be approx TDEE - 10% or TDEE - 250 cals/day.

I can assure you that cleansing and any "quick fix" diets that result in rapid weight loss, will not shift the fat you want to get rid of, they will at best result in water weight loss, and at worst cause you to lose lean body mass. In either situation, the stubborn fat will be there. You will not lose the actual fat any faster, regardless of how much weight you lose on the scale. Do this the slow and healthy way, and the only thing you lose is fat (which is what you want, right? Loss of stubborn fat and losing 100% fat and nothing but the fat)?