What's the deal with "Cleansing"?

Meghan0129
Meghan0129 Posts: 1,308 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
I have heard a lot of people talking about cleansing at my gym and some even rave about colonics. Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with this and should I try it? I have IBS w/ constipation and the idea of flushing out my system sound both wonderful and terrifying at the same time.

Replies

  • Meghan0129
    Meghan0129 Posts: 1,308 Member
    I have heard a lot of people talking about cleansing at my gym and some even rave about colonics. Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with this and should I try it? I have IBS w/ constipation and the idea of flushing out my system sound both wonderful and terrifying at the same time.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    I have heard a lot of people talking about cleansing at my gym and some even rave about colonics. Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with this and should I try it? I have IBS w/ constipation and the idea of flushing out my system sound both wonderful and terrifying at the same time.

    the only thing you should clean on purpose is your house
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    I havn't done it and I don't recommend it.

    It is NOT a valid weight loss aid.

    As far as I know it has NO valid medical purpose.

    It's very hard on your system, and forces your bowels to do very quickly what they are already fully capable of doing (nice and slowly). With your medical condition I'd even more strongly stress that you do NOT do it.
  • paulamma1
    paulamma1 Posts: 544 Member
    the only thing you should clean on purpose is your house

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • ktthegr8
    ktthegr8 Posts: 479
    That doesn't sound like any fun to me.:huh: As much as I hate that full of s*&% feeling, I prefer things to move naturally. Try tracking your fiber and see if that helps, drink your water and eat lots of raw veggies. HTH:flowerforyou:
  • 9726172000
    9726172000 Posts: 428
    Doing any kind of Colon cleansing with out a valid medical purpose does nothing for weight lose. My hubby just had a colonoscopy and that should be the only reason you should do it. Cleansing out the colon can be very dangerous because you are only taking in clear liquids (no solids) so your body is not getting the nutrients that it needs so you will get tired, energy gets very low, you can also get heart palpitations, your blood preasure can go high or even very low and you can catch a cold or flu very easy. My hubby even weighed before he started doing the colon cleansing and then he weighed again 2 days later and guess what he didn't lose any weight. Why he didn't, because as soon as he started to eat again his body replaced what was lost. In fact now it has been 5 days after his colon cleansing he has even gain weight.
  • Skinnytime
    Skinnytime Posts: 279
    I have done the SP Cleanse program. It's a 21 day program designed to rid your body of processed foods. The first 10 days are organic (preferably) vegetables and fruit, protein shakes, supplements and fiber. On day 11 you can add a certain amount of lean animal protein. No canned or jarred processed items. The only problem I had with it was the total lack of wheat products (no bread, no pasta) and the lack of dairy products.
    It's not as harsh as some of the other programs which seem to me to be just laxatives. This one is also trying to give your digestive system a break and help your body stop craving processed items.
  • joeysmuse
    joeysmuse Posts: 87
    I have done the SP Cleanse program. It's a 21 day program designed to rid your body of processed foods. The first 10 days are organic (preferably) vegetables and fruit, protein shakes, supplements and fiber. On day 11 you can add a certain amount of lean animal protein. No canned or jarred processed items. The only problem I had with it was the total lack of wheat products (no bread, no pasta) and the lack of dairy products.
    It's not as harsh as some of the other programs which seem to me to be just laxatives. This one is also trying to give your digestive system a break and help your body stop craving processed items.

    But did you loose any weight doing it?
  • joeysmuse
    joeysmuse Posts: 87
    If you like salads try eating them with spinach instead of other leafy greens. It really worked cleaning my hubby and I out. We had alot more energy after. Don't know if it was because we ate healthy or were "cleaned out". We used about a 1/2 pound of spinach each for our salads and we had 2 a day. We had a little meat, mostly ground turkey, chopped up in it in addition to cucumbers, carrots, a 1" cube of cabot reduced fat 50% cheese. It really jump started our lifestyle change and we both lost a lot the first week. Again don't know if it was becuase we were "cleaned out" or becuase we actually ate healthy and excersized for a change.
  • Skinnytime
    Skinnytime Posts: 279
    Yes - about 17 pounds in 4 weeks. Unfortunately, after a few months, I allowed myself to have "just a little" cheat here and there. Consequently, I threw all my good eating habits out the window and gained it all back!
    I am going to do it again, and use MFP to keep me on the straight and narrow after it's all done.

    Friends of mine have done the program and kept to the maintenance phase and kept off the weight they lost.
  • justsalad
    justsalad Posts: 132 Member
    I've done it -- and I HAVE IBS!

    If you do it -- make sure you cut out plans for the next 24-48 hours, and if you live with someone .. make them leave haha, you are constantly on the toilet, and I MEAN CONSTANTLY, and you will smell/see some god awful things if you've never done one before.

    It doesn't do much for significant weight loss -- yes the next morning you read the scale, you've lost five pounds .. but the minute you start consuming again, it starts compacting again. It's good to do once every few years though, just to clean yourself out anyway, especially with IBS. Make sure you drink ONLY liquids, and LOTS OF GATORADE(vitamins) and NO SOLIDS, NOT ONE, NOT ANY, while you do it!

    Good luck if you decide to!
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
    I also have IBS and I found that the best thing is to eat fiber one cereal every morning. I tell you what, it has done so much good... Give it a try and see for yourself.
  • catmac
    catmac Posts: 78
    I've been doing cleanses for about 5 years now and would never go back to not doing them regularly (every 6 - 12 months). I live in Canada so we have different products, but I use a 12 day herbal cleanse. You take the herb supplements to help get things moving along and they give you a very strict but open diet to follow. Essentially, you eat clean! (no flour products, dairy, sugars, yeasts, vinegars, etc.) You can eat nuts and oils (except peanut), grains (not flours), potatos, yams, non tropical fruits (berries, apples, pears, plums, etc), meats, butter (nor marg) veg and fish and you can eat as much as you want. You are detoxing your body of all the non natural products and processed food (if you cant grow it or kill it, don't eat it). The first time, I lost about 12 pounds and it stayed off for quite a while and then after that, I only loose about 4-5 pounds. The bottom line is a detox or cleanse needs to be a healthy one and it should not be for weight loss. You should do one to kick start your clean eating habits and to make yourself feel better. Initially, for the first 3 days, you will feel like crap, but when you are done, you will absolutely feel a tonne better and will loose that sluggish feeling you've got going on. Do a cleanse properly and for the right reasons, and you will swear by them like I do. Good Luck!
  • antzyndam
    antzyndam Posts: 18
    Don't "cleanse" b/c you are not cleansing! My father was a reknown physician and always right. He said that it brought out the poisoins in your body. One of the morning shows (Today?) did a segment on the Wackiest Diets of the Decades a few weeks ago, they backed up my father. See if you can google it.
  • Meghan0129
    Meghan0129 Posts: 1,308 Member
    Thank you so much for all of the feedback. I guess what everyone is saying is not to buy an over the counter supplement and assume it's going to help me shed weight and feel great.:ohwell: The clean eating "cleansing" sound beneficial but involved. I think I will try to incorporate "some" elements in to my diet but I don't know if I have the self control to go hardcore.
  • weaverc
    weaverc Posts: 158
    Doing a colon cleansing without a medical reason is silly. As soon as you put food back into your mout the pounds will come back. I know someone who had to do a colon cleansing for a colonoscopy and she was absolutely miserable. It can tear you up!!!! I'd stay away.
  • jcarter0525
    jcarter0525 Posts: 84
    My best friend does it every 6 months or so. She says it kicks all her cravings and makes her feel really good. Her complexion also clears up. However, she takes 16 pills in the morning and 16 pills in the evening and drinks a disgusting liquid all day. I don't particularly agree with it because you are basically starving yourself, but it's your body and your decision.
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