As the year ends with numerous parties to usher in the New Year, one of the resolutions embraced by many people is detoxing in order to lose weight or cleanse the body. Detoxing sounds tempting when you feel that your liver is pickled or you have had a weekend of unhealthy junk foods.
There is nothing like detoxing and some medical experts term it as nonsense. The only way of becoming healthy is diet and exercise.
Be warned. A friend of mine did it before, and she told me that what happened to her body was unpleasant. She went on an extreme detox (no food for two weeks, but drank only herbs that had foul taste). For the following 21 weeks, she consumed only small quantities of poached chicken and cucumber. At the end, she lost 15 kilograms, but regained it in a period of two years.
She vouched that she would not be doing any other extreme detox and if you are still contemplating about it, perhaps the following effects and reasons could change your mind.
There are valid reasons that should make you think about avoiding the temptation of engaging in an unnecessary purge. Irrespective of the juicy promises, we encourage you to try as much as possible and avoid cleanses, detoxes and other “quick-fix” approaches during this New Year, festive season or holidays.
Here are eight compelling reasons:
1. You develop random bursts of emotion
Many people know the physical symptoms of detox, including muscle aches, digestion problems, fatigue and headache. However, the other part of detox that is mentioned less often, but never discussed is the emotional aspect.
Some people may know what I am referring to. You embrace a new diet, and then begin feeling random bursts of emotion including depression, fear or anger. From the experience of my friends and research, it does not matter the kind of diet that you are using as long as it is healthy and clean. Despite your views on food, cutting out all processed and unhealthy food items gives you a more than 90% chance of experiencing a release of toxins.
2. You incur more unnecessary expenses
There is probability that you may end up out of pocket. You will be amazed at the way the little extras may accumulate even as you deprive yourself. Organic fruits and vegetables are undoubtedly costlier, whereas the cost of extra supplements could be equal to or more than that Christmas shopping bill that you may still be reeling from.
3. Weight gain
For sure, you may lose a significant amount of weight, though not fat, with a detox or cleanse. However, as soon as you revert to your normal eating habits, there are higher chances that you will regain all of it back. This is what happened to my friend who regained all the 15 kg she had lost, and ended up adding 6 kg more.
You will lose weight only for a short period, but there will be no long-term success. And the health repercussions may be life-threatening because of body changes.
4. Difficulty maintaining exercise regime
You will find it more difficult maintaining your exercise regime during detoxing. Low intake of nutrients and calories will make it tough for you to go through any workout. In fact, because of the nature of some workouts, there are certain foods that are often recommended in order for you to successfully complete them. In the absence of such foods like caffeine, you will become more frustrated at the gym. Forcing your body to endure the usual workout on less-than-required fuel could bring about problems for your body and health in the near future.
5. Over-restriction of calorie intake
Related to low caloric intake is that you will end up eliminating important food groups from your diet. Whether you are having a cult cleanse or green juice diet, consuming less quantities of food groups like dairy, whole grains will leave you short of important vitamins and minerals including magnesium, sodium and Vitamin B.
6. Bad smell
My friend informed me that she noticed a foul smell on the fourth day of detox. As she lied in bed, she thought that the chicken-carcass smell emanated from outside. After closing the window, she was shocked to realize that the smell was from her own body. In the ensuing weeks, all her friends avoided her after hugging them, and she noticed that while crying, her tears also had a bad smell.
7. It is the role of your organs
You have well-functioning organs that could help you to detox. From the lungs, skin, kidneys and liver, you have great organs that help in detoxifying. Therefore, before you end up on that colonic irrigation or green juice binge, remember your organs are efficient enough.
8. Not as effective as advertised
Health and nutrition should be about the larger picture. Whatever you do for a week or two out of more than 48 weeks in a year is inconsequential. Do not believe the unproven yet costly promise of cleansing or detoxing as an option that could make you healthier.
9. Binge eating habits
Your objective should revolve around getting the desired results, and maintaining them for a long period. To actualize this, ensure that you keep things not only sane but also simple for you to develop habits that are long-term and sustainable. The three are the powerful S’s you could consider: sustainable, simple and sane. These cannot be achieved with the time-consuming workout routines or the unsustainable detoxes or diets.
