What is a good clease to use?

[Kathyd]

I am really on track with my meals and workouts and would like some advice on a cleanse. I have done some research on them, but I would like some information from personal experiences and feedback on them. Any information would be appreciated.

[Boss Man]

Well my honest thoughts on them, as a layperson / observer is, many aren't worth a dime and you get fast weightloss that eventually comes back in part or full.

Colonic irrigation might be one approach, rather than taking some pretty nonsensical thing like isagenix, where you consume strange liquids and pills for a week.

However you do get the other diet based types, not shake or shake and pill based types, where you get told to eat 1 or 2 foods for 2-3 days, then some other foods for 2-3 days, then one day of pretty much one thing, with a proper breakfast and essentially an eating plan, cobbled together daily choices, that for the potential consumer, must make no sense at all.

Somwhere on the net is a diet plan for workers at Tata Motors in India, which I think had 2 days of little protein content at all, then one day of just lots of Chicken and Tomatos I think, then a day mostly full of Bananas and Potatos, or something strange like that.

Just made no sense to me at all.

Things that might help you, would be increasing things like Wholegrain fibre consumption, or things like Psylium or Senna. You could drink more Water, or eat Figs and Prunes, or have things like Fibre Sure, Benefibre, Metamucil etc, as such things can positively affect bowel function, or have a laxative like effect if you ever feel a little uncomfortable or "bunged up" for want of a better phrase.

I certainly would not reccomend you take any cleanse involving pill based consumption, as they are probably very pricey, certainly I think Isagenix is from what I read some time back, and if you really are keen on it, do the reasearch on ones that are purely liquid based and make sure you understand exactly what the ingredients are, if you're not sure on all of them, make sure you know what constitutes good levels of ingredients and also make sure the price is comparable to what you're getting content wise.

Though those are some of the hallmarks I often espouse in relation to all supplements, especially if they contain herbal or chemical content.

Hopefully that goes some way to helping you make a choice either way. I'm sure others might have something to say, but good luck .

[CallieD]

Cleanses are typically a waste of money. Keep eating real food and make sure you're taking a fiber supplement each night.

In my opinion as a trainer the only two ways you should be detoxing are:

1. Take 5 days and cut out starches, dairy, alcohol and caffeine. Eat protein, veggies and healthy fat.

2. Do a 24 hour fast simply taking in water and 1-2 cups of black coffee

All of my training clients utilize the two methods above with great results. I personally do a 24-36 hour fast each week.

Let me know if you need any more info or advice.

[Boss Man]

Many people frown upon fasts. It represents depriving the body of essential nutrients for a day, which to me is a little nonsensical.

It might kickstart the metabolism in some way and change how it reacts to further change, but I don't see the relevance to be honest.

You could easily cut some Carbs out, or just spend the day having slightly smaller portions, so eat maybe 1,200 for just one day, not permanently obviously, but in terms of having absolutely nothing, I don't see the point.

[zumbawjade]

As you can see from the posts above me, many people aren't all for fasts (or cleanses).

I, however, don't agree with them. I think that there are healthy ways (and reasons) to do a cleanse and if you are doing it for the right reasons, they can be succesful and make you feel great (even if it's all just in our head).

I don't do cleanses to lose more weight. I do them to clean my body out. And I also don't do anything extreme (the most I've ever done is 48 hours). If you do a cleanse to lose weight, you will more than likely put back on all that you lose. Don't bother.

BUT, if you feel like you just want to purify your body of the everyday toxins you consume, then maybe they're right for you! I often do a very simply cleanse right before I hop in the shower where I take a bristle brush (from the dollar store) and brush my skin with it. This helps to draw oils and toxins to the front and gets rid of dead skin cells while also leaving your body feeling very soft. I found it on Pinterest, it works and is a good starting place.

I have also tried a juice and water only cleanse. I have only done it once because it wasn't too long ago (I did it about two and a half months ago, I don't think you should perform a cleanse any more than once a month and even that is pushing it). I drank a ton of water and juice and was pee'ing non-stop. By the end of the second day, I felt pretty weird. I don't do well without food so for me, it was an almost out of body experience. But once I went back to eating, I fel so great. My body just felt rejuvinated.

IF you are going to do a cleanse, you need to do it the right way. If you feel dizzy, you need to eat. You need to make sure that you get the okay from your doctor before you begin. You can't perform any real exercise while cleansing so schedule that in as your rest day. And be prepared to be sitting on the toliet a lot (some people say it made them poop a lot, for me, it was just a ton of peeing.... like a TON).

If you have any more questions or would like more info on my own cleanse, feel free to email me at zumbawjade@yahoo.com. I also send out a weekly newsletter with all sorts of weight loss and fitness tips and tricks as well as my own recipes and meal/exercise plans and discounts I recieve as a fitness instructor which I extend to my students and anyone on meet via my own fitness endeavors.

Best of luck with whatever you decide, make sure you do it the safe way!

[Tallgirll22T]

Leek soup. Buy a bunch of leeks (usually 3 in a bunch). Cut off the white part and the tough dark green part. Chop the remaining bright green part into rounds (like you would celery). Throw it in a colander/strainer and rinse VERY well. Use your fingers to break apart the rounds into rings to get all the trapped dirt and sand out. Chop up one sweet onion. Throw the onion and leeks into a soup kettle with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Don't add any chicken broth, potatoes, or salt. It would taste better, but this is diet soup. After it boils, put it on simmer with a lid for 30 minutes. If you don't like the texture, you can run it throught a blender. Drink this soup 3 times a day for 2 days.
If I am cleansing, I usually wait till the weekend and only have liquids. Spices like cayenne pepper, cumin, black pepper, and garlic are also good for cleansing, so feel free to add these to the soup or a glass of tomato juice.
Herbal teas containing eleuthero, mint, and lemon also seem to help me, especially with a wedge of lemon. If you don't like tea, hot water and fresh squeezed lemon juice taste good. Honey is a sweetener, but I think it is ok on a cleanse as it helps digestion. And of course, drink lots of water! I have also found that the premaid, non-milk Musclemilk protein drinks really clean me out. Just a suggestion though.

[Tallgirll22T]

One more thing. If you find you just can't do liquids only, try eating small amounts of plain cooked old-fashioned oats. No sweetener. It will really get your body back on track and it is filling. Sometimes I cook 1/4 cup or so then run it through the blender with some fresh fruit and milk. Ground flax is a good idea to add as well, as it promotes regularity and good digestion. The rest of the day I have almond milk with cinnamon or tomato juice with spices. And the leek soup, of course. You shouldn't feel deprived. Each liquid meal should feel satisfying, if it isn't try adding a bowl of cooked oats. Taking acidolphilus before bed every night is also a good practice. good luck.