The Detox Diet Controversy

Detox or Starvation?
The detox diet has come under harsh scrutiny over the past few months. There are ample claims that the only weight lost is the water weight form the initial fast and the natural weight loss occurs from cutting caloric intake. The detox diet is quite restrictive, to the point where some people are calling it a starvation diet. There have been countless articles written by "experts" that state that the detox diet endangers people, stating that it creates yo-yo dieting, an unhealthy relationship with food, and even can contribute to the development of an eating disorder.

We also know that the vast majority of the "experts" who write these articles are those in the health and weight loss industry, such as nutritionists, health program supervisors, weight loss counselors, and lay people with an extreme interest in health and fitness. While I am certainly not suggesting that anyone is fabricating evidence or creating thought processes that are not accurate, I am however, indicating that when a person is educated to see things in one specific manner, it can be very difficult for them to see the same principles in a varying manner. For example, if a dietician goes to college and is taught that green beans cause cancer, that dietician will graduate believing that green beans cause cancer. If the same dietician returns for occasional classes to keep her education current, and over the course of the next ten years, the dietician is once again taught that green beans cause cancer, then the dietician will continue to believe this and teach her clients this as well. Fifteen years later someone comes along and points out to the dietician that green beans don't cause cancer, how likely is the dietician to believe that green beans don't cause cancer?
This phenomenon is not solely related to dieticians and health related fields. This phenomenon actual relates to every field. As a writer I was taught that you never speak in double negatives. It's a basic principle I apply every day. If someone tried to convince me that the rules had suddenly changed, right or wrong, it has already been ingrained in me that double negatives are inappropriate and you shouldn't use them. Thus, if I criticize this new theory without completely re-educating myself on the basic rules of English and grammar, then I am relying solely on my previous knowledge to dispute this issue.
So let's break away from conventional dieticians and explore the detox diet with a completely blank slate. I am not a dietician. I am just a writer is interested to know whether the detox diet is a healthy form of purification, or if it is a hidden form of starvation that does nothing but allow some water weight loss and makes you believe you are healthier. I have assembled three people who have done the detox diet and three who have not. Granted, this is not a huge percentage to pull from, but I am not using them as test subjects, only to ask them to verify or deny detox diet statements that are made from both testimonials from detox dieters and criticism from dieticians.

Fasting and Purity

For centuries people have fasted for purity. If we look back through even ancient texts, we will find that the fasting was not for spiritual purity alone, but for physical purity as well. Fasting for purity often left the spiritual seeker feeling initially drained and then once again reenergized within a thirty six hour period. The purity that they felt within their spirits was also a purity that they felt through their body. This argument can be easily criticized that they felt their body's purity because of their spiritual lifting. All three detox dieters, who were not in search of spiritual enlightenment, all agreed that they felt weak from the initial starvation, but began to feel "clearer," before the end of the second day. None of them agreed that they were experiencing starvation. They all felt their fasting led to at least some form of physical purity.

In medical science, there are times when doctors recommend fasting. Not including pre surgical procedures, most fasting requirements are for some form of "readying" or purity. Prior to starting diets that treat illnesses, such as the ketogenic diet, there is a period of fasting required beforehand.

Critics of the detox diet claim that the headaches and general all over yucky feeling people experience in the first week of a detox diet is from a lack of food. However, champions of the detox diet say that the headaches and the generally "yucky" feeling they get when fasting coincides with a noticeable change in their excretions. My three detox dieters all agreed that when their urine and bowel movements became noticeably more "aromatic" they found themselves with headaches and a feeling of overall fatigue. They did not contribute this feeling to fasting.

I did an online search and found eleven dieticians that negated the detox diet. Each one of them claimed that the headaches were from the fasting, however, each of them offered their own version of the detox diet. Interesting. The dieticians' versions included what could almost be considered fasting. Their idea of not fasting was eating some fruit and yogurt. Most detox diets do not include a total fasting period.
The critics of the detox diet are not impressed with the detox diet weight loss. They claim that the detox diet weight loss comes from the loss of water weight during the fasting period and will be regained quickly when normal eating is resumed. The detox diet weight loss comes from various sources. If you are doing a complete detoxification, including the colon, all three of my detox dieters claim that you can see where some of the weight loss comes from as you are flushing it down the toilet. Two of my detox dieters had to call plumbers from the excessive waste they produced. Their detox diet weight loss has remained, and two of them started the detox diet more than six months prior to this writing. Detox diet weight loss remained in all three of my dieters because they make better choices. They resumed normal eating habits, but they did not return to ingesting large amounts of junk foods. They claim that the detox diet showed them how important maintaining a low toxic level was to their overall health.

Just Another Diet Trend?

The critics of the detox diet claim that this diet trend, like all those that came before it, is no more effective than anything else that has been put out there. Whenever a new diet trend comes along, people rush to participate, and then claim that it doesn't work. Not all diets will work for everyone. I tried the Atkins diet for awhile with little or no results, but a man I knew lost nearly thirty pounds on it. However Atkins doesn't work very well for people who are not significantly overweight, according to some critics and apparently my body. So, does that mean that the detox diet is more than just another diet trend, or will it fall to the wayside after a bit like every other diet trend. Of my detox dieters, 2 out of three say it's not a diet trend. It is a method of cleansing the body, which other diet trends simply don't do. The 3rd dieter says it is a diet trend, but a highly effective diet trend, and if a diet trend is effective then who cares if it's a trend? Interesting point.
Diet trend and fads usually don't carry much weight behind their claims. They are simply a theory produced to suggest that the latest Diet trend is the most effective weight loss plan and everyone needs to jump on board before their obesity claims them forever. The detox diet has a different aim, so I really poked around when trying to determine if this was simply just a diet trend or more of a health revolution.
There is overwhelming evidence that Americans and Canadians are in the poorest health overall, considering the health care we have available. The healthcare we have at our fingertips should make us one of the healthiest nations in the world, but we rank very low on the list. Most doctors and scientists contribute this to the foods we put into our body and the chemicals we come in contact with when eating, working, and playing. For the health choices that we have available to us, we have one of the highest rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and childhood cancer rates in the world. Of course, we also rank ridiculously high on the list for overweight and obese citizens.

The detox diet is concerned with addressing the overall health of Americans, not just their waistline. The diet trends that have come along have been concerned with treating the waistline issues, but not the overall health. So, is the detox diet just another diet trend? By technical definition, a diet trend meaning any new method of eating introduced into society that creates a sudden onslaught of followers, well then yes. However, it can't be considered a diet trend by any other definition. It was simply not developed for the same reasons or the same fashion that diet trends hit the market.
Thin people can benefit from the detox diet. Overweight people can benefit from the detox diet. Everyone in between can benefit from the detox diet. The detox diet isn't targeted for weight loss. Thus it is really about a healthier lifestyle. Detox dieting is geared toward permanent health. After a significant purge of the body's chemical and toxic build up, the detox diet is geared to long lasting non-toxic lifestyles rather than diet trends, which tend to be geared toward lifestyles that manage weight.

Decide for Yourself

Discover for yourself the difference in a good quality detox diet and just another diet trend. The best consumer is an informed consumer. Check out detox manual and decide for yourself about the power of a good detox diet. After the research I did for this article, I am definitely stopping at detox manual and taking my own detox diet trip.

Low-Carb Diet - Should I or Shouldn't I?

It's no wonder that confusion reigns when it comes to the worth and reliability of low-carb diets after all the conflicting studies and confusing interpretation of the information. It seems like debates are popping up everywhere!
No matter if it's Atkins, South Beach or some other low-carb plan, there are approximately 30 million Americans are on a low-carb diet.
Supporters contend that the large amount of carbohydrates in our diet has led to increased problems with obesity, diabetes, and other health situations. On the other hand, some attribute obesity and related health problems to over eating of calories and lack of physical activity. They also express concern that without grains, fruits, and vegetables in low-carbohydrate diets may lead to deficiencies of some key nutrients, including vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and many minerals.
It is already known that any diet, whether high or low in carbohydrates, can produce meaningful weight loss during the early stages of the diet. Keep in mind, the key to a diet being successful is in being able to lose the weight on a permanent basis.
Let's see if we can expose some of the mystery about low-carb diets. Following, is a listing of some related points taken from recent studies and scientific literature.
Point 1 - Some Differences Between Low-Carb Diets
There are many famous diets created to lower carbohydrate consumption. Lowering total carbohydrates in the diet means that protein and fat will take up a proportionately greater amount of the total caloric intake.
Low carbohydrate diet like the Atkins Diet restrict carbohydrate to a point where the body becomes ketogenic (a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that includes normal amounts of protein). Other low-carb diets like the Zone and Life Without Bread are less confined. Some, like Sugar Busters announce only
to eliminate sugars and foods that elevate blood sugar levels excessively.
Point 2 - What We Know about Low-Carb Diets
+Close to all of the studies to date have been small with a diversity of research objectives.
Carbohydrate, caloric intake, diet duration and participant characteristics are wide-ranged greatly. Most of the studies to date have two things in common, none of the research studies had people in the study with a average age over 53 and none of the controlled studies lasted more than 90 days.
+The results on older adults and long-term results are scarce. Many diet studies fail to keep track of the amount of exercise, and therefore caloric use, while people in the study are dieting. This helps to explain the variances between studies.
+If you lose weight on a low-carb diet it is a function of the calorie intake and length of the diet, and not with reduced amount of carbohydrates.
+There is very little evidence on the long-range safety of low-carb diets. Even though the medical community has concerns, no short-term bad effects have been found with cholesterol, glucose, insulin and blood-pressure levels among the people in the study on the diets. Because of the short period of the studies the adverse effects may not show up. Losing weight typically leads to improvement in these levels, and this may offset an increase caused by a high fat diet. The over-all weight changes for low-carb and other types of diets are similar.
+Most low-carb diets can cause ketosis. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and confusion are some of the potential consequences. When first starting a low-carb diet some fatigue and constipation may be met and these symptoms usually disappear quickly.
+Some report that you can have more calories when on a low-carb diet. Remember a calorie is a calorie no matter what you intake. When the study is not closely supervised variations will result by people cheating in the study on many factors of the study.
There are three important factors I would like to re-emphasize:
1.- The over-all success rate for low-carb and other types of diets are similar.
2.- Small amount of information exists on the long-term efficacy and safety of low-carb diets despite their huge popularity,
3.- Dieters usually experience boredom with a strict version of the low-carb diet and are not able to stay on diets of low carb food.
After observing the subject, a more severe and controlled study are needed on a long-range basis. The ketosis produced is abnormal and stressful metabolic state. The results may cause more problems than it solved.
By picking a reliable diet you will benefit over a lifetime of proper eating and not a weight loss quickie.
An excellent rule of thumb is look at the diet long-range and see if you can see yourself still on that diet after a couple of weeks. However, by following a diet with fat, carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients in moderation may be the best way to go and a little more exercise won't hurt either.

What is Yo Yo Dieting|Yo Yo Dieting in Men

When a person wishes to go on a diet, they may experience the ups and downs that come with the process of dieting. This is when the term "yo yo dieting" comes into play. Even though a person may lose weight after beginning a diet, they will have to work hard to keep up and maintain the progress. Yo yo dieting is also seen in individuals who are obese.
Those who are obese have more fat cells than a person who is physically fit. Their fat cells are also larger. When an obese man or woman diets, their fat cells do not decrease in numbers, they only grow smaller. This means that when food intake increases after a diet, the fat cells will return to their original state, making the overall appearance of the individual larger. This is why it is important for a person to find a diet that they will be able to stick to; they will be able to feel better and maintain their weight loss better.
Although the trend of dieting has been mostly associated with women; men also experience these ups and downs of yo yo dieting. During short-term dieting, a dieter must exercise or else half or more of the weight they lose will be due to a loss in muscles. Muscle loss will lead to a variety of problems, such as a thinner, weaken body prone to breakdowns and fatigue; weakened maintenance of weight because it is muscle than burns calories, not fat; and when weight is gained back, it is mostly fat that will stick to the body- exercise is needed to build muscles.
Another result of yo yo dieting is when the weight is gained back, a dieter who does not exercise will not only be fatter, but will appear thicker than they were before. For example, let's say a man weighed 300 pounds and wore a 5x shirt. He diets without exercising, then loses 20 pounds. Now, let's say that he regains the weight, but now he is puzzled as to why he now has to fit into a size 6x shirt. The reason is that
fat is lighter and less dense than muscle, so it takes more fat weight, as well as bulk, to replace the lost muscle weight. Exercise can eliminate some of these problems.
Not only is yo yo dieting a frustrating process, but it is not good for your overall health. When a person bounces from weight gain to weight loss and back to weight gain again, the immune system suffers. Studies have shown that negative health effects of yo-yo dieting can still be detected years after the fact. If a man participates in crash dieting, such as trying to lose ten pounds in ten days, they will most likely suffer from a yo yo dieting trend. If they are trying to maintain a healthy weight, they should choose a diet that promotes a healthy diet over longer periods of time. The diet should be a complete lifestyle change and not something to try for one brief moment. It has been said that if you lose more than 1-2 pounds a week, you are probably doing too much.

Weight Loss|The Exercise Trap

Read anything about weight loss and you will see something about exercise. It might be referred to as "physical activity", but that's just a codeword. They mean exercise.
Actually, many people have tried exercise and given up on it because it just didn't seem to work for one reason or another. Here are some explanations of why someone might think that exercise ISN'T working, when it IS!
THE BEGINNING OF THE EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Exercise is activity, movement you might say. People have been moving all their lives, so they know how to do it, right? Well, if you are just talking about "getting some exercise", you might be right. However, if you are talking about exercise for the purpose of losing weight, things change a little.
At the beginning of a weight loss program, the person has probably been sedentary for some time and has experienced an overall deterioration in the body's ability to deal with, or react favorably to, physical activity. At this point, almost any activity above the normal level becomes "exercise" for this individual. Over time, the body will adjust to the new level of activity and assume a new homeostasis, or overall balance of physical ability, fat, muscle, body weight, and metabolism. It then becomes time to adjust the activity upwards in order to arrive at a new balance. Once an acceptable balance, usually a target weight, has been arrived at, the individual can change from a weight loss program to a weight maintenance program.
Unfortunately, people tend to be a little ignorant on the subject of exercise and sabotage themselves at the start of their weight loss program through several different mechanisms. Beginners usually:

• Try to do too much
• Don't do enough
• Don't increase the level
• Do the wrong exercises
• Have unrealistic expectations
• Don't understand what exercise is going to do

Some of these items cross lines, so it is difficult to talk about one without talking about another one or two. For example, if someone has unrealistic expectations, they may try to do too much or too little. If they do not understand what exercise is going to do, they may choose the wrong exercises. Most of these problems are directly related to ignorance about exercise. This is why, if you are interested in using exercise as part of a weight loss program, you either do a little studying on the subject, or get yourself a good personal trainer.
Let's briefly talk about the situations above.
TOO MUCH EXERCISE
This can cause you to fail in many ways. You can strain muscles, make yourself feel sick, or even injure yourself. After a day or two of too much exercise, your body and your brain will be screaming at you to "knock it off!" To be effective for weight loss, exercise should become a regular activity and if you are dreading the next workout, you will eventually find ways to avoid it altogether. You need to start small and build yourself up. This can create a problem also.
TOO LITTLE EXERCISE
As I mentioned above, for the sedentary individual, almost any activity will be classified as "enough exercise" at first. However, the body soon adapts to this small unit of activity and settles in at a new level, usually without really exhibiting much in the way of weight lost.
INCREASE THE LEVEL OF EXERCISE
Once the body has achieved its new level of "fitness" relative to the starting point, it becomes necessary to increase the intensity or duration of the exercise, or both. The person who starts out trying to run a marathon will fail. The person who starts out walking to the mailbox must eventually start walking past the mailbox and down the street, or they too will fail.
THE WRONG EXERCISES
Exercises can be divided roughly into three groups. In my high school days (don't ask how long ago) we would talk about strength, endurance, and flexibility. These days you hear things like resistance training, cardiovascular training... and flexibility. As pointed out, at the beginning, almost any movement will qualify for pretty near all three types. As you progress, you will have to separate out each and, for the purpose of overall health, give each its due. However, for weight loss, cardiovascular activities will probably give most people the most weight loss bang for their buck. Be aware that strength training will also benefit weight loss in the long run due to the formation of muscle tissue which can aid in burning calories.
UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Exercise works, but it generally works from the inside out. While someone who is overweight may experience an initial weight loss, most of what is happening is going to take time. If you want to look in the mirror in a couple of days or step on the scale and see obvious evidence of weight loss, you are bound to be disappointed. You will have to accept the fact that even the most perfectly designed and executed exercise program is probably going to take weeks or even months to produce inspiring results. At the start, you may just have to keep going on faith. However, EXERCISE DOES WORK!
EXERCISES LITTLE SURPRISE
This actually happened to my wife. She was trying to lose weight and began exercising. A few days later, I could tell that she was experiencing benefits. She was more active, perkier, her complexion was glowing, she was walking around the house singing more than usual, and she looked "tighter" to me. One night we were talking, and she was going on and on in an excited way about how much looser her clothes were getting. In fact, they were getting so baggy; she was saying that she would have to go shopping for more. She was in a great mood when I left the room. A few seconds later, I heard her exclaim, "Oh no!" I stepped back into the room and she was crying.
She had stepped on the scale and her weight had GONE UP since the last time she had weighed herself.
Even though I had explained to her what was going to happen, like most people who have tried and tried to lose weight, her immediate reaction was that her exercise program "wasn't working." She felt like another promise had failed her.
We will leave aside the fact that everybody's weight fluctuates from day to day and from hour to hour. If you are checking your weight daily, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you MUST weigh yourself, do it once a month or even once every two months. If you have been eating properly during that time and doing your exercise, increasing it as you achieve each new level of ability, you will have lost at least a few pounds.
What got her, and a lot of other people, is a simple physiological process which was, in a few days, going to work in her favor. When someone who has NOT been exercising begins to exercise, they usually build some lean muscle mass and burn off some fat. Unfortunately, at first, the weight of lean muscle mass that is added is sometimes greater than the amount of fat that is lost. Therefore, someone may find that they are actually GAINING WEIGHT for the first few days or even weeks of their exercise program. In time, if the program is continued, the muscle mass will plateau, and the fat will continue to be burned and the weight will come down.
Remember how my wife was saying that her clothes were looser? That's because she was burning fat and adding lean muscle mass. The lean muscle takes up less space than the fat that has been burned. Even though she had gained weight, her body size was actually smaller... and she was healthier.
If you are going to start a weight loss program, make sure you learn a little bit about exercise and use that in addition to monitoring your nutritional intake.

Exercise Break|6 REASONS FOR EXERCISE BREAK

Either you have exercise for fun, for weight loss program or for toning your body, the exercise intensity should be adjusted to your own body. That's why there is no instant way to lose weight or to build muscles. High intensity exercise is not always correlated to better result.
Want a proof ?....
Have you ever got these symptoms during or after your workout session ?
Decreasing performance
You are in a good shape, and in a high mood to have an intense exercise today. But when it comes to muscle exercise, suddenly you face a difficulty to lift the same weight you usually have. Why?
Rapid pulse
At night after exercise...your heart is still pulsing rapidly that force you to stay awake for hours. What's wrong?
Lack of fitness motivation
You are a fitnessholic, and exercise has become your favorite activity. But today...you really don't feel like going to the gym neither to do exercise at home. Suddenly exercise becomes a responsibility. What happened?
Decreasing immune system
Up till now you are proud of your health, as one of sport's benefits is increasing body immune system. But lately you get sick so often even though you keep maintaining your exercise schedule. What's wrong?
Recovery Problem
In a healthy person, recovery after workout usually takes 1-2 days time, depends on the exercise intensity. However after your last exercise, you still got soreness and exhausted after 4 days. You feel weak and lose concentration at work. Is it normal?
Lose appetite
This has gone too far! When you lose your appetite, you won't regain your energy to do another exercise. And if you force yourself to continue your exercise, you will only torture your body!
So, what is going on here ?....
Within your routine exercise and obsession of weight loss or muscles toning, you have unconsciously come to a level of overtraining. Overtraining doesn't mean you lift a heavier weight or run faster than usual. Overtraining happens because you do not give your body enough time to recover. This is where you need an exercise break before having another exercise.
There are two types of exercise break :
Exercise Break Between Exercises
If you used to have intense daily exercise, then you can choose cardio-muscle exercises combination in every session. However, do not train the same muscles (back & chest or triceps & biceps) exercises on the same day. To avoid overtraining, have one week exercise break after every 8 weeks of exercise. You can have a swim or enjoy other sports that you like just for fun, remember...you're on an exercise break!
For men or women who don't need intense exercise, and only go to the gym 2-3 days a week, you can have your exercise break between your exercises to recover your muscles.
Exercise Break Between Sets
Either cardio exercise or muscle exercise should be performed with exercise break between sets or session.
Cardio exercise
20 minutes exercise break between 2 sets of 30 minutes of static bike, is believed to burn more fat than having 60 minutes nonstop exercise. It's because your body will use the exercise break period to get more energy from the fats. Use the exercise break period to do stretching or light treadmill.
Muscle exercise
Exercise break is very important in weight lifting exercise, to optimize your exercises. The rule of exercise break depends on your goal in having weight lifting exercise.
* For toning muscle: 30-60 seconds between sets, with minimum 10 repetition each set.
* For muscle resistance: 30 seconds between different muscles or 3 minutes between the same muscles, with 12 repetition for each muscle.
* For muscle strength: 3-5 minutes between sets, with 3-6 repetition each set.
Start a healthy exercise by inserting exercise break in your exercise schedule from today,....Happy exercising!