has anyone ever done a cleanse?

[LamborghiniGirl]

now i know cleanses are not the right solution for weight loss, but i wanted to know if anyone on here had done one, which one, and what your experience was like. i have tried to research some different ones online but i find it hard to read unbiased information-- it''s either from a doctor or the brand trying to promote a book (and promoters disguised as user comments!)

so, discuss!

thanks

 

[KimberlyH]

i don''t understand the point of cleansing. our bodies are designed to cleanse themselves naturally and there is no way to remove just certain things so i think you''d be flushing vitamins and nutrients along with whatever else you are getting rid of. i would go on a fruits and veggies only diet if i was to do anything. and in general choosing to eat as organically as possible. Not the trend of finding the food with the prettiest "green" sticker on the label, but eating unprocessed, locally grown, seasonal foods, growing your own garden of fruits veggies and herbs.

i have a friend who does cleanses fairly frequently. she says they make her feel better. she doesn''t eat very well in general and long term they appear to have no effect on her general health or her weight.

 

[pinki]

Sorry...never tried one, I''m along the same beliefs as Kimberly, and I think you''ll find that most of us who frequent HL are.

I just read an article in Healthy Lifestyle mag that most cleanses are only successful in making you lose water weight and have no long term affects. Beach body people will tell you they''re the best thing since sliced bread, but they''re usually just trying to make money like every other person who promotes cleanses to sell their products/books/etc like you found in your research.

Cj

 

[BeachRunner]

I also have never done a cleanse. A friend of mine just bought one and I teased him and told him he bought an expensive laxative in a box.

Kim said it great: the body is designed to flush itself out naturally. Of course that means w/ a healthy diet rich in vegetables and foods high in fiber.

But, hopefully someone chimes in that had a positive experience with one!

 

[LamborghiniGirl]

I''d like someone to chime in who has done one- positive or negative experience! I am not biased either way but would love to hear firsthand info. Not that I don''t appreciate all of your opinions.

 

[megumic]

I have not done a cleanse, but plan to do one soon. (probably blueprint -- v. expensive.)

I''m of the same opinion, that the body does naturally cleanse itself, but it has to work realllly hard to do so. It''s my understanding that a cleanse allows the body a rest from constant digestion and detox. By only intaking certain items for a few days, the body still has to do the same work, but on a much smaller less intense scale.

What cleanse are you considering doing?

 

[steph72276]

I think you would be hard pressed to find a doctor that is not selling a cleanse that would recommend doing this. If you want to do something healthy for your body, just cut out processed foods. Eat things like egg whites, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish. Cut out added sugars and white flour. A cleanse is just a waste of good money. Like Kim said, your body was designed to cleanse itself when given the right foods. What will probably end up happening with a cleanse is that you will feel starved, lightheaded and grumpy. You will probably loose a few pounds. Then you will eat again and your body will gain that right back plus some because you have messed with your metabolism and it has now gone into starvation mode and will hang on to every.single.morsel you give it. Not a smart idea in my opinion (someone who has successfully lost 70lbs).

 

[LamborghiniGirl]

thanks for all the opinions-- but like i said, i want to hear from someone who has actually done one. maybe no one has! which speaks in itself. there are a few i am looking at that aren''t branded and don''t have books. maybe that''s better since no one is profiting? i may just abandon the idea too. i''m not convinced either way!

 

[mayachel]

My name is mayachel and I''ve done some fasting/cleanses and I don''t anymore

Overall I am a healthy vegetarian of many years. No major health issues *knock on wood*.

I did a number of honey/lemon/cayenne/hot water for a day or two at a time, followed by raw vegetables for another day or two. Mostly I was hungry. I can''t say that they made a difference.

I did a citrus/juice fast-shortly after I developed kidney stones, when i had no risk factors for having done so. I had a nagging feeling it was the citrus.

Bitter teas, with single herbs are good for stimulating the gut. Dandelion or licorice, but no set giant in a box deal. I too think they are just expensive laxatives.

I admit that I''ve always wanted to do the gallstone cleanse with apple cider and what not, but a) I probablly don''t need to given my diet and b) I''m too much of a chicken reading about the "if one gets stuck"

 

[Bleed Burnt Orange]

I did a 21 day "diet" plan last year. It was with My Fit Foods (Houston chain) and it involved eating ONLY the food they provided and drinking only water and their "cleanse". It is unsweetened cranberry juice, half a lemon and a tablespoon of apple cidar vinegar, as soon as you wake up, followed by 12 oz of water.

Honesly, it''s not gimmicky (sp?) at all. All of those things are healthy on their own and essentially helps you release retained water. I try to do it as often as I have time or remember and I love it.

During the 21 days, I dropped 7lbs (working out at least 3 times a week) and a lot of that was fat. Doesn''t seem like a lot of weight, but...considering it was a lot of fluff...I was very happy with the results.

FYI...the food at My Fit Foods, is not processed, it is actually just healthy food that is cooked with spices, not salt, and is very tasty. They cook about four days worth for you at a time, and you pick it up fresh.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I would never do a true cleanse, but I have a small thing I do when I was really bad the day before. I have an apple with peanut butter for breakfast, an egg sandwich on wheat with mushrooms and chicken soup to which I add a bunch of fiber powder. I also drink dandelion tea. The stuff is awful, but a one day thing when it is bad I can deal with. I would never do it longer both because it can irritate the intestines and make them less effective with time and while not bad on nutrients, is no where near good enough for my fairly active lifestyle. I have yet to see a true cleanse that did not just drop water weight.

 

[blingbunny10]

Not doing a real cleanse, but I'm in the middle of a semi-detox diet. It's been a stressful few months, and I've been breaking out, getting bags under my eyes, etc. Ughh, not a pretty picture. So a few days ago, I started doing the following:

-1 or 2 glasses of water in AM, several glasses throughout day and evening, 1 pr 2 glasses a couple of hours before bed
-1 low-cal protein shake every 24-48 hrs, sometimes in lieu of breakfast
-plenty of carrots, blueberries, strawberries
-sauteed mushrooms, spinach, mixed bell peppers, and egg whites for dinner a few times per week
-drink extra tea, kombucha, and apple cider vinegar drink
-very limited consumption of sweets, soda, chips and other temptations
-cut out white bread, white rice, and carbs/starches in general
-floss + fluoride rinse AM and PM (not directly related to the diet, but it definitely makes me more conscious about what/when I'm eating)

As you can see, it's not a real cleanse or detox, but more of a restricted diet. It's working so far - skin looks great and I feel less sluggish. I expect to follow this plan until the end of the week. I would highly recommend this option instead of a traditional cleanse (e.g., Master Cleanse, colon cleanse, juice fasting, green juice, etc.).

I have also water fasted before, which may not be what you mean when you talk about a "cleanse." I've tried fiber supplements as well. If you want to hear about either of those options, I'll share more.

 

[October2008bride]

My good friend just finished a cleanse that is in the book called "Clean" and said it was amazing.

I don''t know all of the details, but basically she cut out gluten, refined sugars, and some other stuff that is known to cause problems for some people. The cleanse goes on for a month or so, and then she would re-introduce each item to figure out if it caused issues (gas/bloating/headaches etc).

She is an actual health nut, so I don''t think it is a hoax. She said that she felt great on it, lost her ''pooch'' which was the only part of her that isn''t perfectly toned and thin. Anyways - sounded like a more reasonable cleanse than some of the liquid diets, etc.


http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Revolutionary-Program-Restore-Natural/dp/0061735329/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276650245&sr=8-1

 

[Julianna]

Quite late to the party here, but I have done a 7 day cleanse recently (about a month ago). I got it at my local organic market and the brand was Renew Life. It was homeopathic (obviously). I was performing the cleanse in attempt to ensure that everything in my body was running in tip-top shape before I started a clean-eating diet. It included a liver cleanse, colon (of course), as well as skin and so forth. It was two pills in the morning, a fiber supplement (powder) morning and evening, and two pills at night. The morning and evening pills served different functions (evening was colon). It went well, I didn't feel ill or have crazy bowel movements or anything like that. Cost about $30.00 and the box says that you should not do it more than twice a year.

I was not attempting to lose weight, and didn't really lose any at all. My body fat was already 12-13% because I weight train and so forth, and I assume it'll stay that way. I did the cleanse as more a peace of mind thing; my diet was pure crap before the diet (chocolate/bread/chai...anyone? anyone? Bueller?), so if I intended to jump into a sugar/salt/crap free diet, I wanted to start with a clean slate.

And there you have it. I agree that your body theoretically cleans itself out if you're taking proper care of it (FIBER) and eating right (BACK AWAY FROM THE MCDONALDS SLOWLY), but the cleanse purported to take care of a few other things as well, and it didn't hurt my body or my wallet.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I have done a few. The one I like the best is the Wild Rose cleanse, though I am not sure it is available in the US. Basically you eliminate flours and starches and instead eat a very bland diet from a list of allowed foods, and take tonnes of herbs and laxatives for like 2 weeks. I felt good when I did it, especially eliminating sugar, and it certainly flushes out the system! My friend does it every year. I think the point is to eat a very healthy diet and also encourage your body to sweat, and the diet and herbs help to reestablish a good balance of flora in the intestines.

I cannot see how something like the cleanse I did could do any harm, and the diet is a very nice clean diet and so I bet it does soem good.

I would not fast or eliminate food as part of a cleanse though.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 6/25/2010 8:32:30 AM
Author: Julianna
Quite late to the party here, but I have done a 7 day cleanse recently (about a month ago). I got it at my local organic market and the brand was Renew Life. It was homeopathic (obviously). I was performing the cleanse in attempt to ensure that everything in my body was running in tip-top shape before I started a clean-eating diet. It included a liver cleanse, colon (of course), as well as skin and so forth. It was two pills in the morning, a fiber supplement (powder) morning and evening, and two pills at night. The morning and evening pills served different functions (evening was colon). It went well, I didn''t feel ill or have crazy bowel movements or anything like that. Cost about $30.00 and the box says that you should not do it more than twice a year.


I was not attempting to lose weight, and didn''t really lose any at all. My body fat was already 12-13% because I weight train and so forth, and I assume it''ll stay that way. I did the cleanse as more a peace of mind thing; my diet was pure crap before the diet (chocolate/bread/chai...anyone? anyone? Bueller?), so if I intended to jump into a sugar/salt/crap free diet, I wanted to start with a clean slate.


And there you have it. I agree that your body theoretically cleans itself out if you''re taking proper care of it (FIBER) and eating right (BACK AWAY FROM THE MCDONALDS SLOWLY), but the cleanse purported to take care of a few other things as well, and it didn''t hurt my body or my wallet.

Although there is nothing specifically unhealthy about your cleanse it did remind meof a warning I forgot to give. If you take meds, but especially BC pills or any kind of hormonal meds, be VERY careful about anything that cleanses the liver or kidneys. Do to some other meds that slowed the movement of foods through my system, I thought something like that might be good for me. When I did the research though, anything that forces your liver or kidneys to cleanse change the way you metabolize meds, making them less effective. I wanted peach detox tea, but I wanted it less than not be preggers, so just a heads up.

 

[Julianna]

Date: 6/26/2010 3:23:43 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy

Date: 6/25/2010 8:32:30 AM
Author: Julianna
Quite late to the party here, but I have done a 7 day cleanse recently (about a month ago). I got it at my local organic market and the brand was Renew Life. It was homeopathic (obviously). I was performing the cleanse in attempt to ensure that everything in my body was running in tip-top shape before I started a clean-eating diet. It included a liver cleanse, colon (of course), as well as skin and so forth. It was two pills in the morning, a fiber supplement (powder) morning and evening, and two pills at night. The morning and evening pills served different functions (evening was colon). It went well, I didn''t feel ill or have crazy bowel movements or anything like that. Cost about $30.00 and the box says that you should not do it more than twice a year.


I was not attempting to lose weight, and didn''t really lose any at all. My body fat was already 12-13% because I weight train and so forth, and I assume it''ll stay that way. I did the cleanse as more a peace of mind thing; my diet was pure crap before the diet (chocolate/bread/chai...anyone? anyone? Bueller?), so if I intended to jump into a sugar/salt/crap free diet, I wanted to start with a clean slate.


And there you have it. I agree that your body theoretically cleans itself out if you''re taking proper care of it (FIBER) and eating right (BACK AWAY FROM THE MCDONALDS SLOWLY), but the cleanse purported to take care of a few other things as well, and it didn''t hurt my body or my wallet.

Although there is nothing specifically unhealthy about your cleanse it did remind meof a warning I forgot to give. If you take meds, but especially BC pills or any kind of hormonal meds, be VERY careful about anything that cleanses the liver or kidneys. Do to some other meds that slowed the movement of foods through my system, I thought something like that might be good for me. When I did the research though, anything that forces your liver or kidneys to cleanse change the way you metabolize meds, making them less effective. I wanted peach detox tea, but I wanted it less than not be preggers, so just a heads up.

GOOD WARNING, Brazen! I forgot to mention that, and I do remember reading it. Egads. To semi-misquote Ross from Friends: "THEY SHOULD PUT THAT ON THE BOX IN BIG RED LETTERS!!"

 

[skye425]

If you cleanse, the proper way of doing so if a only water diet- so supplements ect. AKA fasting. About 60-70% of energy spent by the human body goes into food digestion. Eliminating this energy expenditure (without starving the body, which is approximately the first 2-7 days depending on your experience with fasting) allows the body to use this energy heal and cleanse. This includes cleansing of the blood, muscles, kidneys, and certain other organs. There is an art to fasting, and you cannot just jump into a 7 day fast.

I have fasted before, when I kept breaking out on my skin. My doctors could not tell me what it was, and I do not have any food allergies. Eventually my father (who is a big believer in fasting, as it has cured many of his pains and aches) told me he thought it was a blood born infection. He recommended I try fasting for 2 days to cleanse. It worked, I stopped breaking out and haven''t since. But it sure was hard to totally stay away from food, even if it was only 2 days.