January Detox/Cleanse project. Ideas welcome!

[Million.to.1]

So I have a big year ahead. My boyfriend is joining me from the other side of the world on the 1st of feb permanently and I am also launching my own small business. I'm really excited about my life right now as it seems that some of my biggest dreams and goals will be achievable if i don't f@#k it up of course!

 

It will be a busy couple of months for me with a small holiday/getwaway when the BF arrives for a week or two, then house hunting, job hunting for him, moving, working, change, stress, etc.

 

I haven't seen him in over 2 years. I want to look and feel AMAZING when he arrives.

 

 

So I kinda have a plan... but would welcome some tips, ideas, recommendations from anyone who has found good results with something.

 

My goal is not to loss weight BTW. - though i probably will lose 1-2 kgs (3-5 pounds for you yanks) which i'm more than happy to donate, but that's not my goal. The goal is to cleanse all internal organs & skin, cleanse blood, flush toxins, stretch and strengthen muscles, improve flexibly and generally just a total tune up for my body.

 

I have all of january to dedicate to making this a project. I am working too, but not full time 9-5 as I work for myself so i can be more flexible.. It's summer here also so it should make it easy with all the options i'll have in the food and exercise department.

 

I'll be...

 

* Drinking 1-2 litres of water everyday

* 2-3 juices a day... mainly vegatable.. beetroot, celery, carrot, ginger etc...

* Diet mainly consisting of vegetables, fruits, whole grains like Quinoa, brown rice, lentils... maybe a bit of meat, chicken or something just once every couple of days.

* Alkaline diet. minimal dairy.

* black coffee maybe (?) - mainly herbal teas.

* supplements of - Clorafor (a detox supplement) Bee pollen. Vitamin c and a B complex. Maybe some calcium.

 

* Morning 1 hour yoga everyday

* swims in ocean. Swims in the pool. Sauna every day or two.

* maybe some Bikram yoga if i can handle it. (i used to do it but started hating it)

* Walking.

* My work is also physical sometimes. I have a landscaping project that will be keeping me fit.

 

I realise i'll be needing plenty of sleep which is fine! I am expert at siestas!

 

Any advice on other things to try or add/ avoid ?

[TaraMaiden]

There's no such thing as detoxing, unless you're into hard drugs or excessive alcohol intake.

All you're going to be doing is altering your intake.

 

People need to stop using this term 'detoxing' as if it's some miracle cure for having over-done it and not taking care of themselves.

 

It irks me almost as much as the mis-use of the word 'karma'....

[KathyM]

The sauna sounds good to deep clean your pores, but once a day is excessive, and it could dry out your skin if you do it that much. A once a week sauna would be good.

[Million.to.1]

Whatever. I'm not here to argue semantics over the definition of a word.

 

If you have anything positive to contribute to my "newly adopted regime" then it would be appreciated.

 

For the record, I do smoke marijuana and drink alcohol (not excessively mind you) which i won't be doing over january.

[TaraMaiden]

Whatever. I'm not here to argue semantics over the definition of a word.

 

If you have anything positive to contribute to my "newly adopted regime" then it would be appreciated.

I contributed, positively. I just pointed out that you're thinking this through wrong.

It's not semantics.

many people begin a 'detox' diet under the mistaken belief that it's going to be a cleansing, wholesome, purifying experience - then make themselves ill.

Going on any diet should be a carefully-considered approach - and one anyone should do, in alliance with a nutritionist.

if you're just going to change your habits for a while, that's great, good on you.

But calling it what it's not, is misleading... and for many, proves dangerous.

 

For the record, I do smoke marijuana and drink alcohol (not excessively mind you) which i won't be doing over january.

 

Yes, but that's not the purpose, is it?

You're just looking to health-and-tone... commendable.

 

Best wishes for that, hope it goes well for you.

Be safe.

 

PS: Skip the clorafor. It's a detox dieting scam, and doesn't actually do anything but make your wallet lighter.

Edited December 30, 2012 by TaraMaiden

[monicaelise]

Crank up the water intake for sure. 1-2 litres a day is barely adequate if you're a couch potato. The recommended daily intake of water for folks who are doing absolutely zilch is eight 8-ounce glasses (roughly 2L) per day. If you're going to be exercising and otherwise taking care of yourself you probably want to aim for closer to 3-4 L a day. Even now, as a recently paroled bed rester, that's my minimum.

[Million.to.1]

Thanks Tara.

I will be safe. I have done many cleanses/ fasts in the past and am well versed in the do's and don't's.

 

intermittent fasting is actually something i firmly believe is a really healthy way of approaching food. I will usually do a day without any food once a week, and often eliminate certain types of food from my diet completely for a period of time, like meat, or dairy etc.

 

I have never had a colonic. Does anyone think these are beneficial?

[Million.to.1]

Crank up the water intake for sure. 1-2 litres a day is barely adequate if you're a couch potato. The recommended daily intake of water for folks who are doing absolutely zilch is eight 8-ounce glasses (roughly 2L) per day. If you're going to be exercising and otherwise taking care of yourself you probably want to aim for closer to 3-4 L a day. Even now, as a recently paroled bed rester, that's my minimum.

 

Wo. that seems like alot. I honestly just don't get that thirsty. 2 litres a day is good for me, and i'm reasonably active. I'll try and boost it, but i find it a challenge to get that much water down me. I thought with the juices and tea I would be getting ample.

 

You must have to visit the bathroom every hour!

[KraftDinner]

There's no such thing as detoxing, unless you're into hard drugs or excessive alcohol intake.

All you're going to be doing is altering your intake.

 

People need to stop using this term 'detoxing' as if it's some miracle cure for having over-done it and not taking care of themselves.

ks me almost as much as the mis-use of the word 'karma'....

 

I read the article and honestly I don't think it is true to its headline...

 

They only test 15 products, including facewashes and shampoos. So I don't think it proves anything, tbh.

 

I hate how people misuse 'karma' too, btw. Seems it means whatever they want as far as wishing for bad things to happen to people they disagree with. How could wanting bad things for anyone be okay??

[TaraMaiden]

I googled colonic irrigation...

 

 

It seems not....

but it's up to you.....

[TaraMaiden]

I read the article and honestly I don't think it is true to its headline...

It takes a bit more research, but it's a generally accepted thing. I'm sure you can find other articles....

 

 

I hate how people misuse 'karma' too, btw. Seems it means whatever they want as far as wishing for bad things to happen to people they disagree with. How could wanting bad things for anyone be okay??

 

Quite.

Thank you.

[KraftDinner]

It takes a bit more research, but it's a generally accepted thing. I'm sure you can find other articles....

 

 

 

 

Quite.

Thank you.

 

I'm sure you're right. As a matter of fact, I recently watched this stupid vid about a liver/kidney detox where you drink a glass of water mixed with epsom salts and then a big glass of grapefruit juice. Where do people come up with this crap? People will believe anything. The only think that would cleanse would be my stomach as I vomited. Sick.

[monicaelise]

Wo. that seems like alot. I honestly just don't get that thirsty. 2 litres a day is good for me, and i'm reasonably active. I'll try and boost it, but i find it a challenge to get that much water down me. I thought with the juices and tea I would be getting ample.

 

You must have to visit the bathroom every hour!

 

LOL yeah, to be honest, I do. That said, I've never had a bladder infection or any infection at all in any bit of me that has to do with my plumbing.

 

Careful on the teas and juices. Even many of the "herbal" ones have caffeine. Caffeine is a natural diuretic (which means you need even more water to avoid getting dehydrated). Juices are another iffy spot as they have often have a lot of sugar (as much as many sodas). If you want to get the water in and you like juice, try diluting the juice as much as possible. Your pancreas and kidneys will thank you.

[Million.to.1]

LOL yeah, to be honest, I do. That said, I've never had a bladder infection or any infection at all in any bit of me that has to do with my plumbing.

 

Careful on the teas and juices. Even many of the "herbal" ones have caffeine. Caffeine is a natural diuretic (which means you need even more water to avoid getting dehydrated). Juices are another iffy spot as they have often have a lot of sugar (as much as many sodas). If you want to get the water in and you like juice, try diluting the juice as much as possible. Your pancreas and kidneys will thank you.

 

Hmmmmm.. Are you saying that if i was to stick a beetroot, 2 carrots, a stick of celery, an apple and a hunk of ginger into my juicer, it would have the same sugar content as a soda?

I don't think so.

 

Can we just assume that i understand the basics, like knowing if a herbal tea has caffeine or not, that i can read labels, I grow my own and buy organic veges and that i think store bought juice is **** and not really what i consider to be juice, and am generally well educated on health living 101.

[TaraMaiden]

fructose can be very noxious taken in large doses.

 

That's all.....

 

We're only trying to help....

[monicaelise]

Hmmmmm.. Are you saying that if i was to stick a beetroot, 2 carrots, a stick of celery, an apple and a hunk of ginger into my juicer, it would have the same sugar content as a soda?

I don't think so.

 

Can we just assume that i understand the basics, like knowing if a herbal tea has caffeine or not, that i can read labels, I grow my own and buy organic veges and that i think store bought juice is **** and not really what i consider to be juice, and am generally well educated on health living 101.

 

Hmmmm... actually no, that wasn't what I was saying. I think I was pretty clear about why juice and tea are things you should be careful with. Remember you didn't specify what juices/teas (herbal is pretty vague, and any herbal tea containing yerba mate or guarana contains caffeine) you will be consuming and you did mention coffee (which generally contains caffeine as well) so I believe there was fair reason for me to assume you wouldn't be avoiding caffeine or sugar. Neither of these things are particularly beneficial if you're really trying to clean up your system/diet/lifestyle/etc. Caffeine may help with water loss and energy so it's fair game if you're just looking to diet or a supplement to boost your energy temporarily for workout, but I didn't get the impression that dieting was the goal. Perhaps I misunderstood your intentions here...

 

Anyway, it sounds like you've got things all worked out. Good luck on your adventure!

[Els]

I don't want to rain on your parade, million, but you should take a look at this:

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/detox-diets/AN01334

 

Get your advice from a doctor, not us!

[Million.to.1]

Right.. I did specify mainly vegetable juices (that i'd juice) in my original post.

I will be avoiding refined sugar though yes.

Coffee, i just thought i might have a weak one if i'm feeling a bit flat. I didn't want to be too scrict on myself with everything.... I have had headaches in the past when cutting out caffeine completely , so i'd rather just reduce my intake to minimal and not battle the headaches on top of everything. I haven't been drinking much coffee recently though, so headaches might not happen in which case I won't have any coffee.

[Million.to.1]

I don't want to rain on your parade, million, but you should take a look at this:

 

Detox diets: Do they work? - MayoClinic.com

 

Get your advice from a doctor, not us!

 

You're not raining on my parade at all Elswyth... Maybe i should of worded the title of my thread differently and not included the words detox or cleanse.

 

I noticed in the last paragraph of that article it offers the nutrion advice for better living. That is pretty much what i plan on eating and what i stated in my OP.

 

Sheesh. All a girl wants to do is kick start the new year but i guess this was the wrong place to ask/share.

[TaraMaiden]

au contraire ma cherie... I think this was absolutely the right place - if we didn't give a schytt, who would have tried to help?

 

I think you've had a good input, really - don't you?

 

We care enough about you to be here.....

[EasyHeart]

I agree that there's no such thing as detoxing or cleansing because it's a matter of changing your lifestyle permanently, not just doing it for a few weeks.

 

Why stop after a month or two? Do all of the things in the OP for the rest of your life!!!

 

(I'm a big fan of intermittent fasting, too. Most days, I do all of my eating between 2 and 6 and it's made a huge difference in how I feel).

[tman666]

I don't know anything about "detox" diets or anything like that, but I will definitely voice my support for intermittent fasting.

 

I've modeled my meal timing according to Martin Berkhan's "Leangains" guidelines for the past 2 years or so. I initially dismissed IF as pure BS (as I was looking at things through the lens of "bodybuilding common knowledge" ), but decided to give it a go for 3 weeks as sort of a self experiment. I never looked back.

 

Over the past 2 years, I have:

 

1) gained muscle mass

2) gained strength across the board

3) rid myself of the stress of trying to plan and time 6 or 7 meals a day

4) gotten leaner, and gained an overall sense of greater control over my body fat

5) my joints (knees in particular) feel better, allowing me to train harder and more effectively

 

I don't think that IF is the best choice for everyone, mind you. IF probably isn't the best choice if:

 

-you have a highly physical job (iron worker, professional athlete, etc.)

-if you have an exceptionally high metabolism and you're trying to maximize muscle growth potential (mosty this applies to young men, particularly teens, who are highly active, and very skinny)

-if you have some sort of medical condition where your body might not be able to handle it

 

IF isn't really anything magical. You still have to be eating according to your needs and goals in order to make it work. It's still entirely possible to gain fat with IF if you are in a caloric surplus and you're not training hard. Basically, a good, mostly clean diet with plenty of protein is still necessary. The only difference comes with the meal timing.

[EasyHeart]

I didn't know bodybuilders were using IF. I use it because my digestive system is screwed up from celiac disease.

 

My GI doctor says that the human digestive system isn't designed to work all day long. The absolute worst thing you can do for your digestive system is to eat 6 small meals per day because your digestive system has to work all day long. Ideally, from the view of your intestines, you should eat one large meal a day and rest afterwards.

[TaraMaiden]

I thought this might be interesting for some to read....

 

Butter.....or Margarine? I know which one I prefer!

 

 

 

Margarine was originally a white substance with no food appeal, as it was made from rendered beef fat which would otherwise have been discarded, so they added the yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavourings....

 

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?

 

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

 

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to 5 grams for margarine.

 

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

 

 

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added!

 

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavours of other foods.

 

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years .

 

And now, for Margarine..

 

Very High in Trans fatty acids (although some marketed margarines now boast an absence of Trans fats, it doesn't mean they're not there. It just means the amount is below the countable standard required by law).

 

Triples risk of coronary heart disease ...

 

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

 

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..

 

Lowers quality of breast milk

 

Decreases immune response.

 

Decreases insulin response.

 

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

 

Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:

 

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny micro-organisms will not a find a home to grow.

[tman666]

I didn't know bodybuilders were using IF. I use it because my digestive system is screwed up from celiac disease.

 

My GI doctor says that the human digestive system isn't designed to work all day long. The absolute worst thing you can do for your digestive system is to eat 6 small meals per day because your digestive system has to work all day long. Ideally, from the view of your intestines, you should eat one large meal a day and rest afterwards.

 

Well, to be honest, I don't know of any top level bodybuilders who use IF as a dieting strategy. Then again, top level bodybuilders are playing by a very different game than most people looking to build respectable physiques, so using them as a model of "what to do" as a typical trainee is probably not the best idea in the first place.

 

That said, there have been some impressive physiques built with the help of IF (and hard training). Martin Berkhan deadlifts 600+ lbs while maintaining a bodyfat percentage of around 5 percent year around, drug free, or so he claims. Some of his clients are competitive physique athletes.

 

What your doctor said about the GI tract not being meant to work that often could very well be correct (I don't know one way or the other), but I do know that one of the major benefits of IF, at least with a daily 16/8 fast like Leangains, is improved insulin sensitivity, which assists not only in fat loss, but muscle gain as well. One of the most potent parts of Leangains is fasted training (which, unfortunately, I only get to do once or twice per week due to my schedule). Fasted training, in my experience, can do a lot for body recomp, especially if you train towards the end of your fasting window, since training is typically followed by a meal. The insulin response is spectacular, haha.

 

Check out John Berardi's e-book about the self experimenting he did with various IF methods. It's not scientific by any means (nor is it meant to be), but it does a pretty good job of examining the pros and cons of the most popular IF styles out there (not to mention showcases his pretty stellar results).