I am self-employed and my biggest eating challenge is the fact that I dine out far too often because I simply want to get out of my apartment. I also graze too much and in loving my dairy products, have put on a few extra pounds.
I want to go on a one-week detox diet to kick-start my resolve to eat better. I’ve googled around and seen a bunch of detox diets that look just plain silly; Day 1, Fruits and vegetables; Day 2, potatoes; Day 3, rice; Day 4, fruits; Day 5, macaroni; Day 6, vegetables; Day 7, meat. Then there is the Cabbage Diet and the Grapefruit Juice diet.
What say, ye Dopers? Any thoughts or suggestions on a great one-week detox that is actually healthy and not a fad?
There’s absolutelyno point. Your body is not filled with toxins, so eating some arbitrary diet isn’t going to do anything to remove those toxins.
If you want to lose weight, just eat rationally. Most of your plate should be whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Fruit juice has more nutritional value than soda, but is still full of sugar. Eat when you are hungry; stop eating before you feel totally full. If you want to lose weight, you will be hungry. Pay attention to the nutrition labeling, especially the serving size (which is probably smaller than you think). Most everything served in restaurants is absolutely full of fat, sugar and/or salt. Drink lots of water. Get some exercise. Keep doing all of the above for a while, and you’ll lose weight even without “detoxifying”.
Eat small meals multiple times a day.
Each meal should be 3/4 veg or fruit and 1/4 protein.
Drink a full glass of water at least every 90 minutes to two hours.
Don’t eat anything with white sugar or white flour in it.
If you need to eat a grain, make it a while grain.
Detox diets are bunk. They’re also a radical change you’re unlikely to stick to.
Here are my suggestions:
If you need to get out of the apartment find something to do other than eat. Go for a walk. Browse a mall. Go to a movie (but skip the soda and popcorn). Ride a bike. Go to a museum. Whatever.
Graze on raw vegetables or fruit. They’ll fill you up, they’re low calorie, and they’re better than junk food. If you don’t like the traditional carrots and celery try other stuff. My husband, for instance, loves to snack on sliced bell peppers, raw radishes, and sliced raw turnips.
Buy lower fat dairy whenever possible (but stay away from no-fat - blech). For instance, go from whole-fat milk to 2%, or 2% to 1%. Use a smaller amount of stronger flavored cheese if that’s your weakness. If you like dairy-based dips (maybe for the grazing food?) try something like hummus instead.
Exercise more. Maybe in combination with #1. This doesn’t have to be a LOT more, just going for a 30-60 minute walk will add up over time. And takes about as long as a meal at a restaurant, but isn’t adding calories to your day.
I think this one was in Sex and the Single Girl. I like it.
Breakfast: One egg any style, one glass of white wine
Lunch: Two eggs any style, one glass of white wine
Dinner: Lean steak, finish bottle of white wine.
Author Helen Gurley Brown said it was best to do on weekends, as sufficient nutrition was there but you could get a little fuzzy.
Did you know that 1/2 cup of orange juice equals one fruit serving-containing 60 calories? I haven’t seen 4 ounce “juice glasses” in a long time.
My favorite quote about losing weight: Getting it off is not as important as keeping it off.
If you don’t change the eating habits that got you overweight in the first place, the “diet” won’t work.
I go along with the comments about detox-ing being bullshit. But even were that not the case, I don’t see the connection between detoxing and losing weight. Maybe there is some connection in New Age culture, but if so, I’m unaware.
Restricting calories, unless you plan to do it as a lifestyle, will only force your body to become more efficient at utilizing the calories that you do consume and that will make future dieting more difficult.
The best way to lose weight is find some physical activity you enjoy and do that. Being indoors a lot can make that difficult, but even if one is on a budget, there are thousands of work out videos that are fun and actually do count as exercise. I used to laugh at them until I tried one and saw how difficult they can be. But you don’t have to go high intensity, high impact to start. There are vids for everybody from frail seniors to people who seem to run on nuclear power. I guarantee there is something out there that you will enjoy and will get the job done.
And it is the perfect excuse to take a break from your work. If you are having trouble concentrating, take an hour off to do a 30-40 minute video. You’ll feel much better afterwards and you’ll have much better focus.
edit - check out Netflix and try some of the vids they have to get a feel for what you like and which instructors mesh with your personality.
I also think this de-toxifying diet stuff is bunk, but if you want to do it, try the cabbage diet which is just a modified juice fast.
The fact is if you’re in decent health (no problems like diabetes or thryoid or heart conditions), a week of a special diet isn’t going to kill you.
Life’s too short not to try things. So as long as you’re basically healthy go ahead and try it. Then tell US how you felt.
I spent six months doing a once a week juice fast (it was on the weekends). It was supposed to make you feel better. I felt no different, but I was no worse either so it was an interesting experiement to do.
Perhaps the “detox” concept was a misnomer. I come from a morbidly obese family and, despite having been a professional food writer and restaurant reviewer, I have mostly been able to fight the abject obesity of my older sisters. But I know I have the genes for “thickness” and although my weight has fluctuated plus-or-minus 20 to 50 pounds over my entire life, I will never be svelte. (Being a Christina Hendricks-shaped woman doesn’t help.)
A few months before Julia Child passed away, I had the distinct joy of having lunch with her and that photograph is one of my prized possessions. It also shows me at my heaviest; almost 80 pounds overweight. She and I talked about it and how I lost the weight after that meeting was to eat whatever I wanted - only to eat HALF. And when it came to sweet things (for which I almost constantly crave), to not deprive myself but limit those treats to three bites only.
I will ultimately go back to that mode and while I know that my recent weight gain has been entirely due to my lack of exercise (which will change Monday), I also know that for me to kick-start my way back to healthier existence, I need to “shock” my system into it. Hence the idea of a “detox.” I think – like an alcoholic who craves booze – my body craves sugar and that instead of justifying the single bite of chocolate I eat every day, I have to abstain to get my body used to not having it every day.
So, after this thread and other readings, I am inclined towards the strict fruit-and-vegetable approach; denying myself white flour carbs and sugar and limiting my dairy (I have been known to drink upwards of two to three gallons of milk a week – 2%).
Thanks all, for the suggestions and the Private Messages as well!
I wouldn’t go overboard with these ideas (particularly trying to avoid carbohydrates and sugar, which is unnecessary and potentially harmful), but fruit and vegetables are good to emphasize, as is the advice of food/nature writer Michael Pollan:
You might want to read up on “eating clean”. It’s a great way to get away from the stuff you want to get away from. Just eat whole foods–fruit, veg, whole grains, cuts of meat, plain dairy. It’s healthy and addictive, after the first 2-3 weeks, and you actually end up wanting to eat less than you did before.
A couple of people have mentioned going for a walk if you want to get out of your apartment. I do this and I find that after I’ve done something good like walking I don’t want to mess it up by overeating afterwards.
If you’re going to spend money on special food for a detox diet, why not try weight watchers or a similar program for a few weeks? They teach you about portions and how to eat and hey, look at Jennifer Hudson.
