Fat-Loss

Are Detoxes, Cleanses, & Green Drinks a Good Way to Lose Weight?

This entry was posted in Fat-Loss Nutrition Weight-Loss on by (updated on )

 

It usually starts out a little something like this, “Hey Tommie, what do you think about juice cleanses?”  My first response is always, “Why do you want to do a juice cleanse?”  Almost always the answer is, “Well, I thought it might help me get a jump start on my weight loss goals.  I just want to get a little bit ahead of the game, and then I’ll start eating healthy.”

 

It might seem like a good idea and even one we could stick to, but there is usually a good amount of restriction and the ALL or NOTHING approach to these types of detoxes and juice cleanses.  We restrict and cleanse for 3-5 days, and then all we can think about is all the food we aren’t able to eat, so after the cleanse or detox is over, we usually end up binging on our favorite foods.

 

Watch the Video Below for Further Clarification

 

 

Quick Break Down of the Video:

I think doing cleanses, detoxes, and juice/liquid diets are not the best way to jump start weight loss.  All it’s going to do is jump start a Yo-Yo cycle.  You may lose weight initially, but these extreme conditions are not sustainable, and the extremes will either cause you to binge on junk food, or you will gain the weight back just by eating your normal diet again.

 

Also, the Yo-Yo cycle is not good for us to do long term.  It damages the metabolism, making weight and fat loss even harder, especially as we age.

 

When Might I use Detoxes, Cleanses, and Green Drinks or Juices:

 

1.  To cure a Medical Issue:  People with Cancer, Candida, &/or Digestion Issues may benefit and become healthier by doing cleanses or detoxes.  However, cleanses and detoxes are best overseen by a Homeopathic, Naturopathic, or Medical Doctor for the best results.  Please don’t start taking weird supplements or drinks that you don’t understand.

 

2.  Food Elimination Diet:  There are people who have major digestive issues, chronic pain, &/or major bloating after or between meals.  This is a situation where it may be appropriate to do a cleanse or detox before certain food groups are eliminated to find the food allergen or cause of the previous mentioned symptoms.  Again, this is best overseen by a medical professional.

 

3.  Drinking Green Drinks or Smoothies CAN make you healthier!  Drinking Greens/smoothies are a great way to balance the PH of the body and make it easier for you to burn fat and build muscle.  There are tons of vitamins and minerals in these types of drinks.  However, watch the SUGAR content.  A drink composed of mainly fruits will make the sugar content way too high and will be detrimental to fat loss.  Look for a drink that is under 10 grams of sugar.  I would use this drink as a snack or a quick meal on the go.

 

Ask yourself, this ONE Question…

 

Before you start your next cleanse, detox, or juice diet, ask yourself,  “Can I eat this way or do this plan FOREVER?”  If the answer is, “NO,” then most likely the RESULTS that you’ll receive from this restrictive approach will be temporary and not sustainable!

 

In my opinion, the best way to jump start your fat or weight loss, would be to start incorporating a source of lean protein and veggies at most meals.

 

Lean Eating-featuredClick HERE to Start Building Healthier Meals with my FREE Lean Eating Guide!

 

There is a psychological satisfaction of chewing food, so drinking liquid meals will leave us feeling deprived, searching for more food, and we won’t be able to keep this up for the long term.

 

If you want to add a Green Drink or Smoothie to improve your health, I suggest using it as a snack, or replace breakfast with it, as it’s easy to to do when we are on the go!

 

What has been your experience with green drinks, juices, &/or cleanses?  I’d love to hear your thoughts or suggestions in the comments below!

 

Thanks for Stopping By,
Tommie

READY…SET….SLOW!

This entry was posted in Fat-Loss Goals on by (updated on )

I know that this is not a title you’d expect to see from someone as squirrelly as me. You may be even thinking to yourself, “Shouldn’t we be going faster and working harder to get to our goals?” Well maybe during certain circumstances, but today I want to talk about 2 instances when we need to SLOOOOWW DOOOOOWN, and how it gets us to  our health and fitness goals FASTER!   Tired of Overeating and Feeling Stuffed After Meals?   Start slowing down when you EAT….. Eating slow is one of the MOST important habits to learn around eating healthy.  It is not so much WHAT types of foods that you decide to eat, because no matter what (healthy or not healthy), we will eat more when we eat fast and eat less when we eat slow.   The main benefits of eating slow are: – Eat less food and […]

Fat Loss Game Changer: Here’s the First Skill to Acquire.

This entry was posted in Fat-Loss Goals Mindset on by (updated on )

  I know it’s hard to believe, but the skill that could be missing from your health and fitness goals and keeping you from losing weight/fat is none other than the skill of AWARENESS (without judgement, of course).   I know you’re thinking that it has to be more complex than that, but I believe it’s the first step in achieving any goals that you have in fitness, nutrition, health, or any life goal that you may have for that matter.   Wikipedia defines Awareness as “the ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects, thoughts, emotions, or sensory patterns……More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of something.”   Why is Awareness so Important?   Awareness  allows us to observe what’s working and what’s not working when it comes to achieving our goals.  We can’t make changes if we aren’t aware of the behaviors […]

Think Weight Loss is Tough? Well..Maintenance Ain’t for Sissies!

This entry was posted in Fat-Loss Goals Weight-Loss on by (updated on )

  I bet you’ve thought to yourself, “As soon as I lose _______ pounds and get to my goal weight, than I can relax a little bit with my exercise and eating routine!  It’ll be so much easier.”   I beg to differ, as I feel that the maintenance phase is where the real work comes in!  Let me be the first to tell you that there is no glory in maintenance, but it is a necessary part of our process, and there are a lot of things that we can learn from it.   I used to think the hardest part was the challenge to lose weight or have fat loss goals.  As soon as I get to _________ weight.  Things will be so much easier!  That was until I got to the Maintenance Phase of my goal process myself.  There was no more working towards a physique goal […]

Are You Watching Your Weight?

This entry was posted in Fat-Loss Goals Mindset Weight-Loss on by (updated on )

At my 35th birthday party this year, we were talking workouts and nutrition and one of the guys at the party asked me, “T-Moo, so how much do you weigh….around 160?”  I fired back quickly and defensively, “Hell No…like between 145- 148…I don’t weigh 160.  Do I look like I weigh 160 to you?” Now, you have to realize that I have no problem telling people my weight if they ask, because I’m not ashamed of the number, but what was weird and even shocking to me, was that it bothered me that someone thought I was heavier than I actually was.  Usually people guess me to be lighter than I am, so that is why I was so shocked by him overestimating my weight.  So it looks like I still have a little obsession with this number and what it means about the way I look, or the progress […]