So if a friend swears that munching on grapefruit gets her into skinny jeans, or a coworker credits ice water for his sleek physique, should you try it too? Not so fast. Some diet crutches are helpful, some harmful, and some won't do much either way. We asked registered dietitians for the bottom line "skip it," "try it," or "do it right" on the most common diet crutches.
It sounds simple: Drink "body-flushing" liquids and eat little or no solid food.
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But just because celebs do it doesn't mean you should. Once you eat solid food, you'll gain back the pounds. Because the liver and kidneys remove toxins, a "cleanse" is unnecessary and even harmful, says Sonthe Burge, RD, a nutritionist. It can cause diarrhea, "so you can't go far from a bathroom," she says. Other side effects: Headaches, lack of energy, and trouble focusing. Dietitians recommend 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day for both men and women , but most people get less than 15, says Burge. To lose weight, she suggests aiming for 30 grams of fiber per day.
Don't go crazy. Too much fiber 50 to 60 grams per day can cause side effects like. Bad news: Adding more bacon to your diet won't cause the pounds to melt away. That's because the addition of protein to the diet doesn't cause weight loss itself.
Are Laxatives Good for Weight Loss?
But switching out a higher fat protein source, such as pork sausage, for a lean one like chicken or salmon does help, says Burge. When you do that, your body starts burning fat for energy," she says, because it will produce ketones, compounds that can be harmful to the brain. But consuming lean protein and good carbohydrates like whole grains allows your body to get the energy it needs without the added fat. Snacking before your workout? Go for it.
While researchers are divided about whether eating before exercise really promotes weight loss, experts say a quick bite might just be a slimming crutch you can count on. This energy boost can lead to a harder workout, which translates to more calories burned. She suggests munching on something. But the habit always backfires.
Eating more small meals may help dieters to quell cravings, though, and it also discourages bingeing later, says Shapiro, who recommends meals of less than calories every three to four hours. Does diet soda make you skinny? One study suggested diet soda drinkers may gain more weight over time than those who don't drink it. It's not clear why, but the brain may anticipate calories when foods taste sugary or fatty, so calorie-free sweeteners may spur people to overconsume later on.
But Burge says awareness is key. Did you hear that? One a day—meaning you probably shouldn't invest in a diet Coke tap for your kitchen counter if you're serious about weight loss.
The effects of laxative misuse
Dietitians recommend staying hydrated all day long. Serious overconsumption can lead to a life-threatening condition called hyponatremia symptoms include nausea, headache, and confusion. The Institute of Medicine. While caffeine can briefly suppress your appetite and acts as a diuretic, it has not been shown to cause real, sustainable weight loss. Caffeine is thermogenic, which means it triggers the body to burn some calories through heat production. However, this doesn't seem to be enough to cause weight loss. It's safe to boost your energy with a bit of.
Keep your daily caffeine to milligrams or less. Do it right Grapefruit, a low-cal, high-fiber fruit, has been shown to help obese patients lose weight when consumed in moderation. But diet plans that promote one ingredient as a "magic" fat burner—as the Grapefruit Diet does—are usually accompanied by a very low-cal meal allotment.
That's where the weight loss comes in. If you add grapefruit to your diet, be careful not to max out intake; you don't want to ruin your taste for the nutritious fruit by eating too much, too quickly.
Shapiro cautions: "Eating a grapefruit every day won't help you drop 20 pounds without making other lifestyle changes. Is it ever safe to take a laxative to flush your system of waste and water and make your belly less bloated? No way.
Jasmine Bishop desperate to lose 6st took 20 laxatives a DAY
Be your very own portion police. I tell my clients to leave half or quarter of their plate," says Shapiro. Chewing more to lose weight seems counterintuitive. But wait—we never said you could swallow! Some research suggests that chewing gum for 45 minutes after lunch reduces your appetite and cravings for salty or sweet snacks later on. Muth says that while the calories burned from chewing gum are minimal, "If you're chewing gum, maybe you'll be less likely to be eating food. Adding spices like cayenne pepper to food makes you sweat, which may also boost your metabolism and suppress your appetite for certain foods.
But these effects may not be significant enough to cause substantial weight loss.
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The thinking was this: I could keep a stash of these Equal packets in my purse and sprinkle the contents on my cereal, coffee, or tea anytime—right in front of my teachers' eyes. My friends and I thought we were incredibly clever. Yes, we could've just popped a pill in private in a bathroom stall, but this was real subterfuge. Believe it or not, eventually I got myself down to about calories a day. I'd count the calories in my head in class: grapefruit juice, 32 calories; skim milk, 20 calories; bran cereal, calories. If I started fantasizing about chocolate, I'd dig an Equal out of my pocket and swallow its contents dry.
When the powder kicked in, my stomach muscles would suddenly clench, and I'd feel nauseous, but also relieved. And powerful. And hungry. Always hungry, as I watched the bran flakes—which my body hadn't had time to digest—dip and swirl and disappear down the toilet. A few months later, I upped the ante yet again: I started sprinting four miles uphill, five times a week.
I suspected that my parents knew something was terribly wrong, but we never discussed it. My dad would mention how I was "about a hundred pounds, soaking wet," but that's as far as he went. Maybe he felt like he'd make it worse by confronting me. Maybe he didn't want to scare me or make me feel attacked.
All I knew was that I was winning the war.
Jasmine Bishop desperate to lose 6st took 20 laxatives a DAY | Daily Mail Online
The fat girl was slowly melting away, like the Wicked Witch of the West. Now, at pounds, I cruised the mall for sexy halter tops, high heels, skinny jeans. For the first time in my life, I felt hot.
To my delight, I heard some of the older girls at school whispering, "What's her secret? My secrets were many.