The media is always shoving new ways to lose weight down our throats — quick fixes and diets that are sure to ‘purify’ our bodies and make us the healthiest version of ourselves.

However, they leave out one little detail; none of these diets are going to help you be healthy or thin in the long run. Sure, they may work for a few days or even weeks — but the minute you stop the diet and start eating normally again, you gain all the weight back. You can’t stay on a ‘quick fix’ diet forever, they’re not sustainable.

Detoxing is essentially ridding your body of any toxins or other unhealthy substances it may have. There are many people who believe that detox dieting is the key to weight loss and healthy living. There are juice and soup cleanses, water fasts, special teas, and even baths that claim to detox your body and help you shed five to 30  pounds in a week. And they will! You will lose all that weight! You’ll also be exhausted, malnourished, and suffering from either severe constipation or severe diarrhea. The creators of these diets also forget to add that the minute you stop your ‘cleanse’ and go back to eating real food, all the weight you managed to lose will come back — and then some.  

The truth is, you already detox and flush toxins out of your body naturally. That’s what your liver and kidneys are for! The kidneys remove waste and regulate the amount of fluid in the body, while the liver filters blood and detoxifies chemicals. There is no need for any fancy “detox diet”. By drinking about two litres of water a day and eating a balanced, healthy diet, you will allow your body to detox naturally. By doing these fasts and “detox diets”, you are doing more harm to your body than good. There is also the fact that fasting and dieting can be extremely addictive, and those predisposed to eating disorders may come to develop an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia.

Don’t feel discouraged, though! There is still hope for you to lose the weight you want to without any kind of quick-fix or fad diet. It will take longer, and you will have to put in a lot of effort, but you will be the healthiest version of yourself —and still get to eat all your favourite foods!

In my next post, I will be detailing how to lose weight with the best science-backed method; using your BMR and TDEE alongside specific diet adjustments. I will explain the methods and how they work, alongside a general timeline of when you can expect to lose weight.

Have you ever tried a juice cleanse or “detox-diet”? Let me know your experience in the comments below!

When she’s not curled up with a book or furiously scribbling out poetry, Nicky can be found caught in debate, unafraid to use her sharp tongue and even sharper wit. As a second year Professional Writing student, she takes to debating in written form, debunking myths and ensuring that her point is heard.