Maybe you’re hoping to get into better shape fast due to the holiday parties approaching, or you just want to look and feel better in general. Whatever your reason, you might be wondering if those rumors about “cleanses” are true. Can a juice cleanse, or some other extreme regimen, help you shed pounds quickly to get into shape before a big event?

Yes and no. Any time you cut your calorie intake significantly, you will probably lose weight quickly. A juice cleanse that allows you only a few hundred calories per day might seem, at first, to help you reach your goals. But the problem is that short-term weight loss is indeed only short term! If you drop a few pounds on an extreme diet or “clease”, those pounds will simply return right away when you begin to eat normally again.

If it’s lasting change you want to see in your waistline and health, a cleanse or any other short-term solution won’t help you accomplish that goal. But some principles of a “cleanse” might help you in the long term, if you look at the situation from the perspective of cleaning up your diet and getting harmful foods out of your regular routine.

So yes, a “cleanse” of your kitchen might help! Get rid of processed foods, “white” foods like excess white breads and pastas, and any foods that list flour, sugar, or oil as the first or second ingredient. Reduce or eliminate those in your kitchen, and you’ll get them mostly or completely out of your diet.

Then, replace those foods with fresh fruits and vegatables, whole grains, and sources of lean protein like eggs, fish, chicken, tofu, or chickpeas. Add fresh herbs, nuts, and a sparing amount of the right kinds of oils (like olive oil) to round out your diet. Make a lasting change in the foods you eat, and you’ll see a lasting change in your body and health.

For more information on a medical weight loss diet that helps you accomplish your goals in the long term, give us a call. We can help you shed pounds the safe and nutritious way, so you never feel tempted to rely on a “cleanse” or crash diet ever again.