There is a popular remedy that helps you lose weight in a short time. Activated charcoal has been used for quite some time to lose weight. Already at the end of the 19th century, some English doctors advised their overweight patients to swallow charcoal to cleanse the stomach and calm the feeling of hunger. Nowadays, people are also increasingly turning to white charcoal pills or traditional black ones to not only eliminate toxins from the body, but also lose weight. A large number of fans of this weight loss method is explained by the availability and low price of activated carbon. It is sold without a prescription, which inspires people to believe that it is safe for health.
Many who have heard about this unusual method wonder if it is possible to lose weight with the help of activated charcoal and what kind of excessive weight loss it can be. People's doubts are not surprising, because originally activated charcoal was not intended for weight loss. Everyone knows it as an indispensable remedy for poisoning, since these small white or black pills with a porous surface perfectly absorb all the toxic substances that enter the stomach. So how does this popular remedy allow you to lose weight quickly?
The effects of activated charcoal for weight loss.
In fact, you should not expect any magic when using this remedy. In fact, it helps you lose weight, but only if it is used as an aid. Initially, activated charcoal cannot burn fat cells or, in some intricate way, absorb large amounts of them and eliminate them from the body naturally. The researchers point out that, in fact, charcoal is capable of absorbing a small amount of fat cells, but no better than common dietary supplements. That is, without diet and physical activity, its effect on weight loss will be null.
The property of activated charcoal, which helps to quickly lose a few extra kilos, is the suppression of hunger. If you drink charcoal on an empty stomach, your appetite will decrease significantly. This is because activated charcoal inhibits intestinal motility. Therefore, a person eats much less, which helps to lose weight. At the same time, other herbal remedies, such as chamomile or mint infusion, can have a similar effect on humans. However, they will not cause harm to health.
It is difficult to talk about how many kilograms can be lost with the help of activated charcoal, since that is not why it still happens. Focus on indications for specific dietary methods. The positive effect of consuming black activated charcoal during a diet is that, once in the stomach, it will bind all the toxins, food decomposition products and poisons found there and remove them from the gastrointestinal tract. The effect of white activated carbon is slightly different. It is based on silicon dioxide, which works by eliminating heavy metals, allergens and toxins from the blood. White charcoal also contains microcrystalline cellulose. Once in the stomach, it swells, absorbs and cleans from the walls of the stomach and intestines: the remains of gastric juice and bile, as well as cholesterol. Naturally, all these harmful substances are eliminated from the body.
Whatever anyone says, charcoal is still a medicine, which means it should be taken on a limited basis. Try to follow the instructions so as not to exceed the maximum allowed dose. Otherwise, this is fraught with intestinal problems: as a result of prolonged use of activated charcoal, the intestinal muscles may lose the ability to contract normally. As a result, this will lead to constipation or, conversely, diarrhea.
At first glance, consuming activated charcoal during the diet will have some positive aspects. But don't forget that it is a drug in the first place, which means it can harm your body if used for a long time.
How to take activated charcoal to lose weight.
By following a dietary system or fasting days and at the same time using this remedy, you can lose weight. Some experts believe that with this approach the chances of success in weight loss improve to half of the results initially promised by the diets.
There are several methods of taking activated charcoal tablets:
| The essence of the approach | Quantity calculation |
|---|---|
| According to the first method, the dose of the drug is increased by one tablet every day. | First, weigh yourself. The classic scheme of using charcoal to cleanse the stomach states that one tablet is equivalent to ten kilograms of a person's weight. For example, you have 80 kg. On the first day you should take three tablets, one before each meal. The next day you will have to take four tablets, then five, and so on until you reach eight per day. |
| According to the second approach, throughout the day you should drink the prescribed number of activated charcoal tablets based on your weight (using the same formula). | A person weighing 80 kg needs to take 8 tablets a day. |
| But according to the third method, it is not necessary to take into account a person's weight. | During the day you need to take ten tablets. |
In all cases, taking this medication in order to lose weight should not exceed 10 days. After a ten-day course, it is advisable to take a two-week break. To achieve a good result, this cycle must be repeated three times with breaks.
During the diet you should not eat:
- sweets;
- baking;
- salty, canned and smoked foods;
- fried food;
- spicy seasonings;
- mayonnaise;
- alcoholic beverages.
Also, during the charcoal diet, it is necessary to take vitamin complexes. This is due to the fact that, along with harmful elements, activated carbon will absorb all useful substances from your body. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly replenish them to avoid health problems. Also, do not forget that it is necessary to regularly drink one and a half to two liters of clean water, which also stimulates the cleansing of the body.
To lose weight with the help of activated charcoal, you can resort to a not so long diet, designed for only 3 days. The three-day nutrition system is reminiscent of fasting days or a monodiet, since the list of what is allowed is reduced to a minimum. At the same time, all of these products have a laxative effect, which in the case of taking activated charcoal to lose weight is an extremely important factor. Charcoal causes constipation and these foods will help maintain normal bowel function so your metabolism doesn't slow down.
The three-day diet is based on consuming as many black charcoal pills per day as prescribed based on the person's weight. Divide this amount into three meals. The tablets should be taken before each of them, half an hour before meals. On the first day, your entire diet will consist of a liter of kefir and water, with which you must take the pills. On the second day of the diet you will have to sit on apples. You are allowed to eat two large fruits for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the third day, which aims to gradually withdraw the body from the diet, a vegetable menu is offered. You can eat about a kilogram of vegetables in the form of salads or steamed. On the third day, the vegetables can be lightly seasoned with vegetable oil.
A three-day fasting cycle provides for the number of black charcoal tablets per day as prescribed, depending on the person's weight: 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. In the case of white charcoal, the dosage will be slightly different. To calculate it correctly, consult the instructions for the drug. If your weight is between 45 and 60 kg, five tablets a day will be enough for you. If you weigh between 60 and 70 kg, take eight tablets, if you weigh up to 80 kg, 10 tablets and more, 12.
You have to be very careful
Do not forget that activated charcoal, like any other medicine, has many side effects and contraindications. Their list is quite extensive and may certainly prevent some people from taking charcoal in order to lose weight. Those for whom prolonged use of activated charcoal is contraindicated include:
- pregnant women and nursing mothers;
- suffer from peptic ulcers;
- people with intestinal obstruction;
- those who have chronic constipation;
- suffers from intestinal atony;
- susceptible to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract;
- patients with ulcerative colitis;
- patients with chronic low blood pressure.
But even if you do not fall into any of the listed categories, be sure to consult a doctor, as prolonged use of charcoal can be harmful to your health. Many diseases of internal organs at the moment go unnoticed by a person and he does not even know about the existence of the problem. But thoughtless and prolonged use of this drug can stimulate the transition of the disease to the acute stage, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences.
Activated charcoal absorbs absolutely everything in the body, including amino acids, digestive enzymes, vitamins and microelements. Therefore, its prolonged use can cause vitamin deficiency. In the mildest case, you will notice that your hair looks dull and has begun to actively fall out, and your nails have cracked and become brittle. Additionally, some pimples may appear on the skin and the skin itself will take on an earthy tint. Activated charcoal quickly removes important elements such as potassium and calcium from the human body. They are vital for people with heart problems. Its deficiency can even be fatal.
Also, if you regularly take charcoal to lose weight, you may experience an allergic reaction. And if it is only ten days and not repeated frequently, then the risk of side effects is reduced. But in the instructions for the drug you can read that when taken for more than two weeks, disturbances occur in the absorption of fats, proteins, hormones and calcium. If the duration of use of the drug is exceeded, a person may experience nausea, stomach upset in the form of diarrhea or constipation. In addition, with prolonged use, charcoal will begin to damage the walls of the stomach and intestines. Another important point is that when consuming activated charcoal you cannot take other medications, since it completely neutralizes their effect on the body. In particular, this applies to birth control pills and special suppositories.
In addition to the great benefits that activated charcoal provides, losing weight with its use can lead to an alteration in the normal functioning of the body. In this case, preference can be given to a short three-day diet. But it must be admitted that not everyone can tolerate a menu that is too limited. As a result, this will result in a bad mood and a depressed state. Again, due to poor nutrition, the kilograms lost during the monodiet can be quickly regained.
Many nutritionists advise that it is better to pay attention to something as simple as natural fiber. It is found in large quantities in many vegetables and fruits, which can be easily obtained at any time of the year. In its effect on the gastrointestinal tract, it resembles activated charcoal. Fiber also absorbs harmful substances and cleans them from the walls of the stomach and intestines. At the same time, it will not only help cleanse the body, but also bring a lot of vitamins and microelements; coal can only envy this property.
Carefully study the beneficial qualities of the drug, but also do not lose sight of its numerous side effects, to evaluate whether losing weight with this method justifies the possible health problems.