Let's Talk About Cleansing, mmk?

A friend said to me yesterday, "I heard about this cleanse, like a juice fast, where you lose like 10 lbs. in a week or something. I'm totes gonna do it.". *FACE PALM*. And so it was written, or would be written, that this is my topic this week. 

I live in Los Angeles. I live 30 minutes away from Hollywood. It is literally IMPOSSIBLE not to hear about celebrity diet fads, cleanses, fasts, diets etc. We Californians are a funny breed of people. We think (myself formerly included) that if a celebrity says something, it's obviously true, I mean come on, why would they lie to us? So yes, Jessica Simpson is TOTALLY "sexual napalm" in the bedroom, thanks John Mayer for clearing that one up. Anyways, cleansing. I once read that Beyonce lost something around 30 pounds for her role in "Dream Girls". She did this by doing the...drum roll please...*MASTER CLEANSE*

Now for those of you who have never heard of or attempted the Master Cleanse, let me give you a brief summary. You, for at *least* 10 days, (Beyonce did something like 4 weeks), eat nothing. Absolutely nothing. And instead, drinking this concoction of-

-Water

-Lemon juice

-Cayenne pepper

-Grade B maple syrup

If you think that it sounds disgusting, you have no idea. It is the worst thing ever. Yes, I have attempted the Master Cleanse twice before in the past. Key word being attempted. The first time I was 17 and lasted 4 hours and the second time I was 19 and lasted 11 hours. I figured it didn't work because I didn't do it for long enough, and dropped the notion that I could live off of such a disgusting "lemonade". 

A few months ago, my lovely mother made me watch a documentary called, "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead". Reader's Digest Version: It's about an obese Australian man who goes on a juice fast for 60 days. He lost a TON of weight, his health issues were resolved, and he lived happily ever after. My mother now thought SHE should do a juice fast too. 

"Mom, you are not obese and don't have health issues." Most people are baffled when they hear about how much weight another person has lost on a cleanse/fast. How are you baffled? Calories in Vs. Calories out. So obviously if you're not putting anything in, your body is going to flip out. Having said that, I DO think that juicing is awesome and if you can, you should incorporate it INTO your diet, not make it your diet. Now, let me tell you something else, one of my FAVORITE recovery mantras:

"Easy off, easy on"

Ahhhh so simple, no? So true! When you fast, your metabolic rate slows after about 50 hours. So like two days. Once your metabolic rate slows, anything you put into your body will be stored as fat. Even if it's healthy. Sucks. So not worth it. Now, if you're like I was and fast while working out, I am sorry to inform you that you are working out for absolutely nothing. Any muscle you are trying to build is being eaten by your body for protein.You need to consume protein for your body’s needs. If you don’t eat protein, your body starts to break down your muscle (which is protein) in order to get the necessary amino acids (the building blocks of protein). The result? A nice skinny/fat. Soft and skinny. 

Mmmm sexy. 

There is NO scientific evidence that fasting detoxes the body. Our bodies are already pretty self-sufficient. The liver is the body’s natural detox center. Other organs, including the lungs, the kidneys, and the skin, also remove impurities and toxins from the body. If we were meant to fast, we would. Our bodies are amazing. A fast may give the perception of “cleaning out” your body’s impurities, but that’s not what happens. While some people reportedly feel great after fasting, others feel sluggish, tired, achy, and unfocused. That’s because they’re often not getting sufficient calories. 

"But Claudia, 'so and so' got SO skinny on this fast!". 

Well duh. Again, going back to my post about carbs, lack of carbs=lack of water. Lack of water=loss of weight. Also, if you're only drinking and not eating, you will frequently be on the toilet urinating, losing even more water.  But again, this won’t help you lose weight. You’re only depleting your body of fluids, which may make it seem like you’re actually losing weight. Of course, if you eat few calories, you will lose weight quickly, but that doesn’t mean you will keep it off. Again, as the saying goes: easy off; easy on. It's worth saying again. 

If you REALLY feel like your body needs to be *cleansed*, eat REAL food. Oatmeal, fruit, eggs, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, whole wheat bread, plain milk, water water water, etc. Nothing processed. No caffeine, no alcohol, no soda, no juice. Eating clean for a few days will do WONDERS for you, and it'll last. Your metabolism won't die, you won't have low blood sugar, and you can sustain on this clean eating plan forever with the occasional treat (I have one every day because I just gotta). Now for some food porn, how could you want to fast when you could get BETTER results eating this yummy stuff?

Bottom Line: If you consume fewer calories, you will lose weight. But fasting to lose weight quickly can put metabolic stress on your body. After fasting for a few days, you risk damaging your body. Losing muscle mass is very unhealthy. Plus, any weight you lose quickly, you will put back on just as easily.

Fat

Let me paint you a picture--

It's 2:00 AM. I can't sleep. I am on my third consecutive hour of watching reruns of "The Office". Suddenly, I am downstairs, balls deep in a jar of Skippy Peanut Butter.

How in God's good name did this happen....again. Here are the thoughts running through my head right about now:

-Good lord you are repulsive
-You have no self control
-What the hell is wrong with you?
-You are so fat.
-Do you know how much you're going to have to work out tomorrow to burn this off?
-Fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatfat

So all of this was going on only about 7 short months ago before I decided to try and get my shit together. And for the LIFE OF ME I could not figure out why I had no self control and would just get into this trance-like state and binge after being so "good" and starving myself all day. Why, of all things, would I reach for the peanut butter? & now I know...

FAT.

We (myself included) are PETRIFIED of fat. There are more fat-free, non-fat, low-fat, half-fat, reduced-fat, 2% fat, etc. products on the market than ever. And, ironically (or is it?), there are more people in the obese weight range than ever before. So what's up? Let me tell you a secret, a well kept secret at that:

FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT.

I was eating excess amounts of peanut butter because my body was CRAVING fat. Our bodies are actually amazing how they know what they need. So, what actually IS fat? Fats are a concentrated form of energy which help maintain body temperature, and protect body tissues and organs. Fat also plays an essential role in carrying the four fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K. (So if you're not eating any fat, those vitamins shan't be absorbed which sucks).

Basically the moral of the story is if you think you're being "good" by eating a low-fat or fat-free diet, you are setting yourself up for an epic binge. Your biological need for fats will overcome your willpower. Binging is not a lack of willpower, it's your body literally taking over. You have an innate will to live, your body doesn't care that you want to be rail thin, it just wants to keep you alive. Let me repeat that, because it's worth repeating:

BINGING IS NOT A LACK OF WILLPOWER. IT IS YOUR BODY TAKING OVER.

Your body actually knows EXACTLY what it needs. So if you're craving peanut butter, nuts, junk food, fried food, etc., it could really be because you haven't eaten enough fat. Yes, there are "good" fats and "bad" fats. I don't like labeling food "good" or "bad" though. It's just food. And how is a cupcake "bad"? It's the cutest food ever. ANYWAYS, this post can be an exception to avoid confusion.

There are 4 types of fat- Saturated fat, trans fat, polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat.

1. Saturated Fat- This is found mostly in meat and dairy products, as well as some vegetable oils, such as coconut and palm oils (tropical oils). Most saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature, like butter.

2. Trans Fat- created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.  Another name for trans fats is “partially hydrogenated oils." These are the worst kinds. This fat is manmade and added to things like fast food because they're easy to use, cheap, and last a long time. Also, they give foods a desirable taste and texture.  Many restaurants and fast-food outlets use trans fats to deep-fry foods because oils with trans fats can be used many times in commercial fryers. Ick.

3. Polyunsaturated Fat- Found mostly in plant sources. (safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed) and tends to lower blood cholesterol levels.

4. Monounsaturated Fat- Is found in both plant and animal products, such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and in some plant foods such as avocado. It also tends to lower LDL cholesterol or "bad" cholesterol.

So how much fat should you be eating per day to avoid eating it all at once at a super sonic pace? Well 30% of your daily calories should be from fat. Each gram of fat is 9 calories. So on an 1,800 calorie diet-

1,800 calories x .30 (30% from fat) / 9 calories = 60 grams of fat per day. Amazeballs.

If you eat some saturated fat or trans fat, don't trip. The general rule I try and follow is 80% good, 20% bad. Not just for fats, for all foods really. You NEED to be eating a fat at every meal. (Along with a carb and protein). So using myself for example, in the morning I put peanut butter on my toast. For lunch, I put avocado or cheese on my sandwich or salad, or use full fat salad dressing. For dinner I'll put butter on my sweet potato or avocado with my fish or chicken. Want to hear a perfect snack? 1/4 cup of nuts and an apple. NOM. Whatever, you get it. Do it. Eat fat. Your brain will thank you. Seriously, 2/3 of your brain is fat.