There is a folk remedy that helps you lose excess weight in a short time. Activated charcoal has been used for weight loss for some time. Even at the end of the 19th century, some English doctors advised their overweight patients to swallow charcoal to cleanse the stomach and alleviate the feeling of hunger. Nowadays, people are also increasingly turning to traditional white or black charcoal tablets, not only to remove toxins from the body, but also to lose weight. The large number of followers of this weight loss method is explained by the availability and low price of activated charcoal. It is sold without a prescription, which inspires people to believe that it is safe for their health.
Many who have heard about this unusual method wonder whether it is possible to lose weight with the help of activated charcoal and what kind of excess weight loss it can be. People's doubts are not surprising, because activated charcoal was not originally intended for weight loss. Everyone knows it as an indispensable remedy for poisoning, as these small black or white tablets with a porous surface perfectly absorb all toxic substances that enter the stomach. So how does this folk 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 with weight loss, but only if it is used as an aid. Initially, activated charcoal is not capable of burning fat cells or, in some complex way, absorbing large amounts of them and removing them from the body naturally. The researchers note that, in fact, charcoal is able to adsorb a small amount of fat cells, but it is no better than common dietary supplements. In other words, without diet and physical activity, your effect on weight loss will be zero.
The property of activated charcoal, which helps you quickly lose a few extra pounds, is hunger suppression. If you drink charcoal on an empty stomach, your appetite will decrease significantly. This is because activated charcoal inhibits intestinal motility. Thus, the person eats much less, which helps to lose weight. At the same time, other herbal remedies, such as chamomile or mint teas, can have a similar effect on humans. However, they will not harm your health.
It is difficult to say how many kilos it is possible to lose weight with the help of activated charcoal, as that is not why this still happens. Focus on indications for specific dietary methods. The positive effect of consuming black activated carbon during a diet is that, once in the stomach, it will bind all toxins, food breakdown products, poisons and remove them from the gastrointestinal tract. The effect of white activated carbon is slightly different. It is based on silicon dioxide, which works to remove 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.
Like it or not, charcoal is still a medicine, which means it should be consumed on a limited basis. Try to follow the instructions so as not to exceed the maximum permitted dosage. Otherwise, this may cause intestinal problems: as a result of prolonged use of activated charcoal, the intestinal muscles may lose their ability to contract normally. As a result, constipation or, conversely, diarrhea will result.
At first glance, there will be some positive aspects to consuming activated charcoal while dieting. But don't forget that, first of all, it is a medicine, which means it can harm the body if used for a long time.
How to take activated charcoal to lose weight
By following a food 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 successful weight loss improve by half compared to the results initially promised by the diets.
There are several methods for taking activated charcoal tablets:
| The essence of the approach | Quantity calculation |
|---|---|
| According to the first method, every day you increase the dosage of the medicine by one tablet. | First, weigh yourself. The classic scheme for using charcoal to cleanse the stomach states that one tablet corresponds to ten kilograms of a person's weight. For example, you are 80 kg. On the first day you must 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 need to drink the amount of activated charcoal tablets prescribed by your weight (using the same formula). | A person weighing 80 kg needs to take 8 tablets a day. |
| But according to the third method, a person's weight does not need to be taken into account. | During the day you need to take ten tablets. |
In all cases, taking this medication with the aim of losing weight should not exceed 10 days. After a ten-day course, you must take a two-week break. To obtain a good result, this cycle must be repeated three times with breaks.
During the diet you should not eat:
- candy;
- cooking;
- salty, canned and smoked foods;
- fried foods;
- spicy seasonings;
- mayonnaise;
- alcoholic beverages.
In addition, during the period of the coal diet, it is necessary to take vitamin complexes. This is due to the fact that, along with harmful elements, activated carbon will adsorb all useful substances from your body. Therefore, they need to be constantly replenished 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 just 3 days. The three-day food system resembles fasting days or mono-diet, as the list of what is allowed in it is reduced to a minimum. At the same time, all 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 help maintain normal bowel function so that the metabolism does not slow down.
The three-day diet is based on consuming as many black charcoal tablets per day as prescribed based on the person's weight. Divide this amount into three meals. The tablets should be taken before each one, half an hour before meals. On the first day, your entire diet will consist of a liter of kefir and water, with which you will need to swallow pills. On the second day of the diet you will have to eat apples. It is allowed to eat two large fruits for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the third day, which aims to gradually remove the body from the diet, a vegetable menu is offered. You will be able to eat about a kilogram of vegetables in the form of salads or steamed. On the third day, the vegetables can be lightly flavored with vegetable oil.
A three-day fasting cycle provides as many black charcoal tablets per day as prescribed, based on a 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, refer to the instructions for the medicine. If your weight is in the range of 45 to 60 kg, five tablets per day will be enough for you. If you weigh 60-70 kg, take eight tablets, if you weigh up to 80 kg - 10 tablets and above - 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 can certainly deter some people from consuming charcoal with the aim of losing weight. Some of those that are contraindicated for long-term use of activated charcoal include:
- pregnant and lactating women;
- suffering from peptic ulcers;
- people with intestinal obstruction;
- those who have chronic constipation;
- suffering from intestinal atony;
- susceptible to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract;
- patients with ulcerative colitis;
- patients with chronic low blood pressure.
But even if you don't fall into any of the listed categories, consult a doctor for advice, as prolonged use of charcoal can be harmful to your health. Many diseases of internal organs go unnoticed by the person for the time being, and they are not even aware of the existence of the problem. But thoughtless use of this medication in the long term can stimulate the transition of the disease to the acute stage, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences.
Activated charcoal adsorbs absolutely everything in your body, including amino acids, digestive enzymes, vitamins and microelements. Therefore, its long-term use can lead to vitamin deficiency. In the mildest case, you will notice that your hair looks dull and has started to actively fall out, and your nails have cracked and become brittle. Additionally, a series of pimples may appear on the skin, and the skin itself will take on an earthy hue. Activated charcoal quickly removes important elements such as potassium and calcium from the human body. They are vital for people with heart problems. Your deficiency can even be deadly.
Additionally, if you regularly take charcoal to lose weight, you may have an allergic reaction to it. And if it's only ten days and not repeated often, the risk of side effects is reduced. But in the instructions for the medicine itself you can read that when taken for more than two weeks, there are disturbances in the absorption of fats, proteins, hormones and calcium. If the duration of taking the medicine is exceeded, a person may experience nausea, stomach pain in the form of diarrhea or constipation. Furthermore, 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, as it completely neutralizes their effects on the body. In particular, this applies to birth control pills and special suppositories.
Along with the great benefits that activated charcoal brings, weight loss through its use can harm the normal functioning of the body. In this case, you can give preference to a short three-day diet. But, you must admit, not all people can stand a very meager menu. As a result, this will result in a spoiled mood and a depressive state. Again, due to a poor diet, the pounds lost during the mono-diet can return quickly.
Many nutritionists advise that it's best to turn your attention to something as simple as natural fiber. It is found in large quantities in various 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 with it a lot of vitamins and microelements - coal can only envy this property.
Carefully study the beneficial qualities of the medicine, but also do not lose sight of its various side effects, to evaluate whether losing weight using this method is worth the possible health problems.