There is a popular drug 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 dull hunger. Nowadays, people are also increasingly turning to traditional white or black charcoal tablets to not only remove toxins from the body, but also to lose weight. A large number of fans of this method of weight loss 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 whether it is possible to lose weight with the help of activated carbon, and what kind of excess weight loss. People's skepticism is not surprising, because activated charcoal was not originally intended for weight loss. Everyone knows it as an indispensable medicine for poisoning, because these small black or white tablets with a porous surface perfectly absorb all toxic substances that enter the stomach. So how does this popular drug help you lose weight fast?
The effect of activated carbon for weight loss
In fact, you should not expect any miracles from using this medicine. Indeed, it helps in losing weight, but only if it is used as an aid. Initially, activated carbon cannot burn fat cells or, in some complicated way, absorb a large amount of them and remove them from the body naturally. Researchers note that, indeed, charcoal is able to absorb a small amount of fat cells, but no better than regular supplements. That is, without diet and physical activity, the effect on weight loss will be zero.
The property of activated carbon, which helps you lose a few extra pounds quickly, is to suppress hunger. If you drink charcoal on an empty stomach, it will significantly reduce your appetite. This happens due to the fact that activated charcoal inhibits intestinal motility. Therefore, a person eats less, which helps to lose weight. At the same time, other herbal remedies, such as chamomile or peppermint tea, can have the same effect on humans. However, they will not harm health.
It is difficult to talk about how many kilograms it is possible to lose weight with the help of activated carbon, because not because of that it still happens. Focus on specific dietary guidelines. The positive effect of taking black activated carbon during the diet is that, once in the stomach, it will bind all the toxins there, the breakdown products of food, poison them 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 removing 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: waste gastric juice and bile, as well as cholesterol. Naturally, all these harmful substances are removed from the body.
Whatever may be said, coal is still a drug, which means it should be taken in a limited way. Try to follow the instructions so as not to exceed the maximum allowed dose. Otherwise, this is fraught with problems with the intestine: as a result of long-term use of activated carbon, the intestinal muscles may lose the ability to contract normally. As a result, this will result in constipation or, conversely, diarrhea.
At first glance, there would be some positive aspects of the intake of activated carbon during the diet. But do not forget that, first of all, this is a drug, which means that it can harm your body if used for a long time.
How to take activated carbon for weight loss
By following a diet or fasting day and at the same time using this medicine, you can lose weight. Some experts believe that with this approach, the chances of successfully losing weight increase by half of the results initially promised by the diet.
There are several ways to take activated carbon tablets:
| The essence of the approach | Quantity calculation |
|---|---|
| According to the first method, every day you increase the dose of the drug 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 have 80 kg. On the first day you need to take three tablets - one before each meal. The next day you need to take four tablets, then five, and so on until you reach eight tablets per day. |
| According to the second approach, throughout the day you need to drink the number of activated carbon tablets set by your weight (using the same formula). | A person weighing 80 kg should take 8 tablets a day. |
| But according to the third method, one's body weight does not need to be taken into account. | During the day you need to take ten tablets. |
In all cases, taking this medicine for the purpose of losing weight should not exceed 10 days. After a ten-day course, you need to rest for two weeks. To achieve good results, this cycle must be repeated three times with rest.
During the diet you can not eat:
- candy;
- burn;
- salty, canned and smoked foods;
- fried food;
- spicy seasoning;
- mayonnaise;
- alcoholic beverages.
In addition, during the coal diet period, you must take a vitamin complex. This is due to the fact that, along with harmful elements, activated carbon will absorb all useful substances in your body. Therefore, they need to be constantly replenished to avoid health problems. Also, do not forget that you should regularly drink one and a half to two liters of clean water, which also stimulates body cleansing.
To lose weight with the help of activated carbon, you can use a diet that is not too long, designed for only 3 days. The three-day nutrition system is reminiscent of fasting days or mono-diet, because 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 carbon for weight loss is a very important factor. Charcoal causes constipation, and this food will help maintain normal bowel function so your metabolism doesn't slow down.
The three-day diet is based on taking a daily amount of black charcoal tablets as prescribed based on a person's body weight. Divide this amount into three servings. Tablets should be taken before each of them, half an hour before meals. On the first day, your entire diet will consist of one liter of kefir and water, which you will need to wash the tablets with. On the second day of the diet you need to sit on an apple. You are allowed to eat two large pieces of fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the third day, which aims to remove the body gradually from the diet, a vegetable menu is prepared. You will be able to eat about one kilogram of vegetables in the form of a salad or steamed. On the third day, vegetables can be slightly 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, then five tablets a day is 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 careful
Do not forget that activated carbon, like any other drug, has many side effects and contraindications. Their list is quite extensive and can certainly prevent some people from taking coal for weight loss purposes. Some of those who are contraindicated from using activated carbon for a long period of time include:
- pregnant women and nursing mothers;
- suffer from peptic ulcer;
- people with intestinal obstruction;
- those with chronic constipation;
- have intestinal atony;
- prone 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 for advice, because long-term use of charcoal can harm your health. Many diseases of internal organs are currently not noticed by a person, and he does not know about the existence of the problem. But the thoughtless long-term use of this drug can stimulate the transition of the disease to the acute stage, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences.
Activated carbon completely absorbs everything in your body, including amino acids, digestive enzymes, vitamins and micronutrients. Therefore, long-term use can cause vitamin deficiency. In the mildest cases, you will notice that your hair looks dull and has begun to actively fall out, and your nails have broken and become brittle. Also, a scattering of acne may appear on the skin, and the skin itself will take on an earthy color. Activated carbon quickly removes important elements such as potassium and calcium from the human body. They are important for people with heart problems. Their deficiency can even be fatal.
Also, if you regularly take charcoal for weight loss purposes, you may experience an allergic reaction to it. And if it is only ten days and not repeated often, then the risk of side effects is reduced. But on the instructions for the drug 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 drug use is exceeded, a person may experience nausea, abdominal pain in the form of diarrhea or constipation. Also, with prolonged use, charcoal will begin to damage the walls of the stomach and intestines. Another important point is that when taking activated carbon, you can not take other drugs, because it completely neutralizes its effect on the body. In particular, this applies to birth control pills and special suppositories.
Along with the great benefits that activated carbon brings, weight loss with its use can be met with disruption of the body's normal functions. In this case, you can give preference to a short three-day diet. But, you have to admit, not everyone can resist too little menu. As a result, this will result in a broken mood and a state of depression. Again, due to a bad diet, the kilograms lost during mono-diet can quickly return.
Many nutritionists advise that it is better to turn your attention to simple things like natural fiber. It is found in large quantities in many vegetables and fruits, which are easily available at any time of the year. In its effect on the gastrointestinal tract, it resembles activated carbon. 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 will also bring with it a lot of vitamins and microelements - coal can only envy this property.
Carefully study the beneficial qualities of the drug, but also do not forget to look at its many side effects, to evaluate whether losing weight using this method is worth the possible health problems.