There is a folk remedy that helps you lose 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. A large number of followers of this method of weight loss is explained by the availability and low price of activated carbon. It is sold without a prescription, leading 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 using activated carbon and what kind of excessive weight loss it can be. People's doubts are not surprising, because activated charcoal was not initially intended for weight loss. Everyone knows it as an indispensable remedy in case of poisoning, since 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 help you lose weight quickly?
The effects of activated charcoal for weight loss
In fact, one should not expect magic from using this remedy. Indeed, it helps with weight loss, but only if used as an aid. Initially, activated charcoal is not able to burn fat cells or, in a complex way, absorb large quantities of them and eliminate them naturally from the body. The researchers note that, indeed, charcoal is able to absorb a small amount of fat cells, but no better than common dietary supplements. In other words, without diet or physical activity, its effect on weight loss will be zero.
The property of activated carbon, which helps you quickly lose a few extra pounds, is the suppression of hunger. If you drink charcoal on an empty stomach, it will significantly suppress your appetite. This is because activated charcoal inhibits intestinal motility. Thus, a person eats much less, which contributes to weight loss. At the same time, other herbal remedies, such as chamomile or mint teas, can have a similar effect on humans. However, they do not harm health.
It is difficult to say how many kilograms it is possible to lose weight with the help of activated carbon, because it is not because of this that it still happens. Focus on indications for specific dietary methods. The positive effect of consuming black activated carbon during a diet is that, once it gets into the stomach, it will bind all toxins, food breakdown products, poisons 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 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: remnants of gastric juice and bile, as well as cholesterol. Naturally, all these harmful substances are eliminated from the body.
Whatever people say, charcoal remains a medicine, which means that it should be consumed in a limited way. Try to follow the instructions so as not to exceed the maximum allowable dose. Otherwise, this leads to many problems in the intestines: due to long-term 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 a diet has some positive aspects. But remember that it is primarily a medicine, which means it can harm your body if used for a long time.
How to take activated charcoal for weight loss
By adhering to a diet or fasting days and at the same time using this remedy, you can lose weight. Some experts estimate that with this approach, the chances of successfully losing weight improve by half the results initially promised by the diets.
There are several methods for taking activated charcoal tablets:
| The essence of the approach | Quantity calculation |
|---|---|
| In the first method, you increase the dose of the medication by one tablet each day. | 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 should take three tablets – one before each meal. The next day you will need to take four tablets, then five, and so on until you reach eight per day. |
| According to the second approach, you should drink the prescribed number of activated charcoal tablets based on your weight throughout the day (using the same formula). | A person weighing 80 kg should take 8 tablets per day. |
| But according to the third method, there is no need to take into account a person's weight. | During the day you need to take ten tablets. |
In any case, taking this medication for the purpose of losing weight should not exceed 10 days. After a ten-day course, you should 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;
- pastry shop;
- salted, canned and smoked foods;
- fried food;
- spicy seasonings;
- Mayonnaise;
- alcoholic beverages.
In addition, during the period of the coal diet, you need to take vitamin complexes. This is due to the fact that, in addition to harmful elements, activated carbon will adsorb all useful substances from your body. Therefore, they must be constantly replenished to avoid health problems. Also remember that you should regularly drink one and a half to two liters of clean water, which also stimulates the cleansing of the body.
In order to lose weight with the help of activated carbon, you can resort to a less long-term diet, designed for only 3 days. The three-day food system is reminiscent of fasting days or a mono-diet, since 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 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 daily consumption of as many black charcoal tablets 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 will need to wash down the tablets. 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 is aimed at gradually withdrawing the body from food, a plant-based menu is offered. You can eat about a kilo of vegetables in the form of salads or steamed. On the third day, vegetables can be lightly flavored with vegetable oil.
A three-day fasting cycle provides for as many 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, refer to the instructions for the drug. If your weight is between 45 and 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 more - 12.
you have to be very careful
Remember that activated charcoal, like any other medicine, has many side effects and contraindications. Their list is quite long and can certainly deter some people from taking charcoal in an effort to lose weight. A number of people contraindicated when using activated charcoal for a long time include:
- pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers;
- suffering from peptic ulcers;
- people with intestinal obstruction;
- those who suffer from chronic constipation;
- suffering from intestinal atony;
- sensitive to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract;
- patients with ulcerative colitis;
- patients suffering from chronic hypotension.
But even if you don't fall into any of the listed categories, still be sure to consult a doctor, as long-term use of charcoal can be harmful to your health. Many diseases of internal organs go unnoticed by a person at the moment, and he does not even know about the existence of the problem. But long-term thoughtless use of this drug can stimulate the transition of the disease to the acute stage, which leads to unpleasant consequences.
Activated charcoal absorbs 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 appears dull and has started to actively fall out, and your nails have split and become brittle. Also, a scattering of pimples may appear on the skin, and the skin itself will take on an earthy hue. Activated carbon quickly removes important elements such as potassium and calcium from the human body. They are vital for people with heart problems. Their deficiency can even be fatal.
Additionally, if you regularly take charcoal in an effort to lose weight, you may have an allergic reaction to it. And if it only lasts ten days and is not repeated frequently, 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, the absorption of fats, proteins, hormones and calcium is disrupted. 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, as this completely neutralizes their effect on the body. This especially applies to birth control pills and special suppositories.
In addition to the great benefits that activated carbon brings, weight loss through its use can lead to disruption of the normal functioning of the body. In this case, you can favor a short three-day diet. But, it must be admitted, not everyone can tolerate too lean a menu. As a result, this will lead to a bad mood and a depressed state. Once again, due to a poor diet, the pounds lost during a mono-diet can quickly return.
Many nutritionists advise paying attention to such a simple thing 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 cleanses them from the walls of the stomach and intestines. At the same time, it will not only help cleanse the body, but also provide 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, in order to assess whether losing weight by this method is worth the possible health problems.