It is one popular remedy that helps you lose excess weight in a short period of time. Activated charcoal has been used for weight loss for quite 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 the feeling of hunger. Nowadays, people are also increasingly turning to white or traditional black charcoal tablets to not only remove toxins from the body but also to lose weight. The 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 encourages people to believe that it is safe for their health.
Many people who have heard about this unusual method wonder if it is possible to lose weight with the help of activated carbon and what kind of excess weight loss it can be. People's skepticism is 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 popular remedy make it possible to lose weight fast?
The effect of activated carbon for weight loss
In fact, you should not expect any magic from using this remedy. In fact, it helps to lose weight, but only if used as an aid. Initially, activated carbon is not able to burn fat cells or, in some complicated way, absorb large amounts of them and remove them naturally from the body. Researchers note that charcoal can indeed absorb small amounts of fat cells, but no better than common dietary supplements. That is, without diet and exercise, its effect on weight loss will be zero.
The property of activated carbon, which helps you quickly lose a few extra pounds, is to suppress hunger. If you drink charcoal on an empty stomach, it will significantly reduce your appetite. This happens because activated charcoal inhibits intestinal motility. This way you eat much less, which helps you lose weight. At the same time, other herbal remedies, such as chamomile or mint tea, can have a similar effect on humans. However, they will not cause health damage.
It is difficult to talk about how many kilos it is possible to lose weight with the help of active carbon, since it is not because of what it happens yet. Emphasize evidence for specific dietary practices. The positive effect of consuming black activated carbon during dieting is that when it reaches the stomach, it binds all the toxins there, food breakdown products, poisons and removes them from the digestive tract. The effects of white activated carbon are slightly different. It is based on silicon dioxide which works by removing heavy metals, allergens and toxins from the blood. White coal 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. In a natural way, all these harmful substances are eliminated from the body.
Whatever one may say, charcoal is still a medicine, which means it should be taken in a limited way. Try to follow the instructions so as not to exceed the maximum permissible dose. Otherwise, this is full of intestinal problems: due to prolonged use of activated carbon, intestinal muscles can lose the ability to contract normally. Therefore, this will cause constipation or conversely diarrhea.
At first glance, there will be positive aspects associated with the consumption 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 it is used for a long time.
How to take activated carbon for weight loss
By following a diet or fasting and at the same time using this remedy, you can lose weight. Some experts believe that with this approach, the probability of success in losing weight improves by half the success originally promised in dieting.
There are several ways to take activated charcoal tablets:
| The essence of the approach | Quantity calculation |
|---|---|
| According to the first method, you increase the dose of the medicine every day by one tablet. | First, weigh yourself. A classic system of using charcoal to cleanse the stomach says 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 need to take four tablets, then five, and so on until you reach eight a day. |
| According to the second approach, throughout the day you need to drink the number of active carbon 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, the weight of a person does not need to be taken into account. | During the day you need to take ten tablets. |
In all cases, this medicine should be taken for the purpose of losing weight for no longer than 10 days. After a ten-day course, you should take a two-week break. To achieve good results, this cycle needs to be repeated three times with breaks.
During the diet you should not eat:
- sweets;
- Bake;
- salted, canned and smoked foods;
- fried foods;
- spicy seasoning;
- mayonnaise;
- alcoholic beverages.
In addition, during the period of the coal diet, you must take vitamin complexes. This is because, along with harmful elements, activated carbon will absorb all the useful substances in the body. Therefore, they need to be constantly renewed to avoid health problems. Do not forget that you need to regularly drink one and a half to two liters of pure 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 not so long-term diet, designed for only 3 days. The three-day nutrition system is reminiscent of fasting or a 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 when it comes to taking activated carbon for weight loss is an extremely important factor. Carbohydrates cause 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 carbon tablets per day as is prescribed based on the person's weight. Divide this amount into three meals. The tablets must be taken for each of them, half an hour before a meal. 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 must sit on apples. You can eat two large pieces of fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the third day, which aims to gradually remove the body from the diet, a vegetarian menu is offered. You will be able to eat about one kilo 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 allows for as many 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 dose 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 60-70 kg, take eight tablets, if you weigh up to 80 kg - 10 tablets and over - 12.
You have to be very 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 charcoal for the purpose of weight loss. A number of people who are contraindications to using activated carbon for a long time are:
- pregnant women and nursing mothers;
- suffer from peptic ulcer;
- people with bowels;
- those who have chronic constipation;
- suffer from intestinal discomfort;
- susceptible to gastrointestinal bleeding;
- 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, as long-term use of charcoal can be harmful to your health. Many diseases of internal organs for the time being go unnoticed by a person and he does not even know about the existence of the problem. But thoughtless long-term use of this drug can stimulate the transition of the disease in the acute stage, which has unpleasant consequences.
Activated carbon absorbs absolutely everything in the body, including amino acids, digestive enzymes, vitamins and micronutrients. Therefore, its long-term use can lead to 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 split and become brittle. Scattered pimples can also appear on the skin, and the skin itself takes on an earthy hue. 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.
Additionally, if you regularly take charcoal for the purpose of losing weight, you may experience an allergic reaction to it. And if it is only ten days and not repeated often, the risk of side effects is reduced. But on the instructions for the drug itself, you can read that when it is taken for more than two weeks, there are disturbances in the absorption of fats, proteins, hormones and calcium. If the duration of use of the drug is longer, a person may experience nausea, stomach discomfort 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 you consume activated carbon, you cannot take other drugs, as it completely neutralizes their effect on the body. This is especially true for birth control pills and special styles.
Along with the great benefits that activated carbon brings, weight loss with its use can be accompanied by disturbances in the normal functioning of the body. In this case, you can choose a short three-day diet. But, you have to admit, not everyone can resist a menu that is too small. Consequently, this will lead to a damaged mood and depression. Again, due to a poor diet, the pounds lost on the mono diet can quickly return.
Many nutritionists advise that it is better to focus on such a simple thing as 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 digestive 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 a lot of vitamins and trace elements - coal can only envy this property.
Carefully consider the advantages of the drug, but do not lose sight of its many side effects, to evaluate whether losing weight with this method is worth the potential health problems.