Ten years ago, activated carbon was considered a relatively effective way to fight excess weight. Then it was replaced by appetite regulators and various dietary supplements. Today, however, when new expensive drugs have become too expensive or have been discontinued altogether, a serious discussion of coal has re-emerged on the Internet. Therefore, let's find out how this drug works, and whether it can really help you get rid of extra pounds at home.
Beneficial features
Activated carbon is a medicinal product, not a fat burning agent. And it helps not so much those who want to get rid of extra pounds, but those who need a serious cleansing of the body. So, among the positive manifestations of taking the drug, what comes to the fore are not the "melted" centimeters on the waist or the troubles, but:
- Stabilization of the digestive tract.
- Remove toxins and other harmful substances from the body.
- A little slows down the process of skin aging (due to increased fluid intake).
- Reduce blood cholesterol and, as a result, improve the function of the brain and the cardiovascular system and accelerate metabolism.
- Improve the functioning of the liver, adrenal glands, kidneys and some other internal organs.
- There is no sedimentation, since the active elements of the drug are not absorbed, but are completely eliminated from the body within 8-10 hours after administration.
- Reducing the likelihood of infection with staphylococcus, dysentery and some airborne diseases (for example, flu).
Indications for use
For all types of diets (which we will consider in more detail below), taking activated carbon is justified only when it is combined with other methods. However, in medical reference books you can find many other indications for its use. Therefore, those who suffer from:
- Metabolic disorders.
- Stomach disorders, fermentation, flatulence, diarrhea.
- Severe detox effects.
- Intoxicated with alkaloids, heavy metal salts and other harmful substances.
- Poisoning of different etiology.
And this is just a short list of situations where it will be extremely useful. However, do not forget that you can take the drug not only once, but in a course only after the approval of your doctor, since you may have contraindications to take it.
Contraindications
Despite the fact that activated carbon cleaning is done everywhere, not everyone should use it. In addition to individual intolerance, reasons for refusal may include:
- Vitamin deficiency or metabolic disorder.
- Inadequate (under 14 years of age) or excessive (over 65 years of age) age of the person who will lose weight.
- Pregnancy and lactation in young mothers.
- Low blood pressure.
- The presence of problems in the gastrointestinal tract: colitis, duodenal ulcers or any other.
- The patient is taking certain medications (for example, antitoxins).
- Understanding of constipation and bulimia, the presence of intestinal dysbiosis.
- Internal bleeding (regardless of origin).
As you can see, drinking it is not always beneficial. And in some cases it can even be dangerous for your health. Therefore, if you are planning to lose weight on activated charcoal, make sure to consult your doctor first.
Is there a result
Is charcoal effective as a way to lose weight? To find an answer to this question, let us go to the experience of those who have already tested these pills. According to reviews, in two weeks without using additional methods (effective diets, physical activity), people managed to lose about 2-4 kg. Moreover, the greater the initial weight of the person who loses weight, the better the results he was able to achieve.
However, let's find out if activated carbon really promotes weight loss? Not really. It just means that when you start taking these tablets, you will increase your water intake accordingly. Having previously filled the stomach with water, one eats less during the next meal. The result is weight loss. In other words, the same result can be achieved in the same period without taking activated carbon. It will still be enough to drink a cup of water at room temperature about 20-30 minutes before meals.
But what the drug does well is to cleanse the body. After a two-week course, many people notice:
- Improved skin condition: blackheads disappear and oily shine.
- The appearance of Gile in the body.
- Stabilization of intestinal function.
However, all this happens only if you take the drug correctly. If you forget the measure and when you are eating you are guided by the principle "the more, the better, " you can develop some difficulties.
Damage to the body
It seems that we all know charcoal from childhood - as an excellent remedy for intestinal problems and excessive gas formation. So what negative consequences can we talk about? Let us remember that activated carbon is first and foremost a medicinal product. This means that an overdose or improper use can harm the body. This can be expressed in:
Avitaminosis and hypovitaminosis Activated carbon is an excellent adsorbent, but it will not only remove toxins from the body, but also nutrients.
External decay With prolonged use, you risk negating all the positive effects of "cleansing": clear skin will become smooth and covered with pimples, nails will be brittle, and hair will begin to fall out.
Constipation Excessive slowing of peristalsis is a sure companion of severe constipation, not so far from diarrhea and hemorrhoids.
Damage to the intestinal walls Two weeks of moderate use of the drug will not cause any negative consequences. However, if you get too carried away, you are guaranteed to have problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
Reduce the effect of taking other medicines Instead of having a restorative effect on the body, the beneficial substances and antibodies contained in the tablets will be actively removed along with toxins.
Reduce blood pressure and thromboembolism
And this is true only for completely healthy people. How self-medication or "grandmother's" recipe based on activated carbon will affect those who already suffer from any chronic diseases, one can only guess. But it is clear that there is no need to talk about improvements.
Of course, the above does not mean that it is harmful to health. It's just that the benefits will only be noticeable if they are taken correctly. And it could be completely different from what you expect.
Dosage and administration rules
So, which method of application will give the best effect and not cause irreparable damage? The exact course can only be prescribed by the attending physician who is familiar with the characteristics of your body. In general, the rules of entry are as follows:
- The duration of the course starts from 3 days and should not be longer than 2 weeks (the same applies to diets that include taking this drug).
- The number of tablets that must be taken per day (at least 3 approaches) is calculated with the formula: 1 tablet for every 10 kg of total weight. In other words, if you weigh 50 kg you need to drink 5 tablets per day, if you weigh 113 kg - 11 tablets.
- The drug should be gradually introduced into the daily menu. If your norm is 7 pieces, in the first 2-3 days it is better not to take more than 5 tablets, gradually increasing the dose. The same applies to completing the course.
- The dose is taken within an hour before or after meals. However, you should not drink it in the morning (when your stomach is still empty), it is better to do it an hour after breakfast.
- After completing the course, make sure to take a break for at least 2 weeks.
- Take the tablets with still boiled water at room temperature. This will prevent all kinds of bacteria from entering the body and will help the drug to start working faster.
- At the end of your appointment, be sure to contact your doctor so that he can prescribe you a course of multivitamins (to restore the body's vitamin balance).
In addition, if you want to take the maximum benefits of activated charcoal, try to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Reduce your consumption of flour products and those containing sugar.
- Avoid alcohol completely.
- Eliminate dishes high in sugar, fat and harmful elements from your daily menu.
- Drink water (at least 1 liter for every 30 kg of weight, but up to 2. 5 liters in total).
- Switch from coffee to weak tea with no additives.
- Increase your physical activity by ensuring that exercise (such as morning exercise, afternoon jogging or swimming in the pool) provides a burst of energy and strength, rather than completely exhausting you.
Follow these simple rules, and you will definitely benefit from losing weight with activated charcoal. Even if all the extra pounds do not disappear, you will feel much better than before the start of the course.
Variations Welcome
As already mentioned, many people actively start taking the drug in an attempt to lose weight. So, let's look at the most common methods and evaluate their effectiveness:
Option #1: Smoothly
Origin:The diet of the person who loses weight remains unchanged, and no additional efforts to lose weight are taken into account. Tablets should be taken in the amount of 2 pieces 1, 5 hours - an hour before meals. The course lasts from 10 days to two weeks.
Result:There will be no significant weight loss (maximum - 3-4 kilograms in 14 days). However (if other conditions remain unchanged), the lost centimeters will disappear forever, the lightness will appear in the body, the intestinal function will stabilize, and the daily activity will increase significantly.
Option #2: Three-day diet
Origin:For 3 days, the person to lose weight adheres to a certain diet. Additional physical activity is not taken into account, but is not prohibited.
Day 1 During the day, you can only eat activated carbon with kefir and water. Moreover, first you take a few tablets (based on weight), wash them with a glass of still warm water, and after half an hour - a glass of kefir. If you are used to eating more than three times a day, the portion size and the number of tablets must be reduced. In this case, the break between meals should be at least 2-3 hours.
Day 2 The current "dish list" is exactly the same as the last day's menu, but with one difference. Kefir is replaced with apples at the rate of one apple per glass.
Day 3 On this day, the diet remains the same, but instead of kefir you will eat vegetable salad with olive oil dressing or steamed vegetables without salt.
Result:This diet is one of the express diets, and therefore you can lose up to 5 kg as a result. However, the menu provides for a rather abrupt and radical refusal of products, which is not suitable for everyone. As you lose weight, you may experience severe headaches, weakness, and bouts of uncontrollable appetite (which may even increase your weight). Therefore, you should not go on this diet during your period or when you are doing things that require increased attention and concentration.
If such a diet was easy for you, you can continue the course, extending it to 15 days. However, you should stop taking activated carbon, and at the end of the diet, be sure to take a multivitamin.
Option #3: Two-week diet with activated charcoal
Origin:For 14 days, the person who loses weight eats according to a certain pattern, which is designed to gradually reduce the feeling of hunger. At the same time, 30-60 minutes before meals (except for the second breakfast), he takes activated charcoal (2 tablets) with a glass of still warm water. When assessing effectiveness, additional physical activity is not taken into account.
- Breakfast: a serving (0. 2 kg) of oatmeal boiled in water and a glass of green or black tea without additives. If you want, you can season the porridge with raisins, and with tea you can eat some bread with a thin piece of cheese.
- The second breakfast: a glass of low-fat kefir.
- Lunch: broth made from lean meat (veal or chicken) and 0. 2 kg of cooked vegetables.
- Dinner: fresh fruit salad, seasoned with a tablespoon of sour cream or homemade yogurt.
- Breakfast: buckwheat boiled in water, as well as one hard-boiled egg and a glass of tea.
- Second breakfast: apple, kiwi or small banana.
- Lunch: vegetable broth and 0. 15 kg of mango, baked in its own juice without adding any spices.
- Dinner: an apple and 0. 2 kg of cottage cheese, whose fat content does not exceed 7%.
- Breakfast: a plate of freshly cooked rice and a glass of tea.
- Second breakfast: two small fruits of your choice.
- Lunch: steamed chicken (0. 2 kg) and vegetable salad dressed with low-fat sour cream.
- Dinner: vegetable casserole and a glass of tea.
- Breakfast: a plate of oatmeal cooked with low-fat milk, a glass of tea and a handful of raisins.
- Second breakfast: cucumber and two hard boiled eggs.
- Lunch: a bowl of lean fish soup. You cannot eat more than 0. 1 kg of the fish itself.
- Dinner: a portion of cottage cheese and a banana.
- Breakfast: 1 medium tomato, sandwich (bread + thin slice of cheese) and a glass of tea.
- Second breakfast: 0. 05 kg of cottage cheese and a cup of low-fat milk. If you want, you can add a few loaves of bread.
- Lunch: vegetable soup cooked in meat broth and 0. 1 kg of lean meat cooked.
- Dinner: fresh vegetable salad.
- Breakfast: buckwheat porridge boiled in water (without additives), hard boiled egg and cucumber.
- Second breakfast: a cup of low-fat kefir and small fruits of your choice.
- Lunch: low-fat meat broth (0. 2 kg) and cucumber.
- Dinner: cottage cheese (0. 1 kg), seasoned with a tablespoon of homemade yogurt (no additives).
- Breakfast: oatmeal cooked with milk, 0. 1 kg of homemade yogurt and a glass of tea.
- The second breakfast: a cup of kefir.
- Lunch: vegetable casserole and 0. 1 kg of lean meat cooked.
- Dinner: vegetable salad dressed with homemade yogurt.
- Breakfast: two cucumbers, two sandwiches with low-fat cheese and a glass of tea.
- Second breakfast: two small fruits of your choice.
- Lunch: chicken broth and 0. 1 kg of vegetable casserole.
- Dinner: two cucumbers and some boiled mussels.
- Breakfast: rice boiled in water and a glass of tea.
- The second breakfast: a glass of kefir and an apple.
- Lunch: a portion of low-fat borscht and 0. 1 kg of boiled chicken breast.
- Dinner: cucumber and tomato salad and 0, 2 kg of boiled shrimp.
- Breakfast: 2 baked apples, some cottage cheese and a glass of tea.
- The second breakfast: a glass of kefir and bread.
- Lunch: a plate of thin fish soup.
- Dinner: steamed vegetables.
- Breakfast: cucumber, sandwich (bread + thin slice of boiled chicken breast) and a glass of tea.
- Second breakfast: a glass of fermented baked milk and an apple.
- Lunch: a bowl of low-fat chicken broth.
- Dinner: vegetable salad and 0. 1 kg of cottage cheese.
- Breakfast: a portion of cottage cheese, two cucumbers, a hard-boiled egg, and a glass of tea.
- Second breakfast: two small fruits of your choice.
- Lunch: a plate of low-fat borscht and 0. 1 kg of stewed mushrooms.
- Dinner: boiled chicken breast (0. 1 kg) and vegetable salad.
- Breakfast: buckwheat porridge boiled in water, hard boiled egg and a glass of tea.
- Second breakfast: small fruit of your choice.
- Lunch: a plate of vegetable broth and 0. 15 kg of mango, baked in its own juice without adding any spices.
- Dinner: an apple and 0. 2 kg of cottage cheese, whose fat content does not exceed 7%.
- Breakfast: a portion of oatmeal, boiled in water, and a glass of tea. If you want, you can season the porridge with raisins, and with tea you can eat some bread with a thin piece of cheese.
- The second breakfast: a glass of low-fat kefir.
- Lunch: a portion of low-fat meat broth and 0. 2 kg of stewed vegetables.
- Dinner: fruit salad, seasoned with a tablespoon of sour cream or homemade yogurt.
Result:Since this diet is classified as moderate, you can stick to it even with increased daily activity. In two weeks, with his help you can lose about 5-7 kg, which (if you follow a similar menu, but without coal) will not return in the future.
Black or white: choosing the "right" coal
Today the range of medicines is huge. So, if previously only black activated carbon could be bought at the pharmacy, today, along with it, pharmacists offer white carbon tablets. Due to the advertising of a new fashionable product, buyers will have a milder effect, only removing toxins from the body and the possibility of long-term courses (over 2 weeks).
The only thing is that the instructions for use for both drugs are almost identical, and that nanorobots (which could reliably determine which element harms the body and which helps) are not included in white coal. Besides, if traditional black coal costs pennies, you will have to pay several times more for white coal. Whether such a "game" is worth the candle, decide for yourself.
Let us summarize the above. As practice shows, activated carbon for weight loss will be ineffective. Without the help of other solutions (diet, exercise), with his help you can lose 2-3 kilograms at most. In this case, an overdose of the drug threatens serious problems with the body. However, if you need to clean your body quickly, for example, after a big feast, you will not find a better solution. Moreover, it is always available and free.