Ten years ago, activated carbon was considered a fairly effective tool for fighting excess weight. Then it was replaced by appetite suppressants and various dietary supplements. But today, with newer drugs becoming more expensive or discontinued altogether, the internet has once again sparked a serious debate about charcoal. Therefore, let's understand how this drug works and can really help you get rid of extra pounds at home.
Useful features
Activated carbon is a medicine, not a fat burner. And it helps not those who want to get rid of extra pounds, but those who need serious cleansing of the body. Therefore, among the positive manifestations of taking the drug, it is not "melted" centimeters on the waist or problems that come to the fore, but:
- Stabilization of the digestive system.
- Removal of toxins and other harmful substances from the body.
- It slightly slows down the aging process of the skin (due to increased fluid intake).
- Reducing blood cholesterol and, as a result, improving the functioning of the brain and cardiovascular system and accelerating metabolism.
- Improving the functioning of the liver, adrenal glands, kidneys and several other internal organs.
- Since the active elements of the drug are not absorbed, there is no sediment, but they are completely removed from the body within 8-10 hours after administration.
- Reducing the possibility of infection with staphylococcus, dysentery and some airborne diseases (for example, influenza).
Instructions for use
As for all types of diets (which we will consider in more detail below), the intake of activated carbon is justified only when combined with other methods. However, you will find many other indications for its use in medical reference books. So those who suffer:
- Metabolic disorders.
- Stomach disorders, fermentation, flatulence, diarrhea.
- The results of severe detoxification.
- Intoxication with alkaloids, salts of heavy metals and other harmful substances.
- Poisonings of various etiologies.
And this is a short list of situations where it will be extremely useful. But remember that you can take the drug not only once, but only in a course after the approval of your doctor, because there may be contraindications to its reception.
Contraindications
Although activated carbon cleansing is widely used, not everyone should use it. In addition to individual intolerance, among the reasons for refusal:
- Vitamin deficiency or metabolic disorder.
- Insufficient (below 14) or excessive (over 65) age of the person losing 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).
- Tendency to constipation and bulimia, 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 health. Therefore, if you plan to start losing weight with activated charcoal, consult your doctor first.
Is there any result?
Is charcoal effective for weight loss? To find an answer to this question, let's turn to the experience of those who have already tested these pills on themselves. According to reviews, people managed to lose about 2-4 kg of weight within two weeks without using additional methods (effective diet, physical activity). Moreover, the greater the initial weight of a person losing weight, the better results he could achieve.
But let's find out if activated carbon really helps you lose weight. Not really. Simply put, when you start taking these tablets, you increase your water intake accordingly. A person who previously filled his stomach with water eats less during the next meal. The result is weight loss. In other words, it is quite possible to achieve the same result in the same amount of time without taking activated carbon. It is enough to drink a glass of still water at room temperature about 20-30 minutes before eating.
But what the drug really does well is cleanse the body. After a two-week course, many people note:
- Improved skin condition: blackheads and oily shine disappear.
- The appearance of lightness in the body.
- Stabilization of bowel function.
But all this happens only if you take the medicine correctly. If you forget about the size and follow the principle of "the more the better" when consuming, you can develop a number of complications.
Damage to the body
It seems that we all know coal since childhood - as an excellent remedy for intestinal problems and excessive gas formation. But what are the negative consequences? Let's not forget that activated carbon is primarily a medicine. This means that its overdose or improper use can harm the body. This can be expressed as:
Avitaminosis and hypovitaminosis Activated carbon is an excellent adsorbent, but it removes not only toxins from the body, but also nutrients.
External deterioration With long-term use, you risk negating all the positive effects of "cleansing": clean skin will become dull and covered with acne, nails will become brittle, and hair will begin to fall out.
Constipation Excessive slowing of peristalsis is a reliable companion of severe constipation, not far from diarrhea and hemorrhoids.
Intestinal wall damage Average use of the drug for two weeks will not cause any negative consequences. However, if you overdo it, you are guaranteed to experience gastrointestinal problems.
Reduce the effect of taking other drugs Instead of having a restorative effect on the body, the useful substances and antibodies contained in the tablets will be actively removed together with toxins.
Reducing blood pressure and thromboembolism
And all this is true only for completely healthy people. One can only guess how self-medication or "grandmother's" prescription based on activated carbon will affect those suffering from any chronic disease. But there is no need to talk about improvements.
Of course, the above does not mean that it is harmful to health. Simply, the benefits will be noticeable only if it is taken correctly. And it may be completely different from what you expect.
Dosage and application rules
So, which method of application will give the optimal effect and not cause irreparable damage? The exact course can be prescribed only by the attending physician who is familiar with the characteristics of your body. In general, the admission rules are as follows:
- The duration of the course starts from 3 days and should not exceed 2 weeks (the same applies to diets that take this drug).
- The number of tablets to be taken per day (at least 3 approaches) is calculated by the formula: 1 tablet for every 10 kg of body weight. In other words, if you weigh 50 kg, you need to drink 5 tablets a day, if you weigh 113 kg - 11 tablets.
- The drug should be gradually included in the daily menu. If your norm is 7 units, it is better not to exceed 5 tablets by gradually increasing the dose in the first 2-3 days. The same goes for completing the course.
- The dose is taken one hour before or after a meal. But you should not drink in the morning (when your stomach is still empty), it is better to do it an hour after breakfast.
- Be sure to take a break of at least 2 weeks after completing the course.
- Take the tablets with boiled still water at room temperature. This will prevent all kinds of bacteria from entering the body and help the medicine to start working faster.
- Be sure to contact your doctor at the end of your appointment so that he can prescribe you a course of multivitamins (to restore the vitamin balance in the body).
In addition, if you want to get the maximum benefit from activated charcoal, try to follow the following recommendations:
- Reduce the consumption of products containing flour and sugar.
- Avoid alcohol completely.
- Remove foods 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 without any additives.
- Increase your physical activity by making sure that exercise (such as morning exercise, evening jogging or swimming in the pool) gives you a burst of energy and strength, rather than completely exhausting you.
Follow these simple rules and weight loss with activated charcoal will definitely benefit you. Even if all the extra pounds are not gone, you will feel better before the start of the course.
Acceptance Variations
As already mentioned, many people begin to actively take the drug for weight loss. Therefore, let's look at the most popular methods and evaluate their effectiveness:
Option #1: Subtle
Essence: The diet of the person losing weight remains unchanged, and additional efforts to lose weight are not considered. Tablets should be taken in the amount of 2 pieces 1. 5 hours - one hour before meals. The duration of the course is 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 go away forever, lightness will appear in the body, intestinal function will stabilize, and daily activity will increase significantly.
Option #2: Three-day diet
Essence:A person who loses weight in 3 days follows a certain diet. Additional physical activity is not considered, but not prohibited.
Day 1 During the day, you can eat only kefir and activated carbon with water. Moreover, first take a few tablets (by weight), wash them down with a glass of warm still 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 should be reduced. In this case, the break between meals should be at least 2-3 hours.
2 nd day The current "dish list" is exactly the same as last day's menu, but with one difference. Kefir is replaced with apples in the proportion of one apple per glass.
3rd day Today, the diet remains unchanged, but instead of kefir, you will eat vegetable salad with olive oil or steamed vegetables without salt.
Result:This diet is one of the express diets, so you can eventually lose up to 5 kg. However, the menu implies a rather sharp and radical rejection of products that are not suitable for everyone. As you lose weight, you may experience severe headaches, fatigue, and uncontrollable appetite (which may even lead to weight gain). Therefore, you should not go for this diet during menstruation or while doing work that requires increased attention and concentration.
If such a diet was easy for you, you can continue the course up to 15 days. However, you should stop taking activated carbon and definitely take a multivitamin at the end of the diet.
Option #3: A two-week diet with activated charcoal
Essence:For 14 days, a person who loses weight eats according to a certain scheme designed to gradually dull the feeling of hunger. At the same time, he takes activated charcoal (2 tablets) with a glass of warm still water 30-60 minutes before meals (except for the second breakfast). Additional physical activity is not taken into account when evaluating effectiveness.
- Breakfast: one portion (0. 2 kg) of oatmeal cooked in water and a glass of green or black tea without additives. If you want, you can taste the porridge with raisins, and you can eat some bread with thin cheese next to the tea.
- Second breakfast: a glass of low-fat kefir.
- Lunch: broth made from lean meat (veal or chicken) and 0. 2 kg of boiled vegetables.
- Dinner: fresh fruit salad, seasoned with a spoonful of sour cream or homemade yogurt.
- Breakfast: buckwheat boiled in water, as well as a boiled egg and a cup of tea.
- Second breakfast: apple, kiwi or small banana.
- Lunch: 0. 15 kg of pollock cooked in its own juice without adding any spices and vegetable juice.
- Dinner: an apple and 0. 2 kg of cottage cheese with a fat content of no more than 7%.
- Breakfast: a plate of freshly cooked rice and a cup of tea.
- Second breakfast: two small fruits of your choice.
- Lunch: steamed chicken (0. 2 kg) and vegetable salad decorated with low-fat sour cream.
- Dinner: vegetable stew and a cup of tea.
- Breakfast: a plate of oatmeal cooked with low-fat milk, a cup of tea and a handful of raisins.
- Second breakfast: cucumber and two boiled eggs.
- Lunch: a bowl of lean fish soup. You can eat more than 0. 1 kg of the fish itself.
- Dinner: a portion of cottage cheese and a banana.
- Breakfast: 1 medium tomato, a sandwich (bread + thin slice of cheese) and a cup of tea.
- Second breakfast: 0. 05 kg of cottage cheese and a glass of low-fat milk. You can add a bread or two if you like.
- Lunch: vegetable soup cooked in meat broth and 0. 1 kg of boiled meat without fat.
- Dinner: fresh vegetable salad.
- Breakfast: buckwheat porridge (without additives), boiled egg and cucumber.
- Second breakfast: a cup of low-fat kefir and a small fruit of your choice.
- Lunch: low-fat broth (0. 2 kg) and cucumber.
- Dinner: cottage cheese (0. 1 kg), a spoonful of homemade yogurt (without additives).
- Breakfast: oatmeal cooked with milk, 0. 1 kg of homemade yogurt and a cup of tea.
- Second breakfast: a cup of kefir.
- Dinner: vegetable stew and 0. 1 kg of lean boiled meat.
- Dinner: vegetable salad with homemade yogurt.
- Breakfast: two cucumbers, two sandwiches with low-fat cheese and a cup of tea.
- Second breakfast: two small fruits of your choice.
- Lunch: chicken broth and 0. 1 kg of vegetable stew.
- Dinner: two cucumbers and a portion of boiled mussels.
- Breakfast: rice cooked in water and a cup of tea.
- 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, a portion of cottage cheese and a cup of tea.
- Second breakfast: a glass of kefir and bread.
- Lunch: a plate of lean fish soup.
- Dinner: steamed vegetables.
- Breakfast: cucumber, sandwich (bread + thin slice of boiled chicken breast) and a cup 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 boiled egg and a cup of tea.
- Second breakfast: two small fruits of your choice.
- Lunch: a plate of low-fat borscht and 0. 1 kg of cooked mushrooms.
- Dinner: boiled chicken breast (0. 1 kg) and vegetable salad.
- Breakfast: buckwheat porridge boiled in water, hard-boiled egg and a cup of tea.
- Second breakfast: small fruit of your choice.
- Lunch: a plate of vegetable broth and 0. 15 kg of pollock cooked in its own juice without adding any spices.
- Dinner: an apple and 0. 2 kg of cottage cheese with a fat content of no more than 7%.
- Breakfast: oatmeal boiled in water and a cup of tea. If you want, you can taste the porridge with raisins, and you can eat some bread with thin cheese next to the tea.
- Second breakfast: a glass of low-fat kefir.
- Lunch: a portion of low-fat meat broth and 0. 2 kg of cooked vegetables.
- Dinner: a spicy fruit salad with a spoonful 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 its help, you can lose about 5-7 kg, which (if you stick to a similar menu, but without coal) will not return in the future.
Black or white: choosing the "right" coal
Today, the range of drugs is huge. So, if earlier it was possible to buy only black activated carbon in the pharmacy, today, along with it, pharmacists also offer white carbon tablets. Advertising of a fashionable new product promises buyers a milder effect, only the removal of toxins from the body, and the possibility of long-term (more than 2 weeks) courses.
The only thing is that the instructions for use for both drugs are almost the same, and nanorobots (which could reliably determine which element harms the body and which helps) are not included in white coal. Moreover, if traditional black coal costs a penny, you will have to pay several times more for white coal. Whether such a "game" is worth the candle, decide for yourself.
Let's summarize the above. Experience shows that activated carbon will be ineffective for weight loss. Without the help of other solutions (diet, exercise), with its help you can lose at most 2-3 kilograms. In this case, an overdose of the drug threatens with serious problems in the body. But if you need to cleanse your body quickly, for example, after a big party, you will not find a better solution. Moreover, it is always available and cheap.