New Year "cleanses and detoxes"

It's that time of year to make new year resolutions for 2015. A lot of people will have lose weight, get fit, get healthy or the like. Even my list includes achieving my goal weight and getting lean enough to compete in a figure competition.  I've made some kind of weight related resolution for the last decade at least. It always starts pretty well but fizzles out by the end of January.

Why does it fizzle out? Because we all want a quick fix, instant gratification. When it doesn't work that way, it's pretty easy to get down on yourself and give up. Weight loss TV shows make you believe you can lose 10 pounds a week. While you MIGHT be able to do that the first week if you are very very overweight and drastically change your diet and activity level, it is much more likely you'll lose 1-2 pounds a week. That's about 4-8 lbs a month. Which could add up to 52-104 pounds in a year. That is a hugs change!  While we all would like to drop 20 pounds in a month, it's unlikely and that's not the right way to go about changing your life to a healthier lifestyle. 

Another downfall is fad diets. Again, there is no quick fix. No easy way. No magic pill or juice or tea. I hear a lot about cleanses and detoxes and I've even tried a couple myself. One was this juice, you mixed it with water and it's all you had all day. First, it didn't work. Second, that's not healthy. Your body NEEDS food. It's fuel, it's energy. Drinking only juice is going to throw your body in to starvation mode and wreck your metabolism. A "detox" I tried that I felt was successful really involved eating whole foods. And I modified it to get balance I felt my body needed. But, the truth is, I could've gotten the same result by just eating whole, unprocessed foods with the "detox" label. I went from eating poorly and over indulging on calories to eating healthy and at a calorie deficit. So, yeah, I dropped some weight. Don't fall into the cleanse and detox trap. If you want to change your habits, just make healthy choices. Plan and prep your healthy meals. Eat whole single ingredient foods. And drink plenty of water. No expensive cleanse pills, teas or juices needed. 

Before starting any new "diet", do your research. There is so much information available for free these days. Albeit there is some conflicting information. Everyone is different.  Something that works for one person might not work for someone else. Read about what you want to try. Decide if it makes sense and seems like it would work for you. When you find something that's healthy and works for you, don't give up. Focus on your end goal. Recognize and celebrate your progress, but don't lose sight of why you started this journey in the first place. Let that always be a source of motivation for you.