A friend sent me a link this week to a story on Jezebel, listing ‘The Most Extreme Diets, Detoxes, and Cleanses.” While most of these didn’t come as any surprise to me, there were a couple new entries that I was less familiar with:
- The Cotton Ball Diet – Just as it sounds, this is a diet that promotes the consumption of cotton balls based on the concept that they are high in fiber. Fiber One bars suddenly look like child’s play.
- The Liver and Gallbladder Cleanse – Mix olive oil, apple juice, and lemon juice and drink it constantly over about 11-16 hours. “A bowel movement with green pellets floating in the toilet or a soft yellow bowel movement will be produced.” Enough said.
And finally, my favorite…
- Breatharianism – This is the belief that the absence of eating will actually raise your level of consciousness. It’s obviously quite inexpensive, as you only need sunlight and water for survival. Even houseplants need some Miracle Grow, people.
These diets are not only inherently flawed in terms of their lack of capacity for weight loss success, but they are actually dangerous. Yet every year, perfectly intelligent, educated friends and clients of mine embark on a 3-day cleanse or utilize a quick weight loss method that may involve some combination of starvation. Why is it that we realize that building strength and endurance requires a commitment to the gym or in the saddle, yet when it comes to weight we are always looking for a quick fix?
What diet trends do you find most dangerous or frustrating? Have you ever tried one of these extreme methods?
