There is one popular drug that helps you lose excess weight in a short time. Activated charcoal has been used for weight loss for some time. Even at the end of the 19th century, some British doctors advised their overweight patients to swallow charcoal to cleanse the stomach and relieve hunger. Nowadays, people are also increasingly turning to traditional white or black charcoal tablets not only to remove toxins from the body, but also to lose weight. The large number of people interested in this weight loss method is due to the availability and low price of activated carbon. It is sold without a prescription, which inspires people to believe that it is safe for health.
Many people who have heard about this unusual method wonder whether it is possible to lose weight with the help of activated carbon, and what losing excess weight looks like. Public doubts are not surprising, because activated charcoal was not originally intended for weight loss. Everyone knows it as an indispensable remedy for poisoning, because these small black or white tablets with a porous surface perfectly absorb all toxic substances that enter the stomach. So how can this popular drug help you lose weight fast?
The effect of activated carbon for weight loss
In fact, you should not expect any miracles from using this drug. Yes, it helps in losing weight, but only if used as an aid. Initially, activated carbon is not able to burn fat cells or, in a complicated way, absorb large amounts of them and remove them from the body naturally. The researchers noted that charcoal was able to absorb small amounts of fat cells, but no better than general dietary supplements. This means that without diet and physical activity, the effect on weight loss will be zero.
The property of activated carbon, which helps you lose weight quickly, is to suppress hunger. If you drink charcoal on an empty stomach, your appetite will decrease significantly. This occurs because activated charcoal inhibits intestinal motility. So, a person eats less, which helps to lose weight. At the same time, other herbal remedies, such as chamomile or mint tea, may have similar effects in humans. However, this will not harm your health.
It is difficult to talk about how many kilograms of weight can be lost with the help of activated carbon, because it is not for that reason that it still happens. Focus on the indications for a particular diet method. The positive effect of consuming black activated carbon while dieting is that when it is in the stomach it will bind all the toxins that are there, the results of the breakdown of food, toxins and remove them from the digestive tract. The effect of white activated carbon is slightly different. The basic ingredient is 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 cleanses the walls of the stomach and intestines: the remains of gastric juice and bile, as well as cholesterol. Naturally, all these harmful substances are eliminated from the body.
Whatever one may say, coal is still a medicine, which means it should be consumed in moderation. Try to follow the instructions so as not to exceed the maximum allowable dose. Otherwise, this is fraught with problems with the intestines: as a result of long-term use of activated carbon, the intestinal muscles may lose the ability to contract normally. The result will be constipation or, conversely, diarrhea.
At first glance, there are several positive aspects of consuming activated carbon while dieting. But don't forget, first of all, this is a drug, which means it can harm the body if used for a long time.
How to take activated carbon to lose weight
By following a diet system or fasting days while using this drug, you can lose weight. Some experts believe that with this approach, the chances of successful weight loss increase by half the results initially promised by the diet.
There are several methods for taking activated carbon tablets:
| The essence of this approach | Quantity calculation |
|---|---|
| According to the first method, every day you increase the dose of the drug by one tablet. | First, weigh yourself. The classic scheme for using charcoal to cleanse the stomach states that one tablet is equivalent to ten kilograms of a person's body weight. For example, you have 80 kg. On the first day you should take three tablets - one before meals. The next day you should take four tablets, then five tablets, and so on until you reach eight tablets per day. |
| According to the second approach, throughout the day you need to drink a number of activated carbon tablets determined based on your body weight (using the same formula). | A person weighing 80 kg needs to take 8 tablets per day. |
| However, according to the third method, a person's weight does not need to be taken into account. | During the day you need to drink ten tablets. |
In all cases, taking this medication for the purpose of losing weight should not exceed 10 days. After a ten-day course, you should take a two-week break. To achieve good results, this cycle must be repeated three times with breaks.
During the diet you should not eat:
- candy;
- burning;
- salted, canned and smoked foods;
- fried food;
- spicy seasoning;
- mayonnaise;
- alcoholic beverages.
In addition, during the period of the coal diet, you should take vitamin complexes. This is due to the fact that, together with harmful elements, activated carbon will absorb all the beneficial substances in your body. Therefore, they need to be constantly replenished to avoid health problems. In addition, do not forget that you need to regularly drink one and a half to two liters of clean water, which also stimulates cleansing of the body.
To lose weight with the help of activated carbon, you can use a long-term diet designed for only 3 days. The three-day nutritional system is reminiscent of fasting days or mono-diets, because the list of what is allowed in it is minimized. At the same time, all these products have a laxative effect, which in the case of using activated carbon for weight loss is a very important factor. Charcoal causes constipation, and this food will help maintain normal bowel function so your metabolism doesn't slow down.
This three-day diet is based on consuming as many black coal tablets per day as determined based on the person's body weight. Divide this amount into three meals. The tablets need to be taken before each tablet, half an hour before meals. On the first day, your entire diet will consist of a liter of kefir and water, with which you need to drink the tablets. On the second day of the diet you should consume apples. You are allowed to 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 vegetable menu is provided. You will be able to eat about a kilogram of vegetables in the form of salad or steamed. On the third day, vegetables can be slightly seasoned with vegetable oil.
A three-day fasting cycle provides the prescribed number of black coal tablets per day, based on a person's body weight: 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. For white coal, the dosage will be slightly different. To calculate it correctly, see the instructions for use of the drug. If your weight ranges from 45 to 60 kg, then five tablets a day will be enough for you. If your weight is 60-70 kg, take eight tablets, if your weight reaches 80 kg - 10 tablets, and above - 12.
You have to be very careful
Do not forget that activated carbon, like any other drug, has many side effects and contraindications. The list is quite extensive and can certainly stop some people from consuming coal for the purpose of losing weight. Some things that are contraindicated for using activated carbon in the long term include:
- pregnant women and nursing mothers;
- suffering from stomach ulcers;
- people with intestinal obstruction;
- those with chronic constipation;
- suffer from intestinal atony;
- prone to bleeding in the digestive tract;
- patients with ulcerative colitis;
- patients with chronic low blood pressure.
But even if you don't fall into one of the above categories, still make sure to consult a doctor for advice, as long-term use of charcoal can be dangerous for your health. There are many diseases of internal organs that have escaped a person's attention, and he does not even know that the problem exists. But thoughtless long-term use of this drug can stimulate the transition of the disease to the acute stage, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences.
Activated carbon literally absorbs everything in your body, including amino acids, digestive enzymes, vitamins and microelements. Therefore, long-term use may cause vitamin deficiency. In the mildest cases, you will notice your hair looking dull and starting to actively fall out, as well as your nails breaking and becoming brittle. In addition, scattered pimples may appear on the skin, and the skin itself will change to an earthy color. Activated carbon quickly removes important elements such as potassium and calcium from the human body. They are especially important for people with heart problems. Their deficiency can even be fatal.
Additionally, if you regularly consume charcoal for weight loss purposes, you may experience an allergic reaction to it. And if it is only ten days and not repeated frequently, then the risk of side effects will be reduced. However, in the instructions for the medicine itself you can read that if it is taken for more than two weeks, there will be problems with the absorption of fats, proteins, hormones and calcium. If the duration of drug use is exceeded, a person may experience nausea, stomach ache in the form of diarrhea or constipation. Additionally, if used for a long time, charcoal will start to damage the walls of the stomach and intestines. Another important thing is that when taking activated carbon, you should not take other medications, as they completely neutralize their effect on the body. This is especially true for birth control pills and special suppositories.
In addition to the great benefits that activated carbon provides, losing weight with its use can disrupt the normal functioning of the body. In this case, you can give preference to a short three-day diet. But, it must be admitted, not everyone can tolerate a menu that is too small. As a result, this will result in a spoiled mood and a state of depression. Again, due to a poor diet, the weight lost during a mono-diet can return quickly.
Many nutritionists suggest it's better to turn your attention to simple things like natural fiber. It is found in large quantities in many vegetables and fruits, which can be easily obtained at any time of the year. Its effect on the digestive tract resembles that of activated carbon. Fiber also absorbs harmful substances and cleans them from the walls of the stomach and intestines. At the same time, it not only helps to cleanse the body, but also brings a lot of vitamins and microelements - coal simply envy these properties.
Carefully study the beneficial qualities of the drug, but also do not forget about its many side effects, to assess whether losing weight using this method is worth the possible health problems.