Detox and Gall Bladder Cleanse

I just finished a detox and gall bladder cleanse. This is the second time I completed the gall bladder cleanse and I have mixed feelings about the results.

I am cautiously optimistic that I have stumbled across a new diet plan that works. As I have written previously, I have experimented with various combination's of supplements, exercise and dietary change. I think the addition of the detox and gall bladder cleanse is helping with weight loss in a general sense.

I completed my cleanse and detox a few days ago. The cleanse and detox always makes me lose 3-4 pounds even though weight loss is not the purpose of either. I find that the strict regime of the detox (fruits for 3 days and then fruits and vegetables with only 20% cooked vegetables for 4 days) is a great way for me to get disciplined about my diet. It's actually a great way to get disciplined in general. I find that I work better and get more exercise during and after the detox process.

The first time I did a cleanse I was pretty satisfied with the results. My experience this time was a little bit disappointing. Let me start by explaining what the cleanse entails. The cleanse that I have done is specifically a liver gall bladder cleanse and is for the purpose of eliminating gall stones. It is generally a 4-5 day cleanse and I tend to start it on day 3 of my detox. I should explain that the cleanse and the detox are not related and can be done at separate times.

The first 3-4 days of the cleanse require you ingest almost a litre of apple juice per day. Unfiltered apple juice is recommended. The first time I did the cleanse I was in Nicaragua and unfiltered apple juice was unavailable. This most recent time I drank unfiltered apple juice. The high concentration of malic acid in the apple juice is supposed to break down the gall stones and make them easier to pass.

On the evening of the 4th day you drink a table spoon of Epsom salts dissolved in 3/4 of a cup of water at 6pm and again at 8pm. I added the juice of half a lemon for taste. At 10pm you drink 1/2 cold pressed extra virgin olive oil mixed with 3/4 cup of fresh grapefruit juice. The next day at 7am and 9am you repeat the Epsom salt drink.

Epsom salts or magnesium sulfate, as you may know, is a powerful laxative which causes you to eliminate anything that might be lingering inside you. The olive oil is supposed to cause the gall bladder to spasm and push out gall stones which end up as bright green floaters in your toilet bowl. My first cleanse ended with me eliminating clear liquid with green floaters and green "sand" with each bowel movement. During the second cleanse I only ended up eliminating brownish green clouded liquid.

There are three possible reasons for the differences between the first time I did the gall bladder cleanse and the second time. The first time I had a hard time finding Epsom salts and therefore I had long finished the detox and had begun to eat regular (albeit mostly raw) food again. The first time I did the cleanse I bought generic Epsom salts or magnesium sulfate (in Nicaragua). In Canada they sell Epsom salts for external use (magnesium sulfate) and Epsom salts for oral use (magnesium sulfate hepahydrate). I used the latter the second time. The final difference is that I did not consume all of the olive oil mixture (although I did consume at least 80%).

For whatever reasons I didn't feel quite as cleansed the second time around. Actually physically I didn't feel a lot different but there is a gratification in seeing the green floaters that was missing. Also the second time I did the cleanse I recovered to having normal bowel movements much faster.

Despite being slightly disappointed with the "results" of my most recent cleanse, I really believe in the health benefits of the detox and gall bladder cleanse and intend to do both every six months or so. Neither the detox or the cleanse is specifically designed to help with weight loss but I find the process motivates me to achieve better health and achieving a healthy weight is just part of the process.

Tonalin CLA

Can Tonalin CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) help you lose weight and specifically help you reduce belly fat? The answer might be a surprising and wonderful yes. Many of us struggle with being overweight. Being overweight or obese causes dangerous health problems and can negatively impact our quality of life by lowering our self esteem. New studies are giving increased hope to the idea that a simple and safe natural supplement may help people lose weight.


Recent research done out of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, found that overweight adults who took a daily supplement of CLA managed to lose weight prior to Christmas holidays. More importantly, the subjects taking the CLA supplement were able to maintain their weights while simultaneously reducing the amount of their daily exercise and gobbling down typical holiday fare.


The remarkable results of this holiday study were repeated by researchers at the University of Wisconsin which is located in Madison, Wisconsin. This second study had a sample size of 40 overweight adults. In this second study researchers gave half of their study subjects a daily supplement of Tonalin CLA while the other half took a placebo pill. The subjects were studied over a period of six months.


The researchers controlled the amount of food and exercise each subject had. Accordingly, there were no differences between the control group and the CLA supplement group in this regard. They discovered that the control group or the placebo group had Christmas holiday weight gain that was significantly more than compared to that gained in the pre-holiday period. The researchers found that the group that took the CLA supplement lost weight prior to the Christmas holiday season and maintained their weight over the holidays.


At the end of the 24 week study, the group taking the CLA supplement lost a total of 2.2 pounds of fat. Also during the critical pre-holiday season period (November and December), the CLA group lost weight while the control group gained a total of 1.5 pounds of fat mass. Just over two pounds of fat might sound minimal. However, this loss was strictly “fat” and not water loss or muscle loss. Also the difference between the groups was almost 4 punds of flabby fat.The subjects who took the Tonalin CLA supplement also found that they seemed to lose primarilybelly fat. Belly fat is associated with an increased risk of heart disease so the loss of belly fat is a big plus for CLA supplements.


There are a few different types of CLA supplements. Research showed that a mixture of two common forms held the most promise for fat loss. Happily, this mixed form is easy to find. Tonalin CLA is the only easily available and clinically proven form of CLA. It was used in the above described studies. Also Tonalin CLA is cheaper than other CLA tablets like Green Abs.


The studies and research seem to indicate that that there are very few risks in taking the mixed-form Conjugated Linoleic Acid or Tonalin CLA supplements. If considering whether CLA supplements would be an appropriate inclusion in your weight loss program you should talk to your doctor or pharmasict

Truth About Abs Program

I have heard a fair bit about the Truth About Abs program. It's an easy to understand guide to getting the body you have always wanted or so they say. It's supposed to guide you step by step towards getting lean and living a healthy lifestyle.

This weight loss bible is broken down into 3 sections which are as follows:

1. An intro with interesting tid bits about metabolism rates, effective ab training, body fat percentages, body mass indexes, etc. This information might sound complicated but I found it pretty easy to understand.

2. Diet and Nutrition, including information on blood sugar, the GI rates, and the calorie burning effects of food;and

3.Info on how to exercise more effectively. Guess what? cardio exercise IS NOT the best way to shed some pounds.

The workout schedules are super easy to follow and don't take up much time. Mike suggests that anything longer then 60 minutes per session is not an effective use of time. He breaks down his training program into 45-60 minute sessions, 3-4 times per week. Mike suggests having an exercise ball and set of dumb bells to most effectively perform his suggested workouts.

Mike suggests eating every 3 hours during waking hours or 5-6 small meals per day. He also suggests that you pre-plan your meals for an entire week and go food shopping once per week

Mike explains how to calculate your daily caloric intake requirements, and use that as a guide line for what we should eat. This section is really enlightening. There is an entire section of this book which explains why starvation diets actually cause weight gain. Mike provides meal plans that are easy to shop for and just as easy to make.

Most importantly this book is really motivational. I can't wait to get started. I'll let you know how is goes. You can google Truth About Abs or go to weight loss programs for more info.

My New Diet Plan

Well, it is almost New Years - we are 2 days away from 2009. This year is it. A new year, a new diet plan. How many times have I said that? Eat better, exercise almost every day, lose weight. And then how many times do I fall back into my old habits, and each time I feel further away from regaining my ideal shape of my 20's/early 30's. :-(

But each time I start a new diet plan, I learn a few new things that work, and I learn a few more of my own excuses that keep from reaching my goals. This year will be different. Really. Maybe I'll manage to find a successful abs program and even more importantly, stick with it long enough to see a difference.

So I guess I'm going to be using this blog as extra incentive with my weight loss goals. And I'll also be able to keep track of what works and what doesn't. The best purpose that I see this blog serving is so that when I make a goal, it actually gets written down, and once that date rolls around, I'm going to have to either 'fess up to whether I've reached my target weight and size, or admit that I didn't work hard enough, and reset some realistic diet goals and fitness schedules.

So, even though I'm not a mummy, I've been reading a cool website about losing baby weight called 'Club Fit Yummy Mummy' which has been really inspiring. There's a great community and tons of information on losing weight and just becoming fit in general.

So I'll be back on New Years day to really start blogging about my new diet plan. Let's see if I can keep that appointment, if so, we'll be off to a good start!