Does Detox Water Help with Weight Loss? We Tried It & Here are the Results!

A detox diet helps in weight loss – myth or fact? Get to know all about it – from popular detox water recipes to our personal experiences on whether they work or not.

Hey there! When we aim for something, we want it to happen at any cost no matter what it takes. And weight loss is one of them. People who try for weight loss incessantly, won’t say no to a single diet plan. Nor will they deny any idea someone promises will improve their weight loss efforts.

The weight loss water diet has gained a lot of popularity lately as one such idea for people striving to lose weight fast. And I’m one of them who tried it religiously. I am the kind of person who wants to see results asap after starting any weight loss program and if I don’t achieve them, I quit.

What is Detox Water?

Detox water is one of the most popular terms used in the context of weight loss. It is an infused water that helps to release toxins from the body. It can be used once or twice in a week but the continuous drinking of it may lead to health hazards. What are they? And most importantly, did it help me shed calories? Read on to find out.

What is Detoxification?

Detoxification is the process of removing toxic substances from our body. Many popular diets claim to cleanse the skin and body of toxins, but is it really necessary? Let’s see what our research and nutritionist says!

Is Detox Necessary for Good Health or a Marketing Gimmick?

Well actually no. Our bodies are already fully capable of getting rid of toxins (that’s why you may throw up after having too much alcohol)! The liver is an organ in the human body in which this process takes place. It is basically cleansing the body. It is helpful if we get help from health foods and super drinks to detoxify our body once in a while but an excess of anything is risky to one’s health. As read on Wikipedia, “Scientists have described the detoxification diets as a waste of money and time.” So, for those who are thinking to try the detox, all I can say is give it a second thought.

Effects On Our Body: How Do Detox Drinks Work?

Detox diets work by limiting the food intake and having water instead. It’s a type of water fasting method where all or a portion of the meal is replaced by the “detox water” recipe.

What is Water Fasting?

Water fasting is a type of practice in which the person survives only on water and no solid intake. It is also known as water cleansing. This is done by people both for medical reasons and also for the sake of religion. In Jainism, water fasting is very common and people survive just on water for days together. Medically, this is not advisable!

How is Detox Related to Weight Loss?

Detox means getting rid of unhealthy substances from the body and it is related to weight loss by surviving just on different types of detox waters and nothing else. I think not having food for a long period of time will surely help us lose weight but at the cost of making us unhealthy!

Popular Detox Water Recipes & Their Effects Decoded

We checked out a few of the most popular detox water recipes making rounds on health blogs and women’s websites. Let’s check them out and see if they’ll actually achieve anything or not.

Strawberry Detox Water

Strawberries are one of the most loved fruits by people of all ages. Also, they are beneficiary to the health and help in maintaining blood sugar levels and are also good for the heart. Strawberry is one of the healthiest and best ingredients to choose as it infuses a sweet taste to the water.

The recipe we found on the blog, Watch What you Eat is, mentioned taking 5 large sliced strawberries, half a sliced orange, 6-7 mint leaves and 1.5 liters of water. Put all the ingredients in a glass jar and refrigerate for an hour.

Lemon Cucumber Water

This is known to be the classic detox water and I tried it as well. In 1 liter of water, add 1 lemon and cucumber sliced, 7-8 mint leaves, leave it overnight and consume it the next day.

Coconut Water Detox

Coconut water is nutrient-packed and helps in hydrating the body. It is helpful to the body but solely relying on coconut water may not be a good choice. There are many coconut water detox recipes available but the most popular one is coconut water in combination with pineapple chunks.

This recipe involves 3 cups of pineapple chunks, 1 cup mint leaves, juice of 1 lime and lemon and 1 liter of coconut water. Blogs recommend blending all of the ingredients together to prepare for coconut detox day!

Strawberry Kiwi Water

Adding fruits to the water makes it taste sweeter and so we can have it more than the regular terrible tasting detox water. You can make this by adding 1 kiwi peeled and sliced, 4-5 strawberries sliced, 10-12 mint leaves and 1 pitcher of water.

We also found the same advice in many of these healthy blogs – be it any type of detox water, make sure to discard it after 24 hrs of infusion and prepare a fresh one.

Lemon Lime Water

Even if you’re not on detox water diet, lemon-lime water is good to enjoy the summers and also helps you in keeping hydrated. Wash and slice 2 lemons and  1 lime and to this add sufficient quantity of water. After adding the required ingredients, wait for 2 hours for the flavor of lime to be infused and then you are good to have it. You can either refrigerate this detox water or keep it at room temperature.

Grape Infused Water

The more the infusion time, the more flavor it adds when it comes to fruit-based detox water. Take 20-25 grapes cut in half and if you wanna add tangy flavor to the mixture slice half a lemon and add to it.

Orange Detox Water or Detox Water with Oranges

Citrus family fruits like orange, grapes, lime, etc. are a major constituent in most of the detox water recipes as they are full of antioxidants and vitamin C and help flush out fat from the body easily. Although, just staying on detox water diet is not good for health as it not full of nutrients and may reduce one’s immunity. Read on to know more!

Mango Detox Water

Give yourself a hydrating treat with mango detox water. We found this recipe on  Drop bottle blog, Take 1 cup of sliced and cut mangoes and if you want you can also add an inch of peeled ginger to it. In their defense, ginger is also known as natural pain reliever so if you have any cramps or any other issues you can also try getting rid of them to a certain extent.

Watermelon Detox Water

This detox recipe may be perfect to quench the thirst in hot summers! Take 3 cups of cubed watermelon pieces, 7-8 mint leaves with lime being optional, watermelon detox is ready! To make the best use of mint leaves, crush them by slightly rubbing between your hands.

Strawberry Cinnamon Water

Cinnamon is a powerful spice and is also used medically, owing to its multiple benefits. 1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder mixed with 4-5 strawberries is what you’ll need to prepare this detox water.

I Tried Detox Water

I personally tried lemon cucumber detox water recipe for about a week. Every night before sleeping, I prepared the detox water by adding 1 sliced cucumber and lemon, 6-7 mint leaves and 1 liter of water. Left the water overnight in the refrigerator and next day had it instead of normal water. It did not have any effect in my body weight or any sort of health or weight loss related benefit and so I stopped it. Another reason for me not continuing it is owing to it’s bitter taste!

Detox Water Results: Our Nutritionist Speaks

So, why didn’t my detox water work the magic so many health bloggers had promised? We discussed with our in-house nutritionist and bikini athlete, Surbhi Gandhi, who has a masters degree in nutrition and diabetics. She is also a gold medalist and has worked as an experienced professional at Fitness First gym in Gurgaon. She says, “You may feel that you have lost weight due to detox water diet but it is just because you lose the water content from the body and not the stubborn fat. Even if you lose weight while on the detox diet, it may be a temporary loss and you’ll gain it back again as soon as you restart your regular diet.” So, watch out people before you start anything that might affect your health.

Are Detox Drinks Safe?

Sure, detox drinks don’t help at all with weight loss. But can’t you still try them? Even if just to feel like you’re at least trying a healthier diet? Perhaps just as an energy drink? Well, the answer is yes and no.

Detox water, being just “infused” with healthy substances, actually doesn’t take up their benefits. Think of it just as (terribly) flavored water. “You should have the cucumber or strawberry as a snack instead if you really want their health benefits,” says Surbhi. Moreover, detox water diet can also be dangerous.

Water fasting is a way to give yourself a fake feeling of “being full” by replacing all or a part of your regular diet with water or detox water. This may be good in the short term as you’ll avoid eating extra calories or avoid junk food. But in the long run, we would not recommend anyone have it. As soon as the body realizes its caloric needs are not being met, you’ll get hunger pangs, making you crave for fast or tasty food. And this may increase your chances of overeating. One’s body metabolism is lowered and also the energy levels are brought down which is definitely not good to lead a healthy life.

Also, when you are away from food, you miss on vital requirements like fiber, protein, carbs and fat. Deficiency of any of these may lead to fatigue and dizziness or other long-term health issues like the decay of immunity system and weakening of bones.

Practically, it’s not possible and also harmful to just rely on water and no food. For about a week, if you keep drinking different types of detox waters only, you may lose weight. But once you start your normal diet you will sure regain the lost weight.

Our Verdict On Detox Water

All we can say is that if you really wanna try this “detox water” trend, don’t replace your meals with it. Have it along with a healthy, nutritious diet. Maybe you can replace your unhealthy drinks like coke or beer with detox water. Then it’ll truly help you lose weight! But only if you run regularly!!

So, this is all about detox water and it’s truths. Are you on detox water diet or have you ever been on it? If yes then, we would love to hear your detox stories. Do let us know by tweeting @shilpa1ahuja.

Image Credits: Instagram @detox water

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