Lowdown on Lemon Detox

It's an idea, yes...but a ‘good idea' will really depend on you, your goal and the ultimate outcome.

The Lemon Detox diet was profiled on Holmes in March this year as many of the claims being made were being investigated by the NZ Food Safety Authority (NZFSA).  The ‘diet' promises to lose up to a kilo a day while providing your body with all the essential dietary nutrients.

Let's look at what it takes to lose 1kg of BODY FAT.

The following is based on the standard 500cal deficit per day to lose 0.5kg per week.

·          Approximately 7000calories is equivalent to 1kg of body fat

·          To lose this in a one week period requires a deficit of 1000 calories per day

·          This means if you are burning approximately 2200 cals per day, then you need to eat 1200cals.  The more cals you burn, the more you can eat and still keep the same deficit.

Now, this is all fairly do-able... but 1kg a day?

·          Do lose 1kg of body fat a day, we need a deficit of 7000cals

·          This means you would have to:

o         Eat nothing

o         And exercise for at least 11 hours (at a rate of 10cals per minute)

o         AND take some pill that stops your body from converting muscle tissue into fuel.

It is impossible to lose 1kg of body fat per day, the human body does not work like that, so what you are in fact losing on the Lemon Detox diet are essential fluids, muscle tissue, waste and a skerrick of body fat.  When you lose lean mass you end up soft, and if you're a female, putting that lean mass back on is hard work.

So, for your event, exactly how much weight do you want to lose, how do you want to look and feel, and do you care if you gain the weight back after the event?

Interviewees on Holmes commented on a range of symptoms such as exhaustion, collapsing, and feeling generally unwell and that in the end the weight came back on rapidly.

If your special event is a wedding for example, I would strongly advise against the Lemon Detox diet, because you run the risk of feeling crap on your big day and even passing out at the altar.  Eating on the day of the wedding should combat that though.

At 9 glasses of detox drink per day, you are only obtaining around 720cals, making this a starvation plan.  This detox drink is nothing more than sugar, cayenne pepper and lemon juice.  Let's just be totally clear also, this isn't a Detox either - sugar is not detoxifying.

Here's my recommendation.  For your event you may be retaining a couple of kg of fluids which can make you a bit puffy, so for 3 days leading up to the event, drink 3-4 litres of water each day, reduce your salt intake and pee out your 2kg....throw in a couple of cardio sessions and some essential fatty acids for a healthy glow.

The Lemon Detox is fine for short duration, such as the week before an event, but again be wary for dropping energy levels and don't automatically expect to keep the weight off after the event.  DO NOT undertake this diet if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or ill.

To avoid pre-event freak outs, make health and fitness part of your life, it really is much easier on the body and mind in the long run.

Stacey, 25 May 10