New year, new me, right?

 

With the arrival of the new year, many people wish to renew themselves in some way or form. From school to relationships to eating habits, the list of desired self improvements goes on.

And at the top of the seemingly impossible new year’s wish list (for almost everyone) appears to be the goal of becoming healthier (and hopefully lose some weight).  

Every year Americans spend about $60,000,000 to lose weight. That ranges from dieting pills all the way to even home delivery services for diet food, such as Nutrisystem. All promising the same outcome – weight loss. One dieting method in particular has taken the health world by storm.  

A detox, formally defined as a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances, has become a hot topic in the health world. Promoted by a myriad of celebrities and YouTubers, this method of “health conditioning” claims detoxing as a healthier and more“life changing” version of a typical diet. Some detox methods range from abstaining from meat, gluten, or solid foods all together.

While some people claim detoxes do in fact cause weight loss (i.e. people like the Kardashians), many still question the validity and value of such diets. And they should. As weight loss programs, diets do not work. Yes, weight loss may occur, but about 95 percent of people who lose weight by dieting will regain it in 1-5 years. Dieting and detoxes by definition reveal themselves as temporary and therefore counteractive to one’s health, time and money.

In efforts for self betterment the populace sell its soul to Weight Watchers or eats blended kale for 24 hours. These persist as not only unnecessary but also a waste of money. People in search of weight loss should not look in dieting gimmicks, but should instead commit to a healthier lifestyle.

Detoxes only last so long and diets tend to mirror  yo-yos, but an active healthy lifestyle lasts a lifetime. Eat healthy, concrete meals with nutritional value, drink water, have regularly scheduled exercise and get sufficient sleep. Live más, be happy, drop the the diets and the detoxes.