Pin 91

Original pin:

http://www.theitmom.com/2012/03/pinterest-need-to-lose-5-lbs-of-water-weight-take-the-jillian-michaels-challenge-with-me/

After our vacation, I really needed to kick start my diet back. Ever since Easter the scale has been a-creepin' up and I had hit and surpassed that number that told me to start reigning it in. The website has this really good video on it too. It really is Jillian Michaels and my favorite part is where she tells me I can drink caffeine. YESSSSSSS!

I drank this for 7 days. I ate a healthy diet--nothing crazy but just stuck to my regular My Fitness Pal app goals. I will sheepishly admit I didn't even exercise. I didn't mind the taste. I like water with lemon and when it was cold, to me that is what it tasted like. If it came to room temperature, the dandelion root flavor was more noticeable and it tasted remeniscent of hose water. Not really preferable, but something I can drink anyway.

This is what 60 oz looks like.

After the first 24 hours, I was down three pounds.  When my husband heard this, he got in on the action, too. I kind of plateaued there for a few days. On day 6 I was down 6.2 pounds and then I went out for fondue for my girlfriend's birthday celebration. After the 7th day, and after a night of fonude and wine, I was still down a total of 4.4 pounds.

Yes, I know it is just water weight. I know it will come back easily. However, it was a fabulous way to get me going on my diet again. I have never, ever felt less bloated--especially in my belly. This really flattened out my belly like no ab circut ever has. This would be a great way to slim down before a big event.

So now, a few days off the drink, I am still down 5 pounds. My belly is not as flat as it was on day 7, but the weight is staying off--for now. I am trying to keep up my water consumption. I was curious all along if you would have the same results with a dedicated 60 oz per day of straight water, but I don't think so. I don't know how this small amount of additives really works, I figured it would be so diluted that the effect couldn't really be that strong.

It is a diuretic. I'm not going to get all nurse-y on you and tell you all the signs and symptoms that led me to that conclusion, but I am going to get a little nurse-y on you and tell you that you should not do this if you are already taking diuretics or have kidney disease. If you have any health problems for which you take medications, you should check with your doctor before adding anything with diuretic effects to your regimen and before adding any alternative medicine (like herbal tea). Okay. Nursely advice over.

Total cost: $10 (Dandelion root tea was around $8 for 30 bags) You could do this 5 times with the amount of supplies, so really it is more like $2

Total time: Easily fit into my daily routine. It takes less than 5 minutes to mix it up daily for 7 days.

Final verdict: I wouldn't recommend this to everyone for reasons stated above. However, it was amazingly awesome. Best kick start to a diet ever. I will do this again. Either before a big event or as a post-vacation detox.

UPDATE 7/18/12:

There have been tons of questions in the comments so I will try to address these here:

1.  Where can I find dandelion root tea?
I found it at Vitamin Shoppe and GNC. Many people reported finding it at Wal-Mart and Target with the teas/coffees.

2. Can I do this everyday instead of just 7 days?
I would not recommend that. It is a diuretic drink. Doing this everyday could mess up your electrolyte balance. After seven days, switch to plain water. Reserved this treatment for once every few months or so.

3. Do you eat while doing this?
Absolutely!! Eat a normal, balanced, healthy diet. I ate exactly the same quality/quantity of food as I do every other day of the month.

4. Do you drink anything else while doing this?
Absolutely! I, personally, tried to stay away from anything with artificial ingredients and sugary drinks. I drank coffee in the morning, black, no sugar or cream. After 60 oz of this, I drank as much plain water or unsweetened tea as I wanted.

5.  I did not have any side effects other than increased urination and weight loss while doing this. If you experience any concerning side effects stop drinking this immediately!

Information below from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine:
( http://nccam.nih.gov/health/dandelion)

Side Effects and Cautions

• Dandelion use is generally considered safe. However, there have been rare reports of upset stomach and diarrhea, and some people are allergic to the plant.
• People with an inflamed or infected gallbladder, or blocked bile ducts, should avoid using dandelion.
• Tell all your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care. For tips about talking with your health care providers about CAM, see NCCAM's Time to Talk campaign.

I would also recommend this information from the National Institute of Health on dandelion use.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/706.html

A few excerpt from the link above:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of dandelion during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Ragweed allergy: Dandelion can cause allergic reactions when taken by mouth or applied to the skin of sensitive people. People who are allergic to ragweed and related plants (daisies, chrysanthemums, marigolds) are likely to be allergic to dandelion. If you have allergies, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before taking dandelion.

Be cautious using dandelion while also taking antibiotics, lithium, any medications changed by the liver (click the link above to see a list of these), and diuretics or "water-pills." 

6.  Can I substitute...?
I did not create the detox or study the recipe and results. Jillian Michaels did. I followed the directions exactly, but substitutions may work. If you substitute and it works or doesn't work, leave a comment here so we can share the information.