Yesterday, I kicked off my 28-day detox program. My first real detox EVER. I figured what better time to start than the first day of the month. Oh, don't let me fool you. I mentally changed my mind 10 times about this whole start date...come on now, 28 days of detox - yikes! That's 28 days of being perfect...no caffeine (goodbye 3+ cups a day green tea and/or occasional cup of coffee), no alcohol (youch..no red wine with girlfriends), and that's not even diving into the eating plan changes (no egg whites...wow)! Thankfully, my husband gave me the boot to just get it over with. Gotta love that breathe of motivation when you so madly need it. So here I am. Day one...almost two now...under my belt. The way months fly by in my world, I know that day 28 will be here in no time and with that I am excited to welcome a whole new me...inside that is.
Okay, now let's get scientific. To start the detox, I had another Bio Impedance Analysis (BIA) reading done which essentially measures body composition electronically. BIA is the clinical assessment of tissue and fluid compartments in the human body. A normal distribution of tissue and fluid is the body is associated with immunity, high function, and longevity. An abnormal distribute of tissue and fluid in the body is associated with susceptibility, low function, and effects of disease and aging. Our body is bio-electric and the BIA measures our vitality at a cellular level.
Here's a couple of snap shots pulled from my recent results:
I am currently at a 6.7 - my desired outcome after the 28 day detox is an 8 (excellent).
Body Cell Mass (BCM): BCM contains all the metabolically active tissues (living cells) of the body, including muscle cells, organ cells, blood cells and immune cells. BCM includes the "living" portion of fat cells but not the stored fat lipids and also includes the water inside living cells called intracellular water. The main electrolyte of intracellular water is potassium.
I'm currently at a 36.6% and the goal after the 28-day detox is 40%.
Fat Mass: Fat mass is all the extractable lipids from adipose and other tissue in the body. It is the total amount of stored lipids (fats) in the body and consists of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is located directly beneath the skin and serves as an energy reserve and as insulation against outside cold. Visceral fat is located deeper within the body and serves as an energy reserve and as a cushion between organs. Everyone needs a certain amount of fat in their body. The ideal fat % is dependent on age and gender.
My fat mass currently is 25.3% and the desired outcome after the 28-day detox is 21%.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the number of calories consumed and metabolized at a normal resting state over a 24 hour period. For a typical person, BMR accounts for more than 90% of their total daily expenditure - more than 90% of calories are burned while the person is at rest.
The basal metabolic rate is determined by lean body mass since only lean body mass metabolizes. The greater the individual's lean body mass, the greater the rate of caloric expenditure. One of the main benefits of exercise is the maintenance of lean body mass.
Dieting alone may cause a reduction in lean body mass and can actually reduce the body's ability to burn calories. The main principle of weight management is to maintain or increase lean body mass. Since this is not always possible during weight loss, the goal is to minimize reduction of lean body mass. A typical person will experience a loss of 0.45 pounds of lean body mass and 0.55 pounds of fat mass for each pound of weight loss while dieting without exercise.
My BMR is extremely low - I'm only burning 1301 cals a day...the goal after the 28-day detox is 1800.
Intracellular Water (ICW): This is a measure of the amount of water contained within the cell. Healthy cells maintain their integrity and hold their fluid inside the cell membrane. Water is needed inside the cell to hold in water-soluble nutrients such as vitamins B and C. The optimum amount of water that should be inside the cell differs according to gender and age. As a general rule, 2/3 of your water should be inside the cell.
I'm currently at 55.9% and the desired outcome is 61%
Extracellular Water (ECW): This is a measure of the amount of water outside the cells. This water stores some nutrients and also helps to remove waste from inside the cell. As a general rule, 1/3 of your water should be outside the cell.
A low ICW reading may be due to many things including dehydration, nutritional imbalance, hormonal imbalance or toxicity.
I'm currently at 44.1% and the desired outcome is 39%.
About the 28-Day Detox
Many cultures around the world have long believe toxins accumulate in the body and can be an underlying cause of a variety of health problems. For centuries, different therapies have been used to "cleanse" or detoxify, from simple water fasts to sometimes elaborate regimens of bowel cleansing, steams, and saunas. Western medicine ignored or criticized these techniques for years, but has finally started to recognize detoxification as a vital body process. Research has substantiated that an individual's ability to detoxify substances to which they are exposed varies tremendously, and the body's capacity to detoxify these substances is of critical importance to overall health.
In our industrialized world, we produce more and more potentially toxic compounds that find their way into the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. The body must rid itself of these dangerous substances by transforming and then excreting them through the lungs, skin, kidneys, and bowels. Unfortunately, not all of them get excreted efficiently - some are circulated back into the bloodstream and others are stored in various body tissues such as fat tissue. This is in part due to the increasing levels of toxins we are exposed to, and may be exacerbated by a lack of nutrients needed to fuel the detoxification process. Over the years toxins can build up in fat, joints, the brain, and various other tissues, potentially leading to a variety of health issues. (source: Metagenics Inc)
Bottom line: It's been proven time after time that detox not only works but is critically important to our overall health. I'm excited to finally get on the detox train and track this journey. I have no doubts that this will mark the first of many detoxes to come.
Okay, wow. That's a lot of information. I like it! I'll dive deeper into the steps, eating plan, and my overall mood tomorrow. No caffeine today folks, thus this girl is ready to get her sleep on! I will tell you though, I can't believe how much this program is allowing me to experience new foods...recipes...and so much more. Did I mention, it's only the completion of day two!
Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,
Mrs. Skinny Fat
Okay, now let's get scientific. To start the detox, I had another Bio Impedance Analysis (BIA) reading done which essentially measures body composition electronically. BIA is the clinical assessment of tissue and fluid compartments in the human body. A normal distribution of tissue and fluid is the body is associated with immunity, high function, and longevity. An abnormal distribute of tissue and fluid in the body is associated with susceptibility, low function, and effects of disease and aging. Our body is bio-electric and the BIA measures our vitality at a cellular level.
Here's a couple of snap shots pulled from my recent results:
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| The above results were taken on October 22, 2011 - note my weight was 120. |
 |
| These results on November 1, 2011 - essentially a week later - weight jumped three pounds (pms). My doc called it immediately (bless his soul!) The desired results are listed in pen along the right side of the numbers. |
My key areas for improvements are:
Phase Angle: Phase angle is an indicator of cellular health and integrity. Research on humans has shown that the relationship between phase angle and cellular health is increasing and nearly linear. A low phase angle is consistent with an inability of cells to store energy and an indication of breakdown in the selective permeability of cellular membranes. Cell membranes have a high lipid content, therefore this reading gives an indication of your cell lipid status. A high phase angle is consistent with large quantities of intact, healthy cell membranes and body cell mass. Phase angles for adults range from 3 - 10 degrees, with normal values of 6 to 8 degrees. A phase angle of 5’ or lower can indicate a serious energy deficiency. A phase angle higher than 8' is excellent.
Body Cell Mass (BCM): BCM contains all the metabolically active tissues (living cells) of the body, including muscle cells, organ cells, blood cells and immune cells. BCM includes the "living" portion of fat cells but not the stored fat lipids and also includes the water inside living cells called intracellular water. The main electrolyte of intracellular water is potassium.
I'm currently at a 36.6% and the goal after the 28-day detox is 40%.
Fat Mass: Fat mass is all the extractable lipids from adipose and other tissue in the body. It is the total amount of stored lipids (fats) in the body and consists of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is located directly beneath the skin and serves as an energy reserve and as insulation against outside cold. Visceral fat is located deeper within the body and serves as an energy reserve and as a cushion between organs. Everyone needs a certain amount of fat in their body. The ideal fat % is dependent on age and gender.
My fat mass currently is 25.3% and the desired outcome after the 28-day detox is 21%.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the number of calories consumed and metabolized at a normal resting state over a 24 hour period. For a typical person, BMR accounts for more than 90% of their total daily expenditure - more than 90% of calories are burned while the person is at rest.
The basal metabolic rate is determined by lean body mass since only lean body mass metabolizes. The greater the individual's lean body mass, the greater the rate of caloric expenditure. One of the main benefits of exercise is the maintenance of lean body mass.
Dieting alone may cause a reduction in lean body mass and can actually reduce the body's ability to burn calories. The main principle of weight management is to maintain or increase lean body mass. Since this is not always possible during weight loss, the goal is to minimize reduction of lean body mass. A typical person will experience a loss of 0.45 pounds of lean body mass and 0.55 pounds of fat mass for each pound of weight loss while dieting without exercise.
My BMR is extremely low - I'm only burning 1301 cals a day...the goal after the 28-day detox is 1800.
Intracellular Water (ICW): This is a measure of the amount of water contained within the cell. Healthy cells maintain their integrity and hold their fluid inside the cell membrane. Water is needed inside the cell to hold in water-soluble nutrients such as vitamins B and C. The optimum amount of water that should be inside the cell differs according to gender and age. As a general rule, 2/3 of your water should be inside the cell.
I'm currently at 55.9% and the desired outcome is 61%
Extracellular Water (ECW): This is a measure of the amount of water outside the cells. This water stores some nutrients and also helps to remove waste from inside the cell. As a general rule, 1/3 of your water should be outside the cell.
A low ICW reading may be due to many things including dehydration, nutritional imbalance, hormonal imbalance or toxicity.
I'm currently at 44.1% and the desired outcome is 39%.
About the 28-Day Detox
Many cultures around the world have long believe toxins accumulate in the body and can be an underlying cause of a variety of health problems. For centuries, different therapies have been used to "cleanse" or detoxify, from simple water fasts to sometimes elaborate regimens of bowel cleansing, steams, and saunas. Western medicine ignored or criticized these techniques for years, but has finally started to recognize detoxification as a vital body process. Research has substantiated that an individual's ability to detoxify substances to which they are exposed varies tremendously, and the body's capacity to detoxify these substances is of critical importance to overall health.
In our industrialized world, we produce more and more potentially toxic compounds that find their way into the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. The body must rid itself of these dangerous substances by transforming and then excreting them through the lungs, skin, kidneys, and bowels. Unfortunately, not all of them get excreted efficiently - some are circulated back into the bloodstream and others are stored in various body tissues such as fat tissue. This is in part due to the increasing levels of toxins we are exposed to, and may be exacerbated by a lack of nutrients needed to fuel the detoxification process. Over the years toxins can build up in fat, joints, the brain, and various other tissues, potentially leading to a variety of health issues. (source: Metagenics Inc)
Bottom line: It's been proven time after time that detox not only works but is critically important to our overall health. I'm excited to finally get on the detox train and track this journey. I have no doubts that this will mark the first of many detoxes to come.
Okay, wow. That's a lot of information. I like it! I'll dive deeper into the steps, eating plan, and my overall mood tomorrow. No caffeine today folks, thus this girl is ready to get her sleep on! I will tell you though, I can't believe how much this program is allowing me to experience new foods...recipes...and so much more. Did I mention, it's only the completion of day two!
Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,
Mrs. Skinny Fat
