The clean 9 diet: What it is, what it does, and what it isn’t
The clean 9 diet is a crash diet based off of a nine-day detox diet plan.
What this diet does is give you weight loss supplements and meal replacement drinks while excluding most foods; beyond the permitted list of fruits and vegetables, alcohol, sugary drinks like soda, energy drinks, and salt.
How it gets you to lose weight fast is you take the supplements, use the meal replacement drinks and sparingly eat a few select foods over the course of nine days, similar to fasting but for longer periods of time.
Since you are taking fewer calories in, your body will be burning more calories essentially.
The three supplements used are aloe vera, garcinia plus (garcinia cambogia extract), and Forever therm (main ingredients are raspberry ketones and green tea extract). Data on the effectiveness of some of these extracts such as aloe vera is inconclusive in relation to weight loss. Green tea extract, on the other hand, does contribute to some weight loss.
What to expect from the clean 9 diet
A wide variety of people have had both positive and negative results using this product. Most did lose at least ten or more pounds over the course of the nine-day period.
Because you are not eating much and are exercising fairly often, you will experience cravings and tiredness.
Throughout the nine days, you will periodically weigh yourself on the first day, third day, sixth day and last day of the diet.
Where to get the clean 9 diet kit
You can purchase the clean 9 diet from Forever Living product’s website for about $99-100.
This kit will include:
- Two 34oz bottles of Forever aloe vera gel
- One Forever therm herbal supplement (18 tablets)
- One Forever lite ultra meal replacement drink powder (approximately 15 servings)
- One Forever garcinia plus herbal supplement (54 softgel capsules)
- One Forever fiber (9 packets)
- A tape measure
- A shaker
- An instructional booklet which includes information on the clean 9 diet and an exercise plan
Eat your veggies and fruits
Because you aren’t eating a nutritionally balanced diet, the company that gave you clean 9 does offer a small list of fruits and vegetables that you can eat while on the diet.
The list of fruits and vegetables should be eaten raw or lightly steamed, except for artichokes and soybeans.
Fruits: Apricots, apples, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cherries, red grapes, purple grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, prunes, raspberries and strawberries.
Vegetables: Artichokes, arugula, asparagus, Belgian endive, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, peppers, sugar snap peas, snow peas, string beans, soybeans, string beans, spring onions, kale, leeks, and tomatoes.
Exercise, exercise, exercise
While on this diet, you should try to do moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes each day. You need to exercise in order to burn calories effectively for weight loss. Do not exercise excessively, otherwise, you will do more harm than good to your body, since you are not properly nourished on this type of diet.
Healthy diet tips to aid your nine-day dieting journey
Make sure you consult your physician before you start any diet or exercise plan. This is important to establish proper weight loss goals, what fitness exercises you can and can’t do, health conditions and other medical concerns.
Since this is a short-term diet, you should look into long-term options to transition into so that you can maintain your weight loss results. Specifically, cut out the bad stuff from your diet, such as all the foods that have a high glycimic index and are full of “high carbs,” fillers, and sweeteners.
These are extremely bad for you and wreak havoc on your metabolism.
Sweeteners to avoid are: maltodextrin, sucralose, aspartame, etc.
The “white death” foods also belong in this group. Foods made of wheat flour, starchy foods, foods made of corn, soy, and potato starch and other GMO or soy components, all of the refined sugars, all of the “low sugar” diet drinks and sodas.
These types of drinks are always filled with artificial sweeteners that will send your insulin through the roof!
Try your best to cut all alcohol out of your diet and, if you can, try to quit smoking. These two alone cause issues for the body and cancer.
Another great healthy diet tip is to set up reasonable workout plan with both short-term and long-term fitness goals for better results.
Side effects and other concerns
Just like other fad diets, you may end up feeling certain side effects. Which is why many should avoid using them as a weight loss alternative. You end up losing muscle mass more than fat mass which can lead to a wide variety of health conditions in later life.
Some side effects to be aware of are:
- Dizziness
- Tiredness
- Irritability
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Stomach problems
- Allergic reactions to the diet supplements
- Liver toxicity from sustained use
The clean 9 diet is not a good long-term weight loss option and should never be used as a long-term weight loss option. This diet should not be repeated too often to avoid damage to your health.
Some people should not do the clean 9 diet due to health reasons.
People with diabetes should avoid this diet due to its low-calories and low carb content.
Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding should also not try this diet due to its’ inability to meet basic healthy nutrition requirements.
Is it worth trying?
Depending on your end goal, yes and no.
Yes, because you will lose weight in the short-term, which is the whole point of the crash diet’s popularity.
No, because the weight loss is not permanent, you don’t learn better health habits from the diet itself, and you may end up putting your health at serious risk.
Take this diet, like with anything in life, with a grain of salt and caution
