I figured she’d offer the best perspective than I would, so I let her run with it.  And it just so happens that I happen to run a blog about deception, and I’ve probably said “It’s easy to be deceived,” at least 10,000 times in the past 10-15 years.  To date, it’s been my life’s message.  So enjoy this guest post, written by her, conveniently located here.  Here’s Kate…  

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It’s one of the biggest buzzwords of the last 18 months: Detox.

Thousands of programs and regiments that are designed to “rid your body of toxins”.  And you know what?  It’s one of the biggest hoaxes that has hit the public since the Atkins Diet craze. But, as my husband often says, “It’s easy to be deceived.”

The word detox, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means the following:

“To undergo treatment to rid the body of poisonous substances, especially alcohol and drugs”.

It’s origin is 1972. Most people who detox are people in rehab (we’ve all seen Intervention) who are coming down off years of abuse of drugs and alcohol.  They are ridding their body of a literal “poison”.  But somewhere along the way, someone realized that the word “detox”  could be used for an entirely different purpose: marketing.

If you were to get on Google (or Bing or Yahoo or whatever engine you use), and type in the word “detox”, you would find over 12.5 million pages of cleanses, diets, plans, blogs, and other various opinions on the subject. You would find things like the Acai Cleanse, the Master Cleanse (or lemon cleanse), Evercleanse, the Cabbage Soup Diet, the ColoThin, and Colonics.  Each one claims to detoxify your body in the most effective, and fast, way.
I’m pretty sure that even though you may not have participated in one of these programs, you know someone who has, or you’ve heard of them.  But the thing that so many people have failed to realize is that they are just a fad.  Go ahead and hate me for saying it, but they are no better or different then weight loss programs like the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, or my personal favorite, the What Would Jesus Eat? Diet.

We have bought into the fad hook, line, and sinker all over again.  Especially us women.  We want to be thin…and would do just about anything to get to that point quickly.  Everything except give up our Starbucks Frappuccinos with extra whip and the Wendy’s at 11pm.  We want a quick-fix to our poor eating habits and have believed that the only way to a healthy life is through not eating for 10 days and drinking a concoction of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice.

When I searched for a scientific perspective on these cleanses, I consulted a doctor, Wikipedia, and WebMD among others.  The opinion was repeated across the board:

“…Symptoms may improve with a detox diet, but there is no evidence that this [detox diets/cleanses] is due to clearing toxins from the body…As it turns out, a balanced, proper diet is more helpful than a detox diet.” WebMD also stated that, “Perhaps one of the biggest dangers of detox diets is the fear they instill in the public…The good news is that your body has its own natural detoxifying process that works quite well.  The liver and kidneys do a good job of processing chemicals and eliminating them…”  WebMD goes on to make the statement that, “fasting can be addictive because it causes a kind of ‘high’.”

(I am putting this statement in there based on the fact that the Master Cleanse is one of the most popular cleanses out there, and it requires a 10-day fast.)  There was also a statement in Self magazine that said that women who don’t eat (fast) during a cleanse or diet are, on average, 8 pounds heavier than women who just ate right and exercised!  Is anybody getting this?

ARE WE OUT OF OUR MINDS??

In all honesty, I am just wondering when we stopped paying attention.  We believe just about anything, more specifically when it comes to shedding those pounds and that other buzzword: wellness.  If we really look deeper into it, we aren’t really interested in a lifestyle change, or being healthy for that matter.  Instead, we want to do what we want, when we want, but don’t want the consequences that come along with it.

I have read status update after status update on Facebook and Twitter from friends of mine that have decided to “get clean” by choosing one of these diets.  The irony, however, is that when all is said and done, they “celebrate” their success and their new-found energy by hitting up their favorite drink at Starbucks and noshing on a cupcake or ice cream.  And even more commonly, they just go back to their old food and drink routine, thinking about the next time that they’ll “clean out”.  I’m not kidding!  Just think about how ridiculous that is!  You’ve “rid” the toxins from your body only to put them right back in. the dangers of detox diets and cleanses is right in front of our faces, yet we remain blind.  Especially us as women.  There’s a lie that’s easy to miss, but it’s there nevertheless.  It’s that nasty lie that tells us over and over that we aren’t good enough, and God and his design are not enough. We take products like these because we find ourselves 25 pounds overweight, lazy, and sometimes even subconsciously blame God for making us with a faulty system. No…we are faulty because we live in a broken world. We don’t want to work hard, eat right, or exercise.  We find ourselves caught up in fad diets and quick-fixes because we need to experience that we are enough.  We want to feel like we are doing something…anything. But we are left unhappy and empty, cheeseburger still in hand.

DO NOT BUY THE LIE.  It’s that simple.  (For real…it really is).  Understand that we all are left with a choice to be healthy or just pretend to be healthy.  I would challenge any person, fad-cleanser or non-fad-cleanser, to make a lifestyle change for the better.  Just eat healthy. And then, go get some excercise…

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Be sure to check out Kate’s blog, I AM KATE. You’ll love reading her thoughts!

QUESTION: What do you think? Have you done a detox, and what was your experience? Is Kate crazy, or have a lot of people been cleverly tricked and deceived?

[Facebook users click here to watch the video. Facebook doesn't not embed videos when automatically importing these notes from my blog.]

What do YOU think?  

We also made some new friends, including Sean Algaier, a contestant from Season 8 of the Biggest Loser.  Turns out, Sean had seen one of our shows in Indiana, and was already a fan.  I was excited to hook up and hang out with him a little, and even more excited to be able to sit down with him for a quick video interview.

In my last post, I sat down with music artists, Everlife, and discussed their new song “What’s Beautiful”, and we talked about the role deception plays in self-image.  This video is closely related to a similar topic, as Sean and I talk about his experience on the show, how to lose weight, and how he was deceived throughout that process.  Enjoy!  

[Facebook users click here to watch the video. Facebook does not automatically embed videos when importing these notes from my blog.]

I hope you enjoyed the video, and that it was an encouragement to those of you who have tried getting in shape, but have given up.  Or for those of you who have wanted to, I hope this pushes you to take the first step.  Along the way, take Sean’s story to heart, and don’t be deceived!

I’d be honored if you left a comment here and shared part of your experience.  Have you gotten into shape?  If so, what worked for you?  And were you deceived at all?  I’d love to hear your story, and it will be an encouragement to others, just as Sean’s is.

And what about those of you who are trying to lose a few pounds?  What lies have you allowed to creep inside your head that have kept you from pursuing or accomplishing your goals?

That was just last night, and already one of my crew guys asked me today in the process of choosing our lunch spot, “Have you seen the Taco Bell commercial about the new healthy menu?”  Wow…word travels fast! Advertising works, huh?

Or does it?

Watch for yourself, then continue reading…

It doesn’t take a lot of thought to find the craziness of this commercial.  Last night after we saw it, and my friend started talking about it, I immediately asked him if he saw any of the fine print at the bottom of the screen. Thanks to DVR, we simply rewound the commercial and read each word.  It’s easy to catch…if you’re paying attention.  Feel free to go back and watch it again and read for yourself.

Besides, if you’re interested in losing weight, why not do a little research and put together a plan?  The purpose of this commercial was not for Taco Bell to try to change your order when you visit their restaurant.  The agenda is to get you to consider them as an option when you’re making your restaurant choices.  If you’re looking for healthy food and trying to get in shape, Taco Bell would now like to be included in your options.  But if you’re really trying to get in shape, it won’t take much research to discover that Taco Bell probably shouldn’t be in the running.  If that commercial inspired you to eat more healthy, that’s awesome, but don’t let the people who just want your money do your thinking for you.  She lost 54 lbs. in two years, (according to the fine print).  54 lbs? That’s about 2 lbs. a month! How is that so amazing??

I could go on and on…

Every day the average mind, (including yours), takes in an average of over 3,000 messages and advertisements.  That’d be cool if they were healthy and added value to our lives.  Or if we were all decently aware of how easy it is to be deceived.  The problem is, we aren’t.  We don’t question. We don’t search.  We don’t even pay attention.  And over and over again we believe lies, and ended up wasting money, or way worse, harming ourselves.

I know, some of you think I’m being ridiculous and am making a big deal out of nothing. Is all of this deception really dangerous?  Or at the end of the day, does it end up not mattering?  I think it does matter.  Maybe if you’re in good shape, splurging at Taco Bell on a Fresco Burrito won’t have much of an impact.  But what if someone’s doctor told them they seriously need to get in shape to improve their health? What if that same person got home, sat on the couch, turned on the TV, and watched this ad?  What if that person then changed their daily lunch choice to the menu in the commercial?  What if that person’s doctor was right, and this person’s unhealthy eating habits posed serious threats to their well-being?  All of a sudden, it’s a big deal.

But the big deal isn’t Taco Bell.  Ultimately, you can’t hold them responsible.  The big deal is that you and I make stupid decisions every day, all because we let someone else do our thinking for us, and influence the way we spend our time and our money. I know that ordering a taco is a small decision, but 5 or 6 small decisions a day make up the way we live our lives, and how we live matters.

Discovering the lies hidden in advertising simply scratches the surface when it comes to how we’re deceived.  But let’s spend some time in future posts looking at some other ads, and seriously considering the impact they have on you, your friends, and your world.

Have you been deceived?  Wait, let me try again…

How have you been deceived?