Trainer Tells Clients to Detox

[Palermo1]

Yes, there is a trainer at my gym that tells all his weight loss clients to buy a detox supplement. He told me that most of them lose 10lbs just from the detox itself. I thought Detox were bad for you and isn't that kind of cheating results?

I just got certified and I'm wondering if this is a good method to take or not. What are your opinions on this matter?

[CoQ10]

Yes, there is a trainer at my gym that tells all his weight loss clients to buy a detox supplement. He told me that most of them lose 10lbs just from the detox itself. I thought Detox were bad for you and isn't that kind of cheating results?

I just got certified and I'm wondering if this is a good method to take or not. What are your opinions on this matter?

It's potentially dangerous and a waste of money. Do not recommend.

-C10

[KyleAaron]

You wouldn't like a dietician to tell your client how to do a barbell squat. Don't advise your clients on diet. Or rather, you can give general advice like "eat more vegies" but that's it.

[nickmanzoni]

It's potentially dangerous and a waste of money. Do not recommend.

-C10

indeed! what the potential loss would yield would be a disruption in normal digestive function, decreasing absorption of nutrients, and potential bowel issues.

[SerpentHearted]

i think detoxes are a scam.

you'll probably lose weight on them through simply being on greatly reduced calories, but as far as needing to "detox"... you have certain internal organs that perform that function already. You can help them along by cutting out things like alcohol, for sure... but most of the detoxes I'm aware of seem overly restrictive for no good reason.

IMO of course.

[lexinak]

Yes, there is a trainer at my gym that tells all his weight loss clients to buy a detox supplement. He told me that most of them lose 10lbs just from the detox itself. I thought Detox were bad for you and isn't that kind of cheating results?

I just got certified and I'm wondering if this is a good method to take or not. What are your opinions on this matter?

Treat every single person who favors "detoxes" as a charlatan who deserves to be tarred and feathered.

There is no reason why an otherwise healthy person needs to do a "detox." There are NO toxins in the body that can be removed by taking a special expensive magic pill and starving one's self. This trainer is absolutely ripping off his clients and if his boss is ethical he'll fire the bastard immediately.

[rdferguson]

Yes, there is a trainer at my gym that tells all his weight loss clients to buy a detox supplement. He told me that most of them lose 10lbs just from the detox itself. I thought Detox were bad for you and isn't that kind of cheating results?

I just got certified and I'm wondering if this is a good method to take or not. What are your opinions on this matter?

So he's getting himself a reputation for having his clients lose 10lb in the first couple weeks of training with him? I can see the benefit in it for him. But I'm with you and everyone else who's replied so far - I think detoxes are a scam, and even if they're not, we're not in any position to be recommending them.

[popupwindow]

Sounds like mainly water and glycogen loss, same thing you get if you dramatically alter carbs and/or sodium. It will come back as soon as they replete glycogen and water though, so it's not 10lbs of fat loss. Although assuming a 1500-750 deficit per day, in a week they might lose 3-4lbs of fat, along with 6-7lbs of water/glycogen, and that's assuming no LBM is lost, which would be, unless the detox is all protein shakes and a liquid protein sparring modified fast (psmf).

But yeah, bad idea, bad trainer, don't do it. Results are caused by long term behavioral changes, not magic supplements and so on.

[Azrairc]

You wouldn't like a dietician to tell your client how to do a barbell squat. Don't advise your clients on diet. Or rather, you can give general advice like "eat more vegies" but that's it.

Shouldn't you if the client wants to lose weight? Diet is as big as a factor if not bigger than the gym work to see weight lose. I thought those certifications made you qualified to give diet advice.

[aaronrogant]

So he's getting himself a reputation for having his clients lose 10lb in the first couple weeks of training with him? I can see the benefit in it for him. But I'm with you and everyone else who's replied so far - I think detoxes are a scam, and even if they're not, we're not in any position to be recommending them.

It would be interesting to see how many of these clients gain back the 10 pounds plus a couple of extra as soon as they go off this "detox" BS.

[CoQ10]

I thought those certifications made you qualified to give diet advice.

They do not. In most states, you must be a Registered Dietitian to give any specific diet advice.

-C10

[Mindi912]

Drink water! Your body cleanses itself!

[KyleAaron]

I thought those certifications made you qualified to give diet advice.

We're qualified to give what I'd call "nutritional first aid."

In trauma, the first aider is not there to cure the casualty of their injuries or ills. They simply ensure that a viable body is presented to more qualified people.

Likewise, someone who's just done a PT course can give nutritional first aid, providing a viable body for someone more qualified.

The general government health guidelines of eating more fresh fruit and vegies, more nuts and beans, some meat, fish and dairy, generally more food in a rawer state (eg wholegrain bread rather than white) and less junk food and alcohol - these, if followed, will go 90% of the way to achieving what most clients want. A person following those guidelines will be in better health.

If they follow those guidelines and increase their general physical activity, then they may be overweight or underweight, but they won't be obese, and will be at much reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease. Nutritional first aid can do a lot.

Don't underestimate what this basic advice can do. Taking the exercise example, most adults are sedentary, and most sedentary adults are unable to perform a single deep bodyweight squat, pushup from the toes or inverted row with legs extended. If you can progress them to do 10-20 of each of those, this will improve their quality of life and their general health greatly.

Likewise, if you can get someone eating more fresh fruit and vegies and less junk food, this is going to greatly improve their health and general energy levels. And coupled with increasing general physical activity, the weight's going to drop off most obese people.

Most people are so weak and unfit and stiff that a very simple and basic workout is going to do huge amounts for them. Likewise, most people's diet is so atrociously shtful that even very basic and general advice will help them heaps. It won't give them sixpack abs, but it'll stop them being obese and/or sick and tired all the time.

You could give more detailed advice but they wouldn't follow it anyway.

[aaronrogant]

You could give more detailed advice but they wouldn't follow it anyway.

This. What I usually tell people is:

Cut back on sugar
Nothing from a box or a can or that needs a microwave
Cut back on white flour based products
Eat stuff that used to be alive at some point.

Simple but manageable and easy to follow. If they want more details then you can go into it but like Kyle said, 90% of the time they won't count calories or macros anyway so why waste your time?

[lexinak]

So he's getting himself a reputation for having his clients lose 10lb in the first couple weeks of training with him? I can see the benefit in it for him. But I'm with you and everyone else who's replied so far - I think detoxes are a scam, and even if they're not, we're not in any position to be recommending them.

Sure, that's his reputation. But it's a reputation built on 100% lies. Anonymously send all his clients scientific studies showing that "detoxes" are worthless scams.

[Jason515]

Once you are certificated, and taught what to do. If you are taught to share some nutritional advice, help yourself but if you are not able to, then don't. I would suggest you to tell the client (your own) that it is beyond your scope, you would recommend the client to ask their own physician or dietitian.

For me, I will NOT recommend anything that I do not have confident with such as detox because water will do better job and it is often free unless you get them in jug or bottled water from a store. Detox compounds are just something like you eat fruits and fibers that makes your bowel move. The makers just wants money. That is all I can say. I am becoming NSCA certificated, I will only advice on what I have been taught and up to the limit where I stand and will rather have a team of nutritionists and dietitian lined up to back it up.

[rdferguson]

It would be interesting to see how many of these clients gain back the 10 pounds plus a couple of extra as soon as they go off this "detox" BS.

I'd dare say the correct answer is somewhere in a continuum between "most" and "all."

We're qualified to give what I'd call "nutritional first aid."

In trauma, the first aider is not there to cure the casualty of their injuries or ills. They simply ensure that a viable body is presented to more qualified people.

Likewise, someone who's just done a PT course can give nutritional first aid, providing a viable body for someone more qualified.

The general government health guidelines of eating more fresh fruit and vegies, more nuts and beans, some meat, fish and dairy, generally more food in a rawer state (eg wholegrain bread rather than white) and less junk food and alcohol - these, if followed, will go 90% of the way to achieving what most clients want. A person following those guidelines will be in better health.

If they follow those guidelines and increase their general physical activity, then they may be overweight or underweight, but they won't be obese, and will be at much reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease. Nutritional first aid can do a lot.

Don't underestimate what this basic advice can do. Taking the exercise example, most adults are sedentary, and most sedentary adults are unable to perform a single deep bodyweight squat, pushup from the toes or inverted row with legs extended. If you can progress them to do 10-20 of each of those, this will improve their quality of life and their general health greatly.

Likewise, if you can get someone eating more fresh fruit and vegies and less junk food, this is going to greatly improve their health and general energy levels. And coupled with increasing general physical activity, the weight's going to drop off most obese people.

Most people are so weak and unfit and stiff that a very simple and basic workout is going to do huge amounts for them. Likewise, most people's diet is so atrociously shtful that even very basic and general advice will help them heaps. It won't give them sixpack abs, but it'll stop them being obese and/or sick and tired all the time.

You could give more detailed advice but they wouldn't follow it anyway.

That's a brilliant way of looking at it. I'll try and remeber that - nutritional first aid

Sure, that's his reputation. But it's a reputation built on 100% lies. Anonymously send all his clients scientific studies showing that "detoxes" are worthless scams.

His clients will be fat again in 3months. And then his reputation will go down the can once again, where it belongs (or so one can only hope).