Maximizing your fat loss potential comes down to three main factors:
1.) Workout Efficacy
2.) Recovery Periods
3.) Nutritional Strategy
In order to build the most efficacious workout possible, you’ll need to customize the workout to your specific needs. Think about your body type (more endurance or sprinter), what’s worked for you in the past (swimming, weights, etc.), and how much time you have to offer. As closely as possible, design a workout program that will meet your needs. Here are a few examples of workout customizations that are possible based upon answers to the questions above:
Example #1: Endurance-based man who likes to swim but has lost weight before while doing sprinting and lifting weights.
Dr. Kareem’s Recommendations: Mix it up to lose fat. fat loss is about shocking your body, over and over again, until it molds itself into a leaner, more capable version of yourself. Sprinters get leaner, and they get there faster. There’s a reason for this. Short duration, high intensity workouts will serve you perfectly.
Example #2: Endurance-based woman who only has a little bit of time, but has seen success by doing things like cardio or other endurance-based activities that she no longer has time to do. Unfortunately, whenever she’s lifted weights in the past, she’s felt like she was bulking up, rather than trimming down.
Dr. Kareem’s Recommendations: This is a really common, and valid concern. Instead of thinking about endurance-based activities like cardio as opposite from ‘heavy’ lifting, consider the alternative. What about contrasting endurance-based activities from sprint-based activities that use very little or no weight.
When you workout with lighter weights and increase your rep range, whether you do this by time with interval-based training, or by reps, you naturally build more muscle fibers that are specific to muscular endurance. However, when you do this at a very fast pace, or you add sprints, you bias the muscle fibers to the ones that consume sugar, even though you’re not putting on size. Therein lies the answer: Sprint, but stick to lighter weights and higher rep ranges.
Instead of thinking about your workout, or a particular exercise, I’d strongly suggest that you consider the impact of the rest of your day, and your days off. It’s not a matter of burning calories in the gym that will make the difference for you. Instead, it’s a decision to burn fat all the time.
Calories In – Calories Out = Calories For The Day
3500 calories = 1 pound
So, let’s consider two scenarios:
Workout #1: Burn 350 calories in a 30 minute workout, either on a treadmill or doing circuit training, for example.
Workout #2: Burn 300 calories in a 30 minute workout, interval training with weights.
Obviously, Workout #1 wins by 50 calories, right?
Wrong. In point of fact, workout #2 may burn 2-9x more calories than workout #1, although it may take up to 72 hours to finish counting the calories burned. In other words, Workout #2 will temporarily raise your metabolic rate; your body will burn more calories for every day its ‘recovering’ from a workout of this type.
With workout #1, when you leave the gym, you’re done burning calories. With workout #2, you leave the gym and burn even more calories.
Recovery periods are as important as the workouts themselves. Perhaps the most well-spoken on this topic is Tim Ferriss, from the 4 Hour Body. He talks about using the concept of Minimum Effective Dose (MED), taken from pharmacology, and applying it to exercise. This is, in fact, what I’ve been focused on for a long time, but he’s hit the nail on the head in his description.
You see, when you do the proper exercises, and you sequence them properly, your body requires time to heal. This is how torn muscle fibers repair themselves, lactic acid is taken from the muscles and absorbed back into your normal circulation, and your body seeks guidance through nutrition. From a nutritional standpoint, during this healing time, you can do one of four things:
- Increase your caloric intake substantially, often times telling your body you’re ready to build muscle.
- Increase your caloric intake modestly, igniting a fat-burning state in your whole body.
- Maintain your caloric intake, slowly sending your body into starvation mode.
- Lower your caloric intake substantially, ultimately destroying your fat loss potential.
Let’s take it one step further – Nutritional strategy, not just calories.
From a nutritional standpoint, the fastest way to lose fat is to create a raging metabolism. So, it stands to argue we should eat anything that helps us build muscle, affecting our muscle to fat ratio (muscle:fat), or that signals our bodies to speed up. With the simplest logic, we need to consider what the human body was made for. Our bodies were designed to be able to eat animals in the wild, leaves from the wildlife around, fruits and vegetables, and possibly beans/sprouts.
If we were to just eliminate everything else besides the list you see above, we’d lean out instantly. Fat would melt away, and our bodies would prepare themselves for intense physical activity. For a lot of people, this just seems like too much… or too much to ask. I get it… there are A LOT of temptations out there, and I fall victim to them just as quickly and easily as you fall.
It’s a constant struggle, or it’s something you can see from another angle. Several years ago, I learned to view my food as an energy source, and I totally shifted my nutritional strategy. Instead of seeing food as a reward, I began to view food as a chance to feel great. This totally changed my perspective.
Now, when I choose a food that’s not so good for me, I see the energy crash to come. Sure, it takes away a small amount of the pleasure, but not really that much. When I don’t care about my energy level, and I’m feeling like eating pizza or Skittles or something else, I go for it.
On the other hand, when it makes more sense to second guess myself, this perspective makes all the difference.
The take home for this is that I’d like you to shift your focus with food. Consider it’s effect on you, and you may just find yourself choosing other foods. Then, make sure to give yourself regular breaks, or cheat days, where you can be human and fall victim to your temptations. If this happens, look at it as a cheat day, rather than a lack of self-discipline. You’ll be much happier.
From an exercise perspective, consider what’s going to have the greatest effect with the least amount of time. Do what your body is not used to, and watch your results explode. Decide you’re going to rest in between workouts, and make sure you do. Shock your body every time, and then let it rest.
Your body can and will morph. It’s about consistent, and strategic effort.
I love your comments on the blog – they give true life to the topic. Please just maintain Respect and Relevancy. Also, keep in mind: SPAM, business names and irrelevant links will be deleted. Ok, cool – now join the conversation!
33 Comments
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I have always been hearing that HIIT burns wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy more calories than regular steady state cardio. I know there has been many research to prove this but I would like to really know an estimate of how much more they burn.
Dr.K, you said in the article above that Workout #2 burns 300 calories but it will actually burn 2-9 times more than Workout #1. Does interval training really gives so so so so much extra calorie burning by raising your metabolism afterwards? 9 times more is about 3000 calories. Can a 30 min training session really burn 3000 calories (including the afterburn)? Ok, even if it is just double the calories is still very good.
That said, does regular moderate intensity steady state cardio of any use since it burns SOOOO much less calories?
Thanks for reading 🙂
Regards
Brad -
Good question. Is it better to burn 500 calories in 30 mins using HIIT or equivalent or 600 calories in 45 mins using constant pace exercise? Forget the time, boring, issues and just focus on fat burn. At what point is it better to burn more calories? 10%, 20%?
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You talk a lot of sense Kareem.
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If you are fit any high intensity workout will burn more calories in a given time than a moderate workout or steady state cardio. However, high intensity cardio workouts were meant to increase your VO2 max and not to burn more calories or fat. The so called EPOC (afterburn) effect is highly overrated. It is clear that if time matters 30 min, of high intensity will burn more calories in total than 45 -60 min. of moderate exercise and threfore better for getting in shape with less time. But how hard your workout will be , never will the calory burn after training be up to 9 times the amount of the calories burnt during the workout.
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hey everybody,
Awesome discussion. Let’s go a bit deeper here.
Is calorie burn 2-9x greater when you do HIIT? Or in this case, something even greater, like interval-based weight training?
So, using the Workout #2 example above, will we burn 300 calories initially, but ultimately 600 to 2700 calories?
Absolutely not. This is where the misconception lies and this concept is widely misunderstood and exaggerated. I’d like you to consider the following three factors, before passing judgment:
1) Instead of thinking about this as a single workout, think about this as a compounding effect. Because your metabolism is raised for a longer period of time, and then you work out again before it falls, leading it to a higher level once again, you are successively increasing your calorie burn as your raise your VO2 max.
2) To my understanding, the calorie burn is said to be 2-9x greater (Jabali studies, etc.) for every second or minute of high intensity when you alternate with low. In a 20 minute workout, this may only constitute 6-10 minutes of your total workout time.
3) As you raise your VO2 max, you are able to tolerate more exercise. This was always thought of in relation to anaerobic capacity, but it’s been proven that high intensity exercise also raises aerobic capacity. So, you’ll be able to work out harder, and last longer. Again, a compounding effect.
So, as we dig deeper here, we realize that what once sounded like an extreme number is actually quite possible. The trouble is, it only seems unrealistic when you consider a single workout, on its own.
As for exact #’s of calories burned, I’ve read conflicting sources and I haven’t done the experiment myself. The suggestion is that anywhere from 2 to 9 times the amount of caloric expenditure takes place over time, but not within a single workout.
Make more sense?
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Dr. K,
Good info as usual. I would like to ask you to expand on rest day information with possibly an entire article on it.
I am training for a 5k and I do that training on the same days as my strength training (3 x’s/wk so that I can have a full rest day between.
But, I have a question. I really enjoy doing yoga 2-3 days per week as I can really feel a difference in muscle tightness/soreness, as well as the stress reduction factor. I usually do yoga on my rest days.
Can I consider this as active rest? What about other activities like walking or steady state cardio? Does doing something like that on every “rest” day impead my muscle growth or retard fat loss? How much is too much to keep the body from appropriately recovering?
I appreciate any information on this.
Thanks!
Karen -
If I do HIIT with weights one day, given necessary time for rest, is it safe to do a similar compound exercise workout the following day? Or should I do a different activity such as straight weights (focussing on different body parts), steady state cardio, or something else altogether entirely?
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I started gaining weight when I was 40, about 1 lb/yr despite swimming, walking, hiking, biking. Then at 57 I stumbled upon complexes-pushup/pullup/rollout, kettlebell sequences etc. for 45 minutes, then 30 min. swim 3 times a week. I lost 30 lbs/8 inches on my waist which is what I gained in 27 years. Whats right for me is very clear.
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Question for Dr. Kareem, I’m following a guideline I read in one of your posts about eating days 1-6 low carb (less than 17) and having a free day on day 7 but had a free day and gained weight back. I read somewhere about avoiding gluten on the free day. I’m a little confused with information overload. Can you give me an example of what you would recommend eating on a free day? Am I supposed to be worried about calories, carbs, etc on my ‘free’ day?
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You will always gain ‘weight’ when you start eating carbs after being low carb. That weight is water. It will disappear after a day or two of low carb again.
Some of the ‘weight’ you lose when you first go low carb is also water.
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Dr. Kareem is awesome-I was already in great shape, and just by following a few of his outstanding protocols, I have seen tremendous benefits-and this is just by utilizing his “freebies”! I plan on purchasing some of his programs he sells as soon as I land a good job. Thanks Doc!
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Hi dr.K and commenters,
I am entirely not interested to solve theoretical problems, where solution may differ from person to person, because of a zillion variables involved. But I can swere of HIIT. 60/60 resistance (large paddels and fins) swimming worked (works) for me. Dropped 40 more pounds in more or less 20 month, 2-3 workout per week. Now, to keep lean it is enough 1-2 per week. For stay strong or be stronger I do classical wight training, or combine it with any other resistance training to keep it interesting and break platos. But the latter is quite rare, injuries and ilnesses are always intervened and set back.
Cheers,
Mike -
Its been 5 days since i’ve joined this program- From 135lb, 25% fat to 120lb, less than 5% fat!
Dr. Kareem is the man, thank you!-
Your fat measurement is wrong. 25% of 135 lbs. would be 33.75 lbs of fat. if you lost 15 lbs of this you would still have 18.75 lbs of fat. This would be a bit above 15.6% body fat. When you add lean muscle you don’t make a huge gain in only 5 days. What kind of exercise do you do to burn 10,500 calories per day over and above what you consumed? Your post is not believable.
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Agreed. I thought when I read this that it certainly happens, usually in about 8 dedicated weeks, no less. Unhealthy to do this in less time, if it were possible.
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To achieve this over 5 days you would have to lose 27,75 lbs of fat whilst at the same time putting on 13.75 lbs of muscle ! There’s no more to say
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I do high Intensity 30 min workouts every Monday, Tuesday and Friday. On Saturdays I do Yoga and Mat Pilates. On Thursdays I do Matt Pilates and Body Jam. On Wednesdays I do a full body workout with weights in 40 minutes then I burn about 500 calories afterwards doing Zumba dancing. I lost 7 pounds this week
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comments like the one below I find really disheartening – I don’t have the time to do this much exercise, and even if I did, my poor knees wouldn’t cope!. I do 2 sessions per week of higher reps/ lighter weights for 60mins, (one of these sessions incorporates fast cardio for 15 mins, light weights for 30 min, (high reps at varying speeds) core training and balance for 15mins. I add 30min high intensity interval training 1- 2 times every second week to give my body a bit of a fright. This is the only way I can make things work for me – don’t be discouraged if what you do isn’t as hard- out as someone else’s schedule – we are all different and have differing issues to deal with..
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Somehow , there’s a cultural loss of translation. What you’re saying is not computing.
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Too many words and doesn’t really tell me anything. I just don’t get it. How can I know what body I have? So should I increase calories or decrease? First you say on l.uy eat food that build muscle, but hen say cheat? Btw, what about lipids and cholesterol?
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When I felt that I was ‘missing the point’, I reread portions again – comparing and contrasting different portions of the article above – and then I started being able to make more sense out of it all.
What I came away with is this:
–no circuit training, just interval training (I had to do a google search to understand the specific difference between the two // the alleged reason for choosing interval training is even mentioned at wikipedia…….. )
–after training, the metabolism will be raised……
–we can ‘kill’ the metabolism increase by starving ourselves
–we can ‘limit’ the benefits of the metabolism increase by merely burning fat if we don’t eat enough to build muscles
–we can ‘heighten’ the benefits of the metabolism by feeding the muscle-building factor (this will mean relatively paleo foods *most* of the time…….. – and eating enough of that food…….. if you aren’t building muscle, eat *more* paleo foods while continuing to workout…….. …….. – I imagine that is an oversimplification, and that there are other factors that come into play, but it seems to be the biggest factors involved……)WHAT TO DO WITH THAT – AS AN INDIVIDUAL?
Do interval training. Eat afterwards, then watch the scale *&* the body composition:
–if you aren’t morphing in any way, then you are probably not eating enough
–if you are adding fat, then you are probably not eating right, or perhaps you are eating way too much?
–if you are merely losing fat, you aren’t eating quite enough yet
–if you are building muscle, then in the long run, if you keep it up, you will also burn the fat…….,………….
I might not have that summed up right, and I’d love to hear where I’m off if I didn’t quite get it yet, but I think if you reread with this summary in mind, you’ll start ‘getting it’ more and more effectively.
As with all goals in life: Be ready to ‘fall forward’:
Live your decisions in freedom (as long as you are keeping your word and are not encroaching on others).
Watch for the results.
Change your decisions next time around based on what you learn about yourself, and based on day-to-day goals (remembering that enjoying ‘cheats’ IS a good goal!).
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I love the info and updates! I’m on a 90 Day challenge to lose 25 lbs and so thankful to get this info. It was somewhat confusing to follow this week but I just reread it a few times until I got it. I figure it’s new info and I just need to get use to reading the terms and ideas. I’m sure each blog will support the last and I will be filled with valuable info! Thank you Dr. K
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I am 59 years young and I started your 5 day Fat loss Accelerator program of 10 minutes high intensity workouts a day and I’ve lost about 8 pounds in 8 days. I’m eating the foods you recommended: high protein no sugar and focusing on the good fats like avocado and olive oil and I’m getting 7.5 hours sleep and focus on staying hydrated throughout the day. I was an athlete when I was young but as I aged I put on extra pounds and ended up with a 39 inch weist that is going down quickly. I’m thrilled with my results!! Thank you
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Hi Guest! Congrats on doing soooo well! I was hoping you might explain to me what the
fat loss accelerator program entails. I’m having trouble understanding him and thought from someone else I might get it-probably sound stupid….but I’m desperate to lose weight! I have lost 5 lbs. in the past 5 days but I need to get these exercises down-can you help?
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Finally getting started. Feel good, no joint pain or arthritis (that I notice) and fairly slim, but not as much energy as I’d like and pooch belly at 73. Moving into this with deliberation and thought and determined to improve.
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Hi, I am 69 and glad to see your post. My life is slow due to quiet activities, as well as a need to simply rest more often that I’d did 10 years ago. I am becoming energized with the high intensity workouts. My body seems stronger. I am totally overwhelmed with the amount of information. My plan is to simply go at my own speed. I am thinking that this will gradually become more clear with time. Thank you.
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I don’t understand how you “sprint” while doing weights?!?
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I would like Dr K or someone to help me understand just what it is I need to do. I am a 54 year old female, I don’t go to the gym, I don’t go running or jogging, I do like to walk, but don’t have a lot of timr. I have quite a sedentary life at home. I need some exercises that will help boost my metabolism that I can just do in my home. I am quite petite, short with a small bone frame and look great at 115 lbs. but I weigh 140 lbs.
There’s so much information coming at me Daily that I don’t know what fits me…. I tried some of the interval training, I think…where you exercise fast for q0 seconds, then rest for 50 and so forth, and felt like it helped but there’s just so many different things coming all the time which one is for me?-
I have just posted a bit about me and I don’t know if you would be interested but a mini trampoline with a six week beginners programme might be just the thing you need. It takes up very little space, you do it at home and jump on when ever you like. There are many types available but search for rebounding on the net and have a read to see if it suits you. I’m 45 years of age, not a big exercise fanatic, never was but the trampoline is fun and is showing me results! Good luck and let me know if you need any info.
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Hi everyone,
12 days ago I started on my body transformation. I am determined to lose 30-40 lbs and have set myself a time frame of 16 weeks. I have already lost 6.6 lbs which I think is pretty good going right? I am not a big exercise freak, never have been, in fact every time I attempt exercising I get hurt. Even the exercises Dr. K shows: the 5 minute BTMC (Love it, and have incorporated it into my daily routine) but then last September doing lunges and squats I tore my left Glute muscle and instead of resting it, I kept going and ended up with a grade 3 tear that is stilling causing pain now. I find it difficult to know what is good and what is not. There is SO much information out there and SO much contradicts the last bit you read that getting confused and ultimately saying ‘sod it’ has been part of my life for many years. However, with all the info I have received from Dr. K and Tim, I have now compiled an exercise programme for ME and have taken the eating habits described in 5 lb exercise plan and it seems to be working. Not 5 lbs in 5 days but it seems that that will not work for everyone either. The secret to this one is that I need to build muscle mass…without it…losing fat is more difficult…So muscle mass building it is (without getting injured this time) 🙂
Keep coming with tips and Q&A’s please. There is always something there that can help.
Take care and the best of luck with you for you! -
I absolutely agree with Dr. Kareem. We’re all different with different needs. The part I like most is that he is not the “one trick” or “do this one thing” type. Beware of “one trick” gimmicks; it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
I finally have a really cheap yet very nice gym nearby and I just had to join. Only in my first week, but even before reading this article I already knew what I had to do based on past experience (which is the point of the article, right?). I’m 5’11” with a strong frame and both weight lifting and bicycling by intervals have been key for me to lose weight in the past.
Here’s a few important points I’d like to share that have not been mentioned in the article:
-If you start with weightlifting, or even interval training, you might actually GAIN weight for the first few weeks or plain not lose a pound. It might take up to a month before fat loss results start really showing on the scale. The reason is simple: muscle weighs a lot more than fat and don’t be discouraged if it takes a while before you see any results on the scale. Once you build up enough muscle, the scale will start showing lower numbers.
-A week long (or two weeks) break after some months of training can actually lead to breaking through a plateau by a mile. I’ve experienced it quite a few times myself, but timing it right is not always easy. Nevertheless, letting your body heal once in a while is not a bad idea and has sent me through plateaus faster than increasing workout intensity.
-Your weight goes up and down during the course of a week. Pick one day of the week and use that day as a reference point to trace your progress. If you pick Monday, always use Monday as your reference.
I divided my goals in 3 phases:
Phase 1 (about 3 months): build some upper body muscle and lose about 30 pounds (I already have good cyclist legs).
Phase 2:(3-4 months) gradually build more stamina and lose another 20 pounds.
Phase 3: (add another 4 months): incorporate more endurance as my weight goes down near 200 pounds and grow my muscles a little leaner and more supple, while still incorporating some explosive workouts. I aim to be able to run for 30 minutes non-stop but with more bulk than a field runner..Here’s what I’m currently doing:
-Warmup with some basic yoga for about 10 minutes – works the core muscles and prepares them for the weights.
-Upper body weightlifting 3 sets of 10 reps with the maximum weight I can manage to finish all the sets. I lift them in an “explosive” manner to develop power rather than just strength and I take the time to catch my breath between sets to make it also a form of interval training. This builds muscle much faster than slow lifting and being out of breath just burns up protein rather than sugar. My core is currently strong enough I can stay straight as a tree while lifting up, but will adjust my core training if that changes when I use heavier weights.
-5 to 15 minutes of bicycling or elliptical gradually faster and harder to give my legs a chance to warm up and I do 2 to 4 intervals. Then I cool down for 5 minutes on the threadmill, which helps prevent soreness in the legs. The main goal here is to just burn whatever sugar I haven’t burned during the rest of my workout and keep my leg muscles up to par as I do a lot of bicycling in the summer. Also, too much endurance training will burn up the protein I need to build my upper body.
By then I’m HUNGRY so I get a good piece of meat with plenty of veggies (no potatoes, carbs of starchy foods unless I’m really starving to death).
Only a few sessions in and I can really feel the difference. Can’t wait till I can SEE it 😉
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I have a very pertinent and important question for you!!!
I have had two heart attacks and a mild stroke during the past four years.
I have changed my food habits drastically in the last eighteen months or so. But as to exercise I have to contend with a weakened heart as well as a leaky heart valve.
My cardiologist says it is OK to exercise but I have to take it easy. What do you recommend?
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Encourage many here to get yourself a juicer. I like the simple and affordable Jack Lallane. Their are others but they sound like motor boats. Trust me. Anyways get to your local produce stand pick up a green preferably Kale, Carrot, Apple, lemon and lime, i usually add seedless grapes, and ginger. Red cabbage is another great addition. Put ice in the pitcher and begin. Once or twice a day. You will begin to get all the nutrients, and vitamins your body sorely needs. Forget those supplement pills. Overpriced and most you will never absorb properly. This can be part or all of your raw diet. Give up the glutenous foods, dairy, and grains. Whole grain is fine. Get healthy today. This is also a very safe detox and fasting method. Your skin, hair and vital organs will love you. You will never get sick with the yearly flus and colds. Vaccines and flu shots are simply money trains for the drug industry. All the studies are extremely bogus to install fear.
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