The other day I was over to one of the coffee shops close to our gym. I'm late to the coffee party but I definitely enjoy an americano once or twice a week.  Anyways there were a couple of younger women in line in front of me. And their conversation went something like this: Woman 1: I think I'm going to do an apple cider vinegar cleanse before Christmas. I can do it for a week now before Christmas and lose up to 7 pounds.Woman 2: Yeah, I've heard of that one as well. Why would you do it before Christmas?1: I typically gain 5-7 pounds over the holidays so if I lose the weight before I can enjoy the holidays guilt-free and be at the same weight I am now.2: Cool. Let me know and I'll do it with you.1: Ok I'm going after work to (local health food store) to pick up the cleanse kit. Why don't you come as well?2: Sounds good. Let's do it.*** Of course I had to bite my tongue while in line. What I would have to like to have shared with these young women is that cleanses just don't work. I've written about cleanses and detoxes before. And a review of the literature (1) on detoxes and cleanses stated: ..no randomized controlled trials have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of commercial detox diets in humans.But unfortunately the blog of strength and conditioning coach is going to get less traction than the headlines of supermarket tabloids. Most people would say they use cleanse or detox to get rid of toxins or to lose weight. The young women in the coffee shop are a perfect example of this. The problem with this is the 'weight loss' attributed to cleansing is typically due to caloric restriction and...