Cleansing diets are alive and well. The cleanse is used to detox as @Adagio mentioned, but usually used for the further purpose of losing weight. The idea is “I’ll start with a cleanse, to have a ‘fresh palate’ and then improve my eating habits from there, never going back to my old ways.”
People will lose a significant amount of weight on a cleanse, but it’s mostly water, as cleanses typically include ‘salt flushes,’ liquid diets’ etc. that cause diarreah/dehydration and drastic calorie intake cuts.
The problem is, people are SO starved and dehydrated after a cleanse, and think they’ve lost alot of weight that they typically start taking “cheat days,” and or binge eat once the last day of the cleanse is complete.
Because it’s typically a crash diet, instead of a progressive and steady lifestyle change, no good habits are learned and built, and the moment the cleanse is over the dieter is back to their old habits.
I haven’t seen too many new cleanses come out, but I know they are alive and well b/c at least 4 women just ‘completed’ cleanses at my current organization, and at my previous job (leave it to Beverly Hills women) they were ALWAYS doing cleanses, coming off them, gaining back their weight, and going back on them.
Oh, there’s a wedding this weekend!!! Wanna do a cleanse?! ;)