Juice Fasting?

Serioisly? Just saw "Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead" and am wondering your take on Juice Fasting and how it applies to a very active lifestyle and IIFYM...

Replies

  • After seeing the film I decided to try it last summer and managed 5 days. Whilst juicing I cycled for about an hour on three of those days and had an active job as a waitress. I was exhausted but had difficulty sleeping and as a result I was grumpy because I couldn't eat or sleep. I lost 0.8kg. I know other people who have felt great on it after the first two or three days but I think if you exercise and have an active lifestyle then it just doesn't work.
    I'm thinking about doing it again this summer but NOT as a substitute for food but as a way of getting more nutrients. I love my current exercise regime (1.5 hrs, 5 days a week) and I'm not going to give that up!
    I think it's worth doing to get more nutrients but as most people on this feed have already said, it is not a long term weight loss solution.
  • herrspoons wrote: »
    Very badly.

    Not a smart move because most people, including one of the film's stars, put it back on again.

    http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15359/i-was-the-poster-boy-for-weight-loss-then-i-gained-200-pounds.html

    It's pretty unsustainable.

    The guy's story includes one of depression stemming from a failed marriage. He stopped caring about his eating habits because he was depressed.

    That can and does happen to anyone...including people NOT using crash diet methods. This article and this guy's experience is hardly a judgment against juicing..
  • I just don't get it. What's the advantage of drinking food (which removes fiber) over eating it?
  • If we're using documentaries as motivation tools, I suggest "Forks Over Knives" any day of the week. Juicing for me is a fun treat. Like, once a week I like to juice up some fun vegetables. But that's what it is...for fun and something different.
  • Peloton73 wrote: »
    If we're using documentaries as motivation tools, I suggest "Forks Over Knives" any day of the week. Juicing for me is a fun treat. Like, once a week I like to juice up some fun vegetables. But that's what it is...for fun and something different.

    Fun vegetables??? *blinks* Does not compute.
  • How about not using any mockumentaries as your motivation, because they are all biased and pushing some agenda?
  • How about not using any mockumentaries as your motivation, because they are all biased and pushing some agenda?

    The alternative is having to vet sources and assess their information ... way too much work when somebody can do what Netflix tells them to.
  • I like a glass of fresh apple/carrot/celery juice every so often, just like I occasionally enjoy a green smoothie every so often too.

    I did see Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, and I did attempt, in a half hearted way, to incorporate juicing into my diet every day for two of my 3 meals. It got to be too pricey for one thing, when I was purchasing a lot of green veggies to juice... too labor intensive between washing all the veggies and cleaning up the juicer afterward...and for the third thing, after about a week or two I started to get bored from drinking the juice.

    I will say I DID feel good while I was drinking the juices for 2 meals a day. I felt more energized...because I was consuming more nutrients than when I was just eating "whatever." However, I just got annoyed the whole prep and clean up process... I haven't used my juicer in almost a year I bet....

    I might whip it out for the summer and have some cucumber-melon refreshers instead of sweet tea... :)
  • Juicing is great when incorporated into a healthy and balanced diet but it is not sustainable and will not help you lose weight long term. Once you return to your "normal" eating pattern, the weight will return.

    Learning to eat in a healthy manner and in a deficit will get you results weightwise and healthwise. Everyone in my family loved having fresh juice and over the years we had it as a weekend treat. Go easy on the fruit and up the vegetables - it is yummy and a worthwhile addition to your diet.
  • randomtai wrote: »

    Fun vegetables??? *blinks* Does not compute.

    Shhh...it's how I trick myself.
  • After years of juicing, I actually prefer the vegetables. I usually only add one piece of fruit as it is too sweet otherwise.
  • I do a 10 day juice fast every six months. I only juice vegetables, never fruit and drink alkaline water whilst doing it. I love it. But I don't use it to lose weight. I do it because I have a rather complicated metabolic disorder that means eating is sometimes problematic for me. Having said all that; if you are a sugar fiend, or eat a lot of processed foods be prepared for grumpiness, headaches and so forth. I find after I have done it I do lose weight, put it on again eventually but feel great for months afterwards. So go for it if you want, you will miss chewing though. :wink:
  • herrspoons wrote: »
    Very badly.

    Not a smart move because most people, including one of the film's stars, put it back on again.

    http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15359/i-was-the-poster-boy-for-weight-loss-then-i-gained-200-pounds.html

    It's pretty unsustainable.[/quote

    Yes just like so many people here have slipped up and started again. Juicing is not unsustainable, it just takes effort and willpower, the same as tracking your calories.
  • If I was going to do something like this I'd be blending, not juicing, where all the nutritious parts get thrown away. I'd also be adding some fats and seeds too
  • where all the nutritious parts get thrown away

    how does that work ? Some get thrown away for sure, but not all.

  • LeenaGee wrote: »
    Juicing is great when incorporated into a healthy and balanced diet but it is not sustainable and will not help you lose weight long term. Once you return to your "normal" eating pattern, the weight will return.

    Learning to eat in a healthy manner and in a deficit will get you results weightwise and healthwise. Everyone in my family loved having fresh juice and over the years we had it as a weekend treat. Go easy on the fruit and up the vegetables - it is yummy and a worthwhile addition to your diet.
    I agree with LeenaGee, juicing is a great supplement to overall healthy eating.
    Regarding the fiber removed from juicing the following is from Juicerecipes website:
    " What's the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber?
    Insoluble fiber is the left-over pulp after juicing. Only a small amount of this makes it to your juice. If you were to mix insoluble fiber in a glass of water, it would sink to the bottom, absorb the water and puff up. If you imagine that moving through your body, you can picture what it does for you. It's beneficial to help get things 'moving' and prevents constipation.

    Soluble fiber will make it to your juice. Soluble fiber is 'soluble' in water. Soluble fiber (like gums and pectins) will partially dissolve in water and form a type of gel. Soluble fiber absorbs digestive bile made by cholesterol, which creates even more digestive bile, which then helps to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Soluble fiber also can help moderate your blood glucose levels because it helps sugar to be more slowly absorbed, which is why some diabetics report juicing to be helpful to them."

    In my case I keep the pulp left over from juicing and use it in other food recipes. I even make crackers out of the pulp. I use the crackers as a white bread replacement. They are basically all fiber.