Fat sick and nearly dead

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angelexperiment
angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What are your thoughts? I am considering a change to a more veggie fruit based diet for health reasons. This movie inspired me to look at my food issues and to try to eat healthy. Maybe even try a small fast again one day.
Not for weight loss but health reasons .
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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Many people could benefit from eating more fruits and vegetables. But my understanding is that the results shown in the documentary were temporary and over-stated. Fasting is completely unnecessary to get the benefits of more fruits and vegetables.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Yes I understand that. I have juice fasted before and it is really more of a tool to get back on track and reduce cravings for me personally anyway
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    Drinking nothing but juice for 60 days wouldn't be sustainable for me at all. I wouldn't even want to try it.

    The guy in the first "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" (the truck driver) who achieved such great weight loss put all his weight back on. That was so disappointing to read about.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,668 Member
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    Weight is still the number one predictor of health. If you're overweight, start there first. Nothing wrong with adding more fruits and vegetables in your diet though.
    If health is your focus, look at the overall picture since food is just one component of it.

    Weight
    Genetics
    Rest
    Excercise
    Stress
    Environment
    Risk Behavior
    Mental state

    are all other factors that help to determine you health status. One could eat great, but not sleep well and have a lot of stress in their life.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    My thoughts are this thread isn't going to go well

    But a good balanced nutritional diet (plan of eating) focusing on a widespread of vegetables, lean proteins, dairy and hitting your macro and micro nutrient requirements is the best you can do for yourself

    juicing should be shelved unless you particularly like juice
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    My thoughts are that unsustainable, fad approaches such as highlighted in that mocumentary are foolish.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    My thoughts......Just another fear mongering show.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I enjoyed that show. It seemed like a liquified Pritkin (sp?) diet, which has been shown to help the health of many.

    It motivated me to get a really powerful blender so I could drink my veggies, and make healthful drinks for my kids. I like the idea of smoothies more than juice.

    Fasting can be good for you too. I do it once in a while too.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I think smoothies (with the fiber) are healthier than juicing. But yes: eating more nutrient dense plants is good.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Healthy eating does not omit two out of three macronutrients.
  • orchidbutterflies
    orchidbutterflies Posts: 59 Member
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    I watched the documentary and it was the catalyst for me to give up drinking pop and incorporate water. I went from 5-6 cans a day and it's been almost two years since I have had any pop at all. I just personally feel better not drinking sugary drinks. That alone didn't make me lose weight (before anyone jumps in to tell me that you can still have pop & lose weight; I know).

    Watching it didn't change my eating habits & I quickly realized that strictly juicing wasn't a very good option.

    So even though I don't personally agree with the approach to weight loss promoted in the film, it did inspire me to make better choices for my health (and also made me realize that kale and beets are two of the most disgusting things on earth :P)
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    angelexperiment wrote: »
    Yes I understand that. I have juice fasted before and it is really more of a tool to get back on track and reduce cravings for me personally anyway

    This isn't a knock on anyone, it's just a curiosity I have. I have never done any kind of juice fast or whatever before, but knowing me and the way I am, I fail to see how fasting for any length of time by just drinking juice can reduce cravings? I know I've been in positions before in the past where I did not have a lot of food and was endlessly hungry. I just think it would have the opposite effect?

    When I'm really hungry, I want anything and everything, especially if it's a donut or cake or is fried in some way. I could only imagine that when I came off of a fast, the first thing I would do is find a whale and eat it raw, then stumble my way into to a bakery.

    I don't understand how such heavy calorie and nutrient restriction would do anything but cause me to turn into a ravaged, hungry zombie.

    I do kind of adhere to a intermittent fasting situation, where I don't eat anything usually until around noon, 1:00 and I'm generally done eating by about 6 or 7, but that's a natural situation for me and I've never been a big breakfast eater. I'm not insanely hungry by lunch either. However, if I tried to do this for an entire 24 hours or more, having nothing but a glass of juice or three, someone would have to quickly call the men in the white coats to come and take me away. And bring cake.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    I also didn't understand the cost of all the juicing. Fruits and vegetables aren't cheap. When you juice them, you need TONS to work with (that's how it came across to me.) It seems like a complicated, expensive way to lose weight you will likely regain.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    I think smoothies (with the fiber) are healthier than juicing. But yes: eating more nutrient dense plants is good.

    I agree with this. I also see no benefits to blending it up vs. eating it whole (and even eating some or many vegetables cooked), unless for some reason someone won't eat them otherwise.

    But I'm in favor of eating lots of nutrient dense plants as part of an overall balanced diet with adequate protein.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    How does fasting help for "health reasons"?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    MommyL2015 wrote: »
    This isn't a knock on anyone, it's just a curiosity I have. I have never done any kind of juice fast or whatever before, but knowing me and the way I am, I fail to see how fasting for any length of time by just drinking juice can reduce cravings? I know I've been in positions before in the past where I did not have a lot of food and was endlessly hungry. I just think it would have the opposite effect?

    I always think there are a couple of different things going on. Some people find it easier to do something really dramatic and simple (like a juice fast or cutting out all but a small number of foods) rather than figure out how to change their diet to a more calorie-appropriate one or a more nutrient-rich one (which might involve learning about nutrition some too). Others imagine that if you did something extreme it would change their tastes and desires (which sometimes does happen when they are really enthusiastic about the new thing just as new dieters often can cut really low and not be hungry, but I think it wears off).

    AND, there is an effect of going really low cal where your body responses by cutting the hunger response -- probably developed to help in times of famine. The problem is that people seem to be hungrier when they start eating again, so it's not really part of a solution for obesity IMO (except for those medically indicated for a dr supervised VLCD).
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I think eating your veggies is healthier. Before learning about CICO, I saw this show and tried juicing. Lasted 2 days. It was expensive and wasted so much of the fruits and vegetables. It gave me something to think about, but I found something better for myself. Juice is good, not exclusively for months on end... Moderation in all things.
    @MommyL2015 - that was funny.
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
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    Marketing.
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
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    angelexperiment wrote: »
    What are your thoughts? I am considering a change to a more veggie fruit based diet for health reasons. This movie inspired me to look at my food issues and to try to eat healthy. Maybe even try a small fast again one day.
    Not for weight loss but health reasons .

    I think it's great to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet. A fast is not necessary to jump start a lifestyle change. Just a recommendation, start small as there is no need to make a lot of large changes at once, and may actually discourage you if you completely overhaul your eating habits at one time.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I enjoyed that show. It seemed like a liquified Pritkin (sp?) diet, which has been shown to help the health of many.

    It motivated me to get a really powerful blender so I could drink my veggies, and make healthful drinks for my kids. I like the idea of smoothies more than juice.

    Fasting can be good for you too. I do it once in a while too.

    Pritikin diet. The German wikipedia article lists some extra disadvantages the english one doesn't.
    *Small and possibly boring amount of choices
    *Long term supply of important nutrients is not guaranteed, especially iron, iodine and calcium
    *possible low energy and protein intake (ad lib I guess)
    *bloating and diarrhea from the high fiber contents
    *worse concentration, tiredness and anxiety symptoms

    Oh, also it apparently suggests eating no more than 650 kcal per day.

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