Starting a juice fast

2

Replies

  • bbelnap2
    bbelnap2 Posts: 6 Member
    I'm glad to see you pointed out the 1600 cal per day of juice. This puts you in a juice feast range instead of a juice fast. This is very healthy. I did a juice diet variation that allowed lean proteins for 1 meal and I dropped 50 pounds in 2.5 months. If you do have trouble exercising up your protein levels. Kale juice adds a bit more protein. I can't stand Kale without some lemon in there too, so make sure you stock up.

    Good luck. I'm thinking of starting up again. Thanks.
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    Juice fasting is one of the stupidest ideas I've ever seen

    :laugh:

    plus it pretty much cancels out bacon...
  • Juicing is the ONLY thing that has worked for me. I too have an Omega and it gets used on an average of 3-5 times a day, 5+ days a week. I do a Monday-Detox every week, at the least (typically 3 days) and I feel terrific! I save and freeze the pulp to make soups and stuff with on the weekends.

    Did you say you juice 1600 calories a day? WOW... With 3 18oz juices a day, I typically average about 400 calories - total. Yes, I do track mine on here.
  • roro73
    roro73 Posts: 153 Member
    How do you guys calculate the calories for the juice? I've never been able to figure it out since I'm sure it's not the same as eating the whole fruit...is it? I've watched the video and loved it...I never actually did the fast though. I turned a friend onto it and he did a 10 day fast and now eats almost nothing but fruits & veggies, eggs once or twice a week and fish once or twice. It kinda turned me off a little because he lost weight, but he looks so skinny...he lost muscle even though he works out almost everyday. Since I have so much to lose though it may be good for me to do a detox to get started. I just want to make sure I'm taking in enough calories though.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    How do you guys calculate the calories for the juice? I've never been able to figure it out since I'm sure it's not the same as eating the whole fruit...is it?

    Calories for 100% juice are in the tracker.
  • I saw the movie just the other day. I have a juicer and started juicing last night with the mean green recipe. I juiced for my whole day of work. I start at 8am but don't get off till 10. I may have made too much juice. I feel great. My stomach was growling first thing this morning but has stopped. I have drank 15 cups of water, so I don't have the headache most talk about getting. I plan to do this for 10 days and see how I feel. Once I stop I may do it for breakfast and lunch and have a simple meal of vegetables, fish and brown rice. I'm excited about all the health benefits, clear skin, healthy hair, energy and weight loss. Good luck. I am adding the calories to my daily journal. Feel free to add me.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Juice fasting is one of the stupidest ideas I've ever seen

    :laugh:

    plus it pretty much cancels out bacon...

    mmm... bacon juice.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    I have been juicing since I was 16, and I have learned an awful lot. First, you will want to buy a good bit of 8 oz mason jars. You only want to consume 8 oz of juice at a time anyway. The mason jars will let you portion correctly and keep the juice better. You can store up to 72 hours, though many will disparage that. I know that it does me good if it is brand new or 2.5 days old. I found that I can really notice an affect if I am drinking 3 or more glasses of juice a day. I barely feel a difference with less. I use the Green Star, which is a gear extraction juicer. This is much better than a centrifugal extractor in that it gets a ton more juice out of the veggies and also juices leafy greens well.

    My main juice base remains the same:
    Parsley
    Beets
    Carrots
    Apples
    Spinach

    To this I will add some taste. I will use basil, or ginger or other fresh herbs to up the flavor of the juice. Also, the Champion is a gear juicer as well. I have never used a Champion, and do not know if there are now more gear juicers on the market. With the Green Star, the pulp is extremely dry, no matter what you juice. I started with Juice Man, and boy that was several years of money down the drain!

    Also, I have done long juice fasts, up to 3 weeks. It gets really easy after a couple days! Good luck!!
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    I only started juicing because lots of pro athletes do it and look how great they look!

    LOL
    barry-bonds.jpg
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    I am interested in starting a juice fast! Is it possible to do a healthy juice fast drinking naked juice? I am watching the documentary you mentioned right now :) I found it on netflix
    Well, you will be missing a ton of nutrients. Naked juice isn't really raw juice. So, you are missing enzymes and phytonutrients and such. I used to add Naked Juice or Odwalla to my smoothies, but I use kefir now instead...
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Juice fasts are silly. You will do much better eating the things you are juicing whole. The fiber will fill you up so you aren't hungry and do all the good cleansing things fiber does.
    You obviously do not know of what you speak. I have done 3 juice fasts in my life, and they are fabulous for detoxification and it also cured my acid reflux…
  • missprincessgina
    missprincessgina Posts: 446 Member
    I've never made my juice the night before. I did a juice fast for eight days, worked amazingly. Lost 10 lbs to get into my size 4 wedding gown!! I juice every now and then but I haven't done more than a day or too since my wedding last year. Good luck!!!!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    How do people know when their body has been "detoxified"? Are there tests for this kind of thing?
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Well, you can detoxify a few ways. A fast detox will often make you feel sick as toxins are leaving your body, because they are going through you. I have detoxed a few ways, but often you will start having more clear, moist skin, your energy levels will go up, and sometimes you will pass stones… you will lose weight and feel much better… You can do a water detox that is 72 hours of consuming only water. You can do a 10-14 day detox with the juice of 10 lemons, super hot cayenne pepper and b grade organic maple syrup. The lemon leaches out the toxins from your muscles, joints, and organs, while the pepper opens your vessels to allow the toxins an easy exit...
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Exposure to toxic substances historically gives you superpowers. I wouldn't avoid this.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    You obviously do not know of what you speak. I have done 3 juice fasts in my life, and they are fabulous for detoxification and it also cured my acid reflux…

    I'm sorry but ... I'm just sorry
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Exposure to toxic substances historically gives you superpowers. I wouldn't avoid this.

    Just my luck. I was born with a superpower of full immunity to toxic substances.

    *kicks rocks*
  • heyitsmekatie
    heyitsmekatie Posts: 544 Member
    I watched a documentary a few weeks ago called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" about two men who go on a 60 day juice fast. It was pretty amazing and very inspiring. Even if you don't plan on doing it to that extreme, it's still worth watching. I watched it on Netflix. Good luck on your fast! Here is the website:

    http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

    I loved that documentary and ended up buying a juicer myself :)

    I bought one too! Very inspired by the documentary. Unfortunately I didn't make it past 6 days. :(
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Juice fasts are silly. You will do much better eating the things you are juicing whole. The fiber will fill you up so you aren't hungry and do all the good cleansing things fiber does.
    You obviously do not know of what you speak. I have done 3 juice fasts in my life, and they are fabulous for detoxification and it also cured my acid reflux…

    I can imagine the intense amounts of acid you're pouring down your gullet with nothing like, say, fiber, as a buffer was excellent for your acid reflux.

    I also want to know what "toxins" are being expelled. That question gets asked every time someone posts a thread like this and no one ever answers it.

    And do you all not having working livers, kidneys and sweat glands or something?
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Juice fasts are silly. You will do much better eating the things you are juicing whole. The fiber will fill you up so you aren't hungry and do all the good cleansing things fiber does.
    You obviously do not know of what you speak. I have done 3 juice fasts in my life, and they are fabulous for detoxification and it also cured my acid reflux…

    I can imagine the intense amounts of acid you're pouring down your gullet with nothing like, say, fiber, as a buffer was excellent for your acid reflux.

    I also want to know what "toxins" are being expelled. That question gets asked every time someone posts a thread like this and no one ever answers it.

    And do you all not having working livers, kidneys and sweat glands or something?

    (I know you were kidding about drinking acid to cure acid reflux, but there is potentially something to the idea (even if it isn't entirely relevant to this thread): http://chriskresser.com/get-rid-of-heartburn-and-gerd-forever-in-three-simple-steps )

    However, all that other opening vessels and leaching toxins stuff sounds like straight up crazy-talk to me. I suspect the main reason the "fast detox" makes someone feel sick has a lot less to do with toxins passing through their body than it does a suddenly unhealthy diet.

    And while I don't know for certain what does or does not open or close any vessels in my body, I would be very surprised if ingesting pepper of any type has that kind of power...and I can't imagine lemon juice can get to my vital organs in its lemon juicy form, but even if it can, I doubt it is smart enough to only leach the bad stuff and leave the good stuff alone.

    And if these foods *do* have these powers, why can't I just add them to my usual diet? My guess is because then you wouldn't have the "feeling" of a detox that is otherwise explained by the suddenly horrible diet.

    Yeah, I'm just a wee bit skeptical...
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Juice fasts are silly. You will do much better eating the things you are juicing whole. The fiber will fill you up so you aren't hungry and do all the good cleansing things fiber does.
    You obviously do not know of what you speak. I have done 3 juice fasts in my life, and they are fabulous for detoxification and it also cured my acid reflux…

    I can imagine the intense amounts of acid you're pouring down your gullet with nothing like, say, fiber, as a buffer was excellent for your acid reflux.

    I also want to know what "toxins" are being expelled. That question gets asked every time someone posts a thread like this and no one ever answers it.

    And do you all not having working livers, kidneys and sweat glands or something?

    (I know you were kidding about drinking acid to cure acid reflux, but there is potentially something to the idea (even if it isn't entirely relevant to this thread): http://chriskresser.com/get-rid-of-heartburn-and-gerd-forever-in-three-simple-steps )

    However, all that other opening vessels and leaching toxins stuff sounds like straight up crazy-talk to me. I suspect the main reason the "fast detox" makes someone feel sick has a lot less to do with toxins passing through their body than it does a suddenly unhealthy diet.

    And while I don't know for certain what does or does not open or close any vessels in my body, I would be very surprised if ingesting pepper of any type has that kind of power...and I can't imagine lemon juice can get to my vital organs in its lemon juicy form, but even if it can, I doubt it is smart enough to only leach the bad stuff and leave the good stuff alone.

    And if these foods *do* have these powers, why can't I just add them to my usual diet? My guess is because then you wouldn't have the "feeling" of a detox that is otherwise explained by the suddenly horrible diet.

    Yeah, I'm just a wee bit skeptical...

    Someone explained that earlier. All that nasty fiber stuff prevents the body from absorbing the nutrients from the fruit juice! Duh.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Depending on how many toxins you are exposed to, your body will start storing excess toxins in your fat tissue. Some toxins will remain in your system for extended periods of time. Many drugs, licit and illicit fall into this category. Nicotine, alcohol fumes, herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, MSG, aspartame… these are all toxins that will eventually start accumulating in your body. Exercise with a good diet is the best way to get yourself detoxified. Fasts help these toxins to exit the body rapidly. Some think that it is too rapid, and they may be correct.

    The fatty tissue that you begin to use as energy, which is storing most of these toxins (your skin is fat, probably why juice fasting makes your skin look so beautiful and healthy) begins to be used up, freeing the toxins and allowing them to be cleansed from your body. You can do this with a water fast as well. With a juice fast you get the added benefit of a large amount of vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients.

    Being Catholic, I find other fantastic health factors to fasting. It is a great form of prayer and sacrifice that leads to spiritual healing and growth. The fasts that I have actually done were during the season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. Fasting has been a part of my religion for 2000 years, and also a part of my religion's precursor, Judaism.

    If someone thinks this is a silver bullet for health, they are wrong. There are no silver bullets to health. Health is a holistic way of living. But there is the answer to "what kind of toxins" we are talking about. Oh… there are also the questions of viruses, bacteria, fungi and yeast. Juicing, in general, helps your immune system and is also prebiotic. It helps good bacteria flourish. Good bacteria cleans up bad bacteria, yeasts and so forth, with the added plus of aiding in digestion. These good bacterias also help with liver function (as do certain juices like beet). So, there you have it.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Juice fasting is one of the stupidest ideas I've ever seen

    I wondered how far I would have to go to get to a post I agreed with. Although the one above this one was pretty close to. Good luck preserving muscle tissue. I personally prefer to eat a high protein solid food diet at a calorie amount that makes me lose a safe amount of weight. But what do I know...
  • btanton27
    btanton27 Posts: 186 Member
    bump
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Cayenne pepper dilates blood vessels. One of the reasons it is good for high blood pressure...
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
    I have been juicing since I was 16, and I have learned an awful lot. First, you will want to buy a good bit of 8 oz mason jars. You only want to consume 8 oz of juice at a time anyway. The mason jars will let you portion correctly and keep the juice better. You can store up to 72 hours, though many will disparage that. I know that it does me good if it is brand new or 2.5 days old. I found that I can really notice an affect if I am drinking 3 or more glasses of juice a day. I barely feel a difference with less. I use the Green Star, which is a gear extraction juicer. This is much better than a centrifugal extractor in that it gets a ton more juice out of the veggies and also juices leafy greens well.

    My main juice base remains the same:
    Parsley
    Beets
    Carrots
    Apples
    Spinach

    To this I will add some taste. I will use basil, or ginger or other fresh herbs to up the flavor of the juice. Also, the Champion is a gear juicer as well. I have never used a Champion, and do not know if there are now more gear juicers on the market. With the Green Star, the pulp is extremely dry, no matter what you juice. I started with Juice Man, and boy that was several years of money down the drain!

    Also, I have done long juice fasts, up to 3 weeks. It gets really easy after a couple days! Good luck!!


    O.o Well best of luck and hope we don't end up reading about you in the newspaper.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    O.o Well best of luck and hope we don't end up reading about you in the newspaper.
    I am all about eating. I haven't done a juice fast in nearly a decade. I may do some in the future, but that will mainly be for spiritual health rather than physical health. I am all about whole foods. I make a bad *kitten* smoothie for breakfast with fruit Greek yogurt, kefir and dark chocolate, a protein heavy lunch and dinner with a bad *kitten* post workout shake that is a full meal in itself. Long fasting is a once a year at most thing. I used to do water fasts every Wednesday and Friday, as those are traditional days of fasting in the Catholic Church going back to the first century AD. I do not have the discipline to do that right now. Besides, my nutritional desires exclude such fasting, whether water or juice.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    There is no time in Judaism that anyone goes days on end without food. They fast from sunup to sundown during certain high holidays, but they eat a large meal at sundown.

    I get fasting for religious reasons, even days-long fasts. The rest? Well, I won't tell you what I think. I do know that if you really believe something will happen, you will feel as though it has, regardless of whether it actually has.
  • deadmittens
    deadmittens Posts: 536 Member
    I tried that... and ended up going to Chipotle for lunch instead lol. More power to you if you can continue with it!

    My old roommate did one for like 3 days I think but woke up in the middle of the night and ate some real food when she cracked.
  • I did a 32 day juicing to help with stomach issues last year. It worked well for me. I exercised the whole time without any problems. Just could not go from sitting to standing fast as I would get a little lightheaded. That happened the first week then it went away.
    I did not count calories as it was hard for me to drink more than 2 quarts of juice.
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