Juice diet... any thoughts?

Argent78

Help! My boyfriend has maybe 3 pounds "overweight" and he is obsessed with starting the juice diet, because a friend of his did it for 3 weeks, and lost 20 pounds (in my opinion he looks horrible now, because he also lost all his muscles).

So... I DON'T AGREE with this diet, because I love healthy life and healthy eating... I work out, eat high prot, low fat, very clean diet. I love feeling good and having muscles. I tried to give him arguments to avoid him doing that and loose his few muscles, BUT I don't have enough reliable information to be against or in favor of this diet. His argument is that you can get all the nutrients form the juice... which I strongly disagree because you are not getting any fats or proteins.

Do anybody know a little more about this? how many days is this safe? is this safe at all?

Thanks!

Argent78

anybody?

Argent78

ugh... I need some help with this guys!!

onedayillbeamilf

It's not something that I would be willing to try because I like food, but I'm not sure about how healthy it is or isn't.

Sidesteal

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Sidesteal

Additionally: Assuming you're not taking it to an extreme, there's nothing inherently DANGEROUS about juice fasting or juice diets -- it's just not necessary and isn't going to provide you with any benefits that whole foods won't already provide you.

UponThisRock

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

I watched that movies this weekend. The only true statement he made was "I'm not a doctor."

Argent78

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Interesting!! I'll get that documentary

Sidesteal

I watched that movies this weekend. The only true statement he made was "I'm not a doctor."

LOL!

Mercenary1914

I had a friend who did the fruit/veg diet...She ate only fruits and vegetables for a month....She did it as a clense sort of thing...and to her when she was done...she was really proud of herself for the self control and she said she felt great after having done so...

She did mention how hard it was..and that it took a week to get use to. I personally would not do a juice diet...BUT...I don't see any problem with your boyfriend doing it for three weeks like his friend...and then slowly work back in a clean diet....

BTW...I am assuming you mean juicing his vegs and fruits

KemaVA

I thought about doing this in January after watching that documentary. I fasted for one day and decided I wanted to eat. I then switched to raw foods (fruit and veggie only) but I felt I needed fat and protein so I added almonds. I have monthly doctor appts because of a thyroid condition and my doctor was suprised at how much my cholesterol dropped. It wasnt really bad before I just had an over- abundance of good cholesterol.

rml_16

I think it's ridiculous, but he's a grown man and if he wants to try it, he's going to.

130annie

You answered this in your first paragraph.....He lost all his muscle tone....Now having muscles is a big thing to a man....So why?

Argent78

I had a friend who did the fruit/veg diet...She ate only fruits and vegetables for a month....She did it as a clense sort of thing...and to her when she was done...she was really proud of herself for the self control and she said she felt great after having done so...

She did mention how hard it was..and that it took a week to get use to. I personally would not do a juice diet...BUT...I don't see any problem with your boyfriend doing it for three weeks like his friend...and then slowly work back in a clean diet....

BTW...I am assuming you mean juicing his vegs and fruits

BTW...I am assuming you mean juicing his vegs and fruits --> yes to this

What happened to your friend when she started eating "normal" again? did she gain weight immediately?

selfishshellfish

I would say that there is such a thing as essential protein and also such a thing as essential fat, both of which are probably scant in this type of regime. You need adequate protein and fat just to maintain and repair your cells in a state of optimal metabolism.

What would be in abundance (probably - depends on the fruit & veg juiced) is sugar. Bear in mind that there is no such thing as an essential sugar.

(At a pinch the body can manufacture glucose from some of the building blocks of protein and fat by the process of gluconeogenesis, but it cannot ever manufacture protein and fat from glucose.)

My opinion is that you'd do your boyf a massive favour by getting him a book called 'Waist Disposal' by Dr John Briffa.

Good luck!

Argent78

I think it's ridiculous, but he's a grown man and if he wants to try it, he's going to.

You are right... that's why I'm trying to collect good arguments. But if he want he will do it anyway

zen_mama

I've done 3 and 5 day juice fasts before with good results, but for me it's not a dietary choice i could easily maintain (and I am a vegetarian!). The purpose of a juice fast is to basically give your digestive tract a rest. Pure fruit and veggie juices are quite easily processed by the body, contain almost as many nutrients as eating the whole fruit (mostly just lacking the fiber) and can be a great way for people to get more greens in their diet if they are not a big fan of eating salads and spinach and such. Juice cleanses can be a little intense on the body though and can be quite unpleasant- think bowel discomfort, cramping, hunger pangs (if you are not drinking at least 20 oz 4-6 times a day), acne, caffeine withdrawal headaches an bad breath! I find the best balance for me is to juice maybe 2x a day (mostly veggie juices w'/ green apple), eat plenty of raw or lightly steamed veggies and drink a ton of water. Oh and fruits (as well as veggies) do contain protein and some fruits like bananas and avocados do contain natural fats so those nutrients are not missing on a juice diet. It is not for everyone and there is a lot of conflicting information on the subject. I simply know that consuming fresh produce (whether eaten or juiced) has a ton of health benefits and micro nutrients that are essential for a balanced healthy diet.

GasMasterFlash

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Interesting!! I'll get that documentary

Did you catch the part where he said it's "crappy" and "based on sensationalism and pseudoscience"? :huh:

Argent78

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Interesting!! I'll get that documentary

Did you catch the part where he said it's "crappy" and "based on sensationalism and pseudoscience"? :huh:

LOL yes, I did... but there is nothing like a crappy documentary to make you start thinking about what's real/ what's not and make your own judgement, right? As a scientist, the best way I learn is to criticizing with smart arguments

GasMasterFlash

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Interesting!! I'll get that documentary

Did you catch the part where he said it's "crappy" and "based on sensationalism and pseudoscience"? :huh:

LOL yes, I did... but there is nothing like a crappy documentary to make you start thinking about what's real/ what's not and make your own judgement, right? As a scientist, the best way I learn is to criticizing with smart arguments

Meh. I'd rather spend my money to see "The Avengers" again.

Sidesteal

I think it's ridiculous, but he's a grown man and if he wants to try it, he's going to.

You are right... that's why I'm trying to collect good arguments. But if he want he will do it anyway

He is essentially creating a massive calorie deficit and additionally he's drinking instead of eating his food. When you look at it objectively this is basically what he's accomplishing by taking a bunch of fruit and veggies and blending it up as his source of food.

Just ask him to look objectively at it. Does he understand that lean mass losses occur while eating at a deficit, and in the absence of proper protein intake and proper resistance training, a good portion of the weight he loses will be lean mass and not bodyfat?

Does he understand that large deficits require much more precision with food choice?
Does he understand that rapid decrease in intake will typically cause large losses in fluid weight, that only make the scale go down?
Does he understand that if he actually wants to look appealing, he is doing himself a disservice by taking this approach?

It absolutely BAFFLES THE *kitten* OUT OF ME how many people fail to take a sensible approach to this game.

I will give your boyfriend a valuable list if I may arrogantly say so:

1) Eat at a moderate deficit. 20% under TDEE is a good starting point.
2) Consume adequate protein and fat. (1g/lb lean mass in PRO and .35g/lb bodyweight in fat as MINIMUMS)
3) Lift some weights.
4) Get rest.
5) Repeat
6) And stop looking for gimmicks and stop micromanaging all the other CRAP that doesn't matter.

That's it. Medical conditions and individual intolerances aside, the above is a starting point that for many is also an end point.

EDIT: Seriously if he would just do the above list, he will make great progress and it's very likely he'll enjoy it along the way, and actually get to eat food and enjoy that too.

Mercenary1914

I had a friend who did the fruit/veg diet...She ate only fruits and vegetables for a month....She did it as a clense sort of thing...and to her when she was done...she was really proud of herself for the self control and she said she felt great after having done so...

She did mention how hard it was..and that it took a week to get use to. I personally would not do a juice diet...BUT...I don't see any problem with your boyfriend doing it for three weeks like his friend...and then slowly work back in a clean diet....

BTW...I am assuming you mean juicing his vegs and fruits

BTW...I am assuming you mean juicing his vegs and fruits --> yes to this

What happened to your friend when she started eating "normal" again? did she gain weight immediately?

No she didn't...because she ate VERY healthy afterwards...she eats a balanced diet and works out approx 4 to 5 times a week...

I agree with you that he will lose muscle mass though...I have consdiered trying an all fruit/veggie juicing diet,...while adding protein scoops to three of my juice drinks....

SCARY!

rml_16

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Interesting!! I'll get that documentary

Did you catch the part where he said it's "crappy" and "based on sensationalism and pseudoscience"? :huh:

LOL yes, I did... but there is nothing like a crappy documentary to make you start thinking about what's real/ what's not and make your own judgement, right? As a scientist, the best way I learn is to criticizing with smart arguments

Except that if he's already bought into this juice diet thing, he very well may take the documentary as gospel, as so many people do.

I was at a party Saturday night and had to bite my tongue when someone started spouting crap about Forks Over Knives. Oy.

Argent78

I think it's ridiculous, but he's a grown man and if he wants to try it, he's going to.

You are right... that's why I'm trying to collect good arguments. But if he want he will do it anyway

He is essentially creating a massive calorie deficit and additionally he's drinking instead of eating his food. When you look at it objectively this is basically what he's accomplishing by taking a bunch of fruit and veggies and blending it up as his source of food.

Just ask him to look objectively at it. Does he understand that lean mass losses occur while eating at a deficit, and in the absence of proper protein intake and proper resistance training, a good portion of the weight he loses will be lean mass and not bodyfat?

Does he understand that large deficits require much more precision with food choice?
Does he understand that rapid decrease in intake will typically cause large losses in fluid weight, that only make the scale go down?
Does he understand that if he actually wants to look appealing, he is doing himself a disservice by taking this approach?

It absolutely BAFFLES THE *kitten* OUT OF ME how many people fail to take a sensible approach to this game.

I will give your boyfriend a valuable list if I may arrogantly say so:

1) Eat at a moderate deficit. 20% under TDEE is a good starting point.
2) Consume adequate protein and fat. (1g/lb lean mass in PRO and .35g/lb bodyweight in fat as MINIMUMS)
3) Lift some weights.
4) Get rest.
5) Repeat
6) And stop looking for gimmicks and stop micromanaging all the other CRAP that doesn't matter.

That's it. Medical conditions and individual intolerances aside, the above is a starting point that for many is also an end point.

THANKS!!!! I'll totally make him read this... coming from me he won't believe it

Argent78

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Interesting!! I'll get that documentary

Did you catch the part where he said it's "crappy" and "based on sensationalism and pseudoscience"? :huh:

LOL yes, I did... but there is nothing like a crappy documentary to make you start thinking about what's real/ what's not and make your own judgement, right? As a scientist, the best way I learn is to criticizing with smart arguments

Except that if he's already bought into this juice diet thing, he very well may take the documentary as gospel, as so many people do.

I was at a party Saturday night and had to bite my tongue when someone started spouting crap about Forks Over Knives. Oy.

I know that is sad... but as long as you criticize based on knowledge, you can make a good thing out of it. Lots of people like to blah blah with no fundamentals.. that makes me MAADD

Argent78

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Interesting!! I'll get that documentary

Did you catch the part where he said it's "crappy" and "based on sensationalism and pseudoscience"? :huh:

LOL yes, I did... but there is nothing like a crappy documentary to make you start thinking about what's real/ what's not and make your own judgement, right? As a scientist, the best way I learn is to criticizing with smart arguments

Meh. I'd rather spend my money to see "The Avengers" again.

hehe I'll let you know if it worked... or you were right!

rml_16

There is no reason to do this.

If he watched some crappy documentary like Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, based on sensationalism and pseudoscience, he's been mislead into believing that crash dieting techniques or toxin removal is a necessary or desirable thing.

In short, you are correct. He is pretty much confused and lacks the direction to do it right.

Interesting!! I'll get that documentary

Did you catch the part where he said it's "crappy" and "based on sensationalism and pseudoscience"? :huh:

LOL yes, I did... but there is nothing like a crappy documentary to make you start thinking about what's real/ what's not and make your own judgement, right? As a scientist, the best way I learn is to criticizing with smart arguments

Except that if he's already bought into this juice diet thing, he very well may take the documentary as gospel, as so many people do.

I was at a party Saturday night and had to bite my tongue when someone started spouting crap about Forks Over Knives. Oy.

I know that is sad... but as long as you criticize based on knowledge, you can make a good thing out of it. Lots of people like to blah blah with no fundamentals.. that makes me MAADD

I tried to point out the flaws in the argument using logic and science and even a couple real-world examples, but brainwashed people rarely listen to facts. My bet is that two days in your boyfriend will feel crappy and hungry and give up, anyway.

kennethmgreen

1) Eat at a moderate deficit. 20% under TDEE is a good starting point.
2) Consume adequate protein and fat. (1g/lb lean mass in PRO and .35g/lb bodyweight in fat as MINIMUMS)
3) Lift some weights.
4) Get rest.
5) Repeat
6) And stop looking for gimmicks and stop micromanaging all the other CRAP that doesn't matter.

That's it. Medical conditions and individual intolerances aside, the above is a starting point that for many is also an end point.

EDIT: Seriously if he would just do the above list, he will make great progress and it's very likely he'll enjoy it along the way, and actually get to eat food and enjoy that too.

There is a reason why this plan won't be a best-seller or "documentary" - it's too simple.

If you added: 7) only wear organic shoe laces, and backed that up with lots of studies and testimonials, then you might get rich.

TourThePast

Help! My boyfriend has maybe 3 pounds "overweight" and he is obsessed with starting the juice diet, because a friend of his did it for 3 weeks, and lost 20 pounds

Your problem is not that you have a boyfriend who is obsessed with this diet, your problem is that you're stuck with a boyfriend who is fundamentally credulous.

Over the years that is going to manifest itself in a LOT more ways than his deciding to do a short term diet.

Argent78

Help! My boyfriend has maybe 3 pounds "overweight" and he is obsessed with starting the juice diet, because a friend of his did it for 3 weeks, and lost 20 pounds

Your problem is not that you have a boyfriend who is obsessed with this diet, your problem is that you're stuck with a boyfriend who is fundamentally credulous.

Over the years that is going to manifest itself in a LOT more ways than his deciding to do a short term diet.

Sadly... I know!

lbrooks00

I tried it for two days and had terrible stomach issues due to the amount of "food" I was ultimately taking in. Won't do that again.