Need Help... Juicing... how not to lose muscle?

RawinSeattle

Hello, Need some help, little lost. This might be long, but I’m reaching out for help, if your new, probably skip reading.

Quick background: 43, laid off work 6 months ago (bulging disc in back, torn rotor cuff, blown right knee), add PTSD and server Stress and depression. Add poisoned by my work by MEK and Isoprophic alcohol for 3 years. I’ve come far, learned much. (back class, volunteer at a top vegan restaurant, done several juice fast. I lost 60 pounds up till my body blew up.

The last 6 months. I’ve since rehabbed all of the injuries (lot of time in the pool, put on an easy 10+ pounds of muscle). I can walk now and rotate my knees and shoulder. I still feal a lot of pain, but that the arthritis and from the sloppy diet I have at the moment (I’m highly allergic and I’m most likely allergic to dairy and gluten). I’m able with meditation to get through it and continue to work out (went through class on mindfulness/back/sleep in last 6 months.).

I am a Vet, so medical treatment is bad and of course broke because of the unemployment. I have a wife and kid and I’m desperate to get healthy for them, a big driving force for the change.

After seeing a homeopathic doctor yesterday that specializes in chemical poisoning. I know relies that the MEK has been stored in my fat. He wants me on a Vegan and Gluten free diet ASAP and really push detoxing.

He’s ok with doing a Juice Fest. But last time I did a 20 day juice fest, I lost a lot of muscle and I’m worried it played a role in the physical collapse.

Is there a way to do 20-30 days of juicing (want to reset that hormonal clock) without losing muscle?

I still need to put more muscle on to get to the point where I’ll be able to be pain free. But losing weight and detoxing are a high priority.

Priorities:
1. DETOX –good diet to promote detoxing
2. MUSCLE!!!!!
3. LOSE WEIGHT – MEK is kept in the fat

After the juicing, I’d transition to a High Green diet. Still on that, I’d have to be able to put on muscle.

Any help, would be greatly appreciated.

_noob_

I thought the whole point of juicing was to either maintain in a ridiculous deficit or build muscle stupid fast.

thisisme13

Personally I wouldn't go with juicing. You will lack a lot of needed nutrients in your diet.

A diet filled with fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats and lots of water will do more for your body than juicing will.

Not consuming enough calories and enough protien along with not lifting heavy weights will result in muscle loss. Consuming enough calories, protein and lifting heavy will help you retain your muscle while losing fat. To gain muscle you need to be eating at a slight surplus of calories.

Personally I don't agree with detoxing as your body will do that natural when you eat correctly.

Eat a diet filled with fresh fruits and veggies (skip the lean meats if you are going to go the vegan way). You can get tons of fresh fruits and veggies on a budget as well ... what you get would depend on your food budget. Stock up on fresh foods that are on sale and plan your meals around those each week. Shop at farmers markets ... where I am you can get a ton of great, fresh foods for pretty cheap from the farmers markets. I tend to go about an hour before they close as a lot of them greatly discount the prices so they don't have to bring all the food back with them. I can go to a farmers market and get about 8 bags of fresh fruits and veggies for maybe $40 if that. It is a ton of stuff so I take a portion of it (what I won't use before it will go bad) and wash it, cut it up and freeze it.

Putting on any real amount of muscle will unfortunately result in some fat gain along the way as you need a surplus for muscle building. Maybe for now focus on losing some fat while retaining muscle?

Unknown

You could do it if you're consuming enough calories either by juice alone or juice & fruits/veggies.

Mokey41

Find a different doctor that actually knows how the body works and that there is no such thing as a detox diet.

Hadabetter

Homeopathy = totally bogus

ClaireElanB

Add raw organic rice or pea protein powder (nutribiotic do a good one), and wheatgrass powder, and E3live to your juices.
How are you doing? I realize this threads old. What did you end up doing?
There's a good support group on FB called Juicing for Dummies if you are still thinking of doing a juice fast.

wheird

Add raw organic rice or pea protein powder (nutribiotic do a good one), and wheatgrass powder, and E3live to your juices.
How are you doing? I realize this threads old. What did you end up doing?
There's a good support group on FB called Juicing for Dummies if you are still thinking of doing a juice fast.

Group name is ironically accurate. :laugh:

FunkyTobias

After seeing a homeopathic doctor yesterday that specializes in chemical poisoning. I know relies that the MEK has been stored in my fat. He wants me on a Vegan and Gluten free diet ASAP and really push detoxing.

Go see a real doctor rather than a woo-merchant.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/reference/homeopathy/

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-detox-scam-how-to-spot-it-and-how-to-avoid-it/


ETA: The best description of homeopathy I've seen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Xl4_VnoPI

Mr_Bad_Example

segovm

Not to put too fine a point on it but if you are going to assume that something bad is stored in fat and you want to get rid of it than trying to gain muscle while you do it is going to be sort of hard. Gaining muscle and losing fat are often tackled with diametrically opposing strategies.

Further, if I was looking at things objectively, I'd tell you that if there is bad stuff "stored" in fat than by losing the fat you will be RELEASING bad stuff into your system, in a flood, far faster than if it was just staying there being fat. Is that actually better for you then getting rid of "it" slowly? Lets assume that there was something like arsenic in your fat. Releasing it all at once would kill you. Releasing it over time you could expel it without receiving a lethal dose.

Not trying to rip on you at all. I'm a bit of a hippy myself so I get it. If you a juice thing for a while you'll probably lose muscle and if it somehow makes you healthier than you'll be in a better spot to gain that muscle back after.