Why are so many people against juicing?

So, I just showed up at this site, a couple of days ago.... it might be a bit early for me to wade into something, but here goes. I started exhibiting some physical symptoms that freaked me out, and I tended to 'assume' were associated with being overweight, and unhealthy. I'd just seen Fat Sick and Nearly Dead recently, and I went out and bought a juicer and a whopping amount of fruit and veggies. After a few days, I had it down to a science... making juices I liked, and did straight juice for about 10 days. Then, I switched it up, to juices and salads. After losing 30 lbs ( in about 4 months ) I went and saw a dietician, to work on a more sustainable ( for the immediate future, anyhow... ) diet plan... trying to stick with as much raw veggies as possible, and mostly the basic vegetarian stuff to round it out.

Ya, I lost muscle... but I feel alot better than I did 4 months ago... and my plan is to try to dump the last 10 or more pounds I need to get rid of, and get back to the gym, and hopefully build a little bit of muscle back up. I don't think there's any one-size-fits-all diet plan... and what works for me, won't necessarily work for you.

If Joe Cross is to be believed... he was a successful businessman before he started the documentary... and unless he perpetrated a fairly complex ruse.... he wasn't hurting for cash, and didn't need whatever extra income his Fat Sick and Nearly Dead venture is bringing in. Phil, the truck driver, lost about 200 lbs drinking juice.... and all his tests showed he was getting much healthier. Joe says that Phil has gained back something like 80 lbs of that, and tends to struggle trying to 'maintain.'
I've briefly perused Joe Cross' website... and it does appear he flogs products, and services.... That's life these days... he now has a 'product....' and people want to buy it.

As for the OP, and the title of this thread.... If the title had been... 'Let's talk about juicing ?' would the responses have been any different?

I'm working on settling into a healthy lifestyle that I can maintain. Juicing helped get me here, and is still part of my daily routine. IMHO, whatever works for you, that's great. For you. Whatever works for me, that's great. For me.

:glasses:

Oh ya... my dietician was the one who showed me this site. :laugh:

If I could afford juicing, and could find a way to make the vegetable juices taste anywhere near palatable, I'd juice as a veggie supplement. But I can't see it as a sustainable way to eat. I don't think anyone is really against it as another food choice, but people are against it being made out to be more than it is as or being promoted as a viable way to get a full day's needs in.

Here is my take: most diets work (unless it's pure scam). But, it's not sustainable in the long run, which causes people to gain back the weight they lost. I have little doubt that juicing can work, because it somewhat limits the amount of calories you ingest. Even those overpriced MLM stuff work, but the question is what happens when you stop paying for them?

If you think you can juice for the rest of your life and not feel like you miss solid food, then more power to you. But if you plan to juice just for a while and eventually return to eating normal food, then you might gain all the weight back because you have never learned to eat normal food in moderation.

I think most people at MFP just want to be helpful and save you the agony of yo-yo dieting.

For most people it is not sustainable.

I own a juicer and rarely use it. When I do use it, it is primarily to get my fruit intake. I love vegetables, but fruits kind of gross me out. I probably only eat 2-3 servings of fruit a week. They have a sloppy texture that I can’t get passed. I love the taste of berries, but if I eat them in their natural form, I feel like I am eating little sweet slugs or something. Peaches and plums are like eyeballs to me. So, I put fruits in a juicer and I can get my fruit without having to put a gross texture in my mouth.

However, as I said, I rarely juice. It actually constipates me because so much pulp and fiber are removed in the juicing process. I hear people all the time saying how juicing makes them poo or even causes diarrhea, but it consistently impacts me in the opposite way. Maybe my body is just weird?

Also, it is a complete hassle to me. My juicer is a $150 piece of bulky equipment that is too large to leave on my limited countertop, so I have to break it down and keep it in a cupboard. It’s just a pain to get it out, assemble it, juice, throw out the pulp, break down the machine, wash the pieces, dry it, put it back into the cupboard for storage... all for a serving of fruit. It’s easier to grab a crispy apple or just skip my fruit intake and have a vegetable instead.

So, that's my personal answer to why I am "against" juicing. (I'm not really against it. I'm just constipated and burdened by it. LOL)

hey are against fasting- juice fasts
not good

For me juicing (taking fruits and veggies and making them into juice) isn't as satisfying to me as eating the fruit and veggies. You can also consume many more calories with a glass of juice than you can if you ate all those fruits and veggies you put in there --- normally.

I agree with the above statement, but I think that most people just to provide the digestive tract some relief from having to break down and process foods. In addition, it can be used for those who need to increase their intake of fruits and veggies in a simple way ( drinking them).

Juicing is one of the simplest things to do. Just juice the damn stuff and drink it. I get fat, protein and fiber.

No, you do not get fiber from juicing. Juicing takes the juice from the fruit or vegetable and cuts out the bulk. The bulk, like the skin, is what contains all the fiber.

Most fruits and fruit juice is high in sugar. Sugar is bad. Does that make sense?
Water is better, especially if you are going to fast.

Because its a gimmick. If you look at the most successful people on this site (or anywhere really) - the ones setting PRs, the ones who have taken the weight off and kept it off, the ones who look amazing - they don't do crazy things like put all their food in a blender before eating it. They don't insist their bodies are unclean and full of mysterious toxins that must be purged. They track their food, exercise, and they don't make it so damn complicated.

This!

Also, it removes much of the fiber...who doesn't want that fiber? I certainly do!