To juice or not to juice?

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I have toyed with the idea of juicing. I can't bring myself to do every meal this way. What do you think of it as a lunch or dinner replacement? Any suggestions from those who've done this before successfully?
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Replies

  • CamoGirl1985
    CamoGirl1985 Posts: 41 Member
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    If you do try liquefying your meals, make them smoothies and not juice. Keep the fiber intact :)
  • jessjoye
    jessjoye Posts: 69 Member
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    My dad bought me one of the really expensive juicers and I started out enthusiastically every breakfast making some type of juice with carrots, oranges, lemons, whatever and saving the pulp for other homemade things like homemade marinara sauce, protein muffins, etc. I noticed that the juice in the mornings was not enough to keep me full because the lack of protein and fiber. I wouldn't go out and buy a juicer but because I have one in the house I can see the benefits and the downsides. They are expensive, yes if you are into drinking your meals it makes "healthy" juice but you are missing some healthy parts, and keeping the pulp was the best thing I could have done. My daughters love protein shakes and I can sneak carrot pulp, spinach, and berries into a protein shake and it just tastes like the berries. Just my opinion though, good luck either way!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I like to chew my food.
  • CamoGirl1985
    CamoGirl1985 Posts: 41 Member
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    Another thing to take into consideration is how much fruit/veggies it takes to get a cup of juice. A banana, two oranges, an apple, half a pineapple, some kale, etc. (I'm exaggerating a little, much not much). I think to myself, "Would I ever be able to eat that much food in one sitting?" Plus, when you juice, you concentrate all the sugars in those foods by taking out the other parts. They can be a calorie bomb and leave you pretty unsatisfied. An hour or two later you will be hungry again.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    As a once in a while thing, probably it won't hurt you.
    Don't make a lifestyle of it, and it'd be best if you used the whole food instead of throwing away the pulp (fiber).
    Better still if you'd just eat the food. Less time, less messy.
  • madababanas
    madababanas Posts: 20 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I see alot of people are against juicing. I bought myself a really expensive juicer. I dont drink juices everyday, maybe once or twice a week i replace a meal with it, but i absolutely love it.
    If i have a full day and dont have time to grab a bite, i have in my bag 2 L (aprox 8 cups) of carrot beet apple ginger and lime juice and i drink it throughout the day. And drink a lot of water of course. But if i have a whole day with juice only, i make sure i dont juice my fruits and veggies for another week or two, because just like the others said, it has a lot of sugar.
    So yes, i would totally recommend you a juicer but not to replace every meal, every day. But if you do so, replace your breakfast and dinner and have a salad and some protein for lunch. It is great to have something other than water to drink, if you miss sodas or would just like to treat yourself.
  • charcharrenee
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    I just would much rather chew my calories than drink them. So much more satisfied eating a big and healthy meal than I would drinking a glass of juice. That's just preference though. I do, however, occasionally like a good smoothie! Not really a juice though. I use frozen bananas and strawberry a and it ends up having a very milkshake like thickness and texture. Again, more satisfying for me personally than liquid.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I'm going to put my standard lose weight with an eye to future maintenance guideline on it:

    1) will I like the taste?
    2) could I do this for the rest of my life?
    3) will it become one of my go-to foods that I can log in my meals?
    4) will there be enough bang for the calorie buck in terms of satiety, enjoyment and general yumminess?
    5) will it make my life easier?

    If the answer to any of the above are no ...then my answer is Oh hell no
  • ashlygraves
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    I have a juicer and a blender for smoothies. I am just on the fence as using them as a meal replacer. I struggle to eat and so it was an idea the nutritionist threw out since it's easy on the digestive system and quickly absorbed. I guess some calories are better than none especially if they are fruits and veggies. I dunno...
  • 600lbs2Beast
    600lbs2Beast Posts: 25 Member
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    There is a Documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" I think that's the name. If not its close. It's about a guy that juiced for 60 days straight. He had amazing results. I'm sure sone if you will say it's tv or whatever, but I did attempt to do the 60 days myself. Unfortunately I fell short by 53 days (shut up, don't judge me! lol) but I will say this in those 7 days, I lost 30lbs. I also kept those 30lbs. Off for several months. So I assure you it wasn't water weight.

    My typical juice was 2 oranges, Green Apples, kale, and spinach. I kept them in the fridge so they would be cold (I didn't like adding ice cubes for some reason) I never felt malnourished or anything and if I felt hungry, I just had another juice.

    I'm not gonna sit here and say I coukd have done the 60 days, but I definitely coukd have done more than 7. IF I hadn't tried to get creative. I'll just say NOT ALL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ARE MADE OR GOOD FOR JUICING. Just to give an idea, I thought a salsa type juice would be good. Not so much. The hardest parts were the cravings to just chew and swallow something. It's clearly habit and mental. Best example I can think of is how a smoker that is trying to quit has to have something in their mouth.

    I wouldn't recommend it as a permanent lifestyle change, but a week (or 2 or more depending on how froggy, you're feeling) I would say go for it. I will actually be rotating weeks where I only juice.

    With that said, I also own a Ninja Ultima. And I do enjoy my smoothies and shakes way more than just juicing. But again, 30 pounds in 7 days made me a believer.

    It definitely takes a lot of will power and determination to do. Hope this helps.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited March 2015
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    There is a Documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" I think that's the name. If not its close. It's about a guy that juiced for 60 days straight. He had amazing results. I'm sure sone if you will say it's tv or whatever, but I did attempt to do the 60 days myself. Unfortunately I fell short by 53 days (shut up, don't judge me! lol) but I will say this in those 7 days, I lost 30lbs. I also kept those 30lbs. Off for several months. So I assure you it wasn't water weight.

    My typical juice was 2 oranges, Green Apples, kale, and spinach. I kept them in the fridge so they would be cold (I didn't like adding ice cubes for some reason) I never felt malnourished or anything and if I felt hungry, I just had another juice.

    I'm not gonna sit here and say I coukd have done the 60 days, but I definitely coukd have done more than 7. IF I hadn't tried to get creative. I'll just say NOT ALL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ARE MADE OR GOOD FOR JUICING. Just to give an idea, I thought a salsa type juice would be good. Not so much. The hardest parts were the cravings to just chew and swallow something. It's clearly habit and mental. Best example I can think of is how a smoker that is trying to quit has to have something in their mouth.

    I wouldn't recommend it as a permanent lifestyle change, but a week (or 2 or more depending on how froggy, you're feeling) I would say go for it. I will actually be rotating weeks where I only juice.

    With that said, I also own a Ninja Ultima. And I do enjoy my smoothies and shakes way more than just juicing. But again, 30 pounds in 7 days made me a believer.

    It definitely takes a lot of will power and determination to do. Hope this helps.

    stopped reading at the bit in bold

    because seriously?

    you think you lost 30lbs of fat in a week

    the equivalent of roughly a calorie defecit of 105,000 calories in a week?

    :huh:

    and you credit juicing with this - what did you do from day 8 through the amount of time you kept 30 lbs off .. did you diet and exercise by any chance?
  • saraylarroc
    saraylarroc Posts: 16 Member
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    There's a lot of benefits to juicing, you should watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netflix. It's about a guy who tries juicing to cure and illness. Ends up losing 90lbs in 40 days I think. Inspirational, Food for thought ;)
  • 600lbs2Beast
    600lbs2Beast Posts: 25 Member
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    [/quote]

    stopped reading at the bit in bold

    because seriously?

    you think you lost 30lbs of fat in a week

    the equivalent of roughly a calorie defecit of 105,000 calories in a week?

    :huh:

    and you credit juicing with this - what did you do from day 8 through the amount of time you kept 30 lbs off .. did you diet and exercise by any chance?
    [/quote]

    For someone that is telling people NOT to do or try something, one would think that you would know wtf you are talking about. If you had looked into juicing even a little bit, you would know that a big part of Juicing is the detox and waste your body loses. I'm sorry that you apparently don't like my opinion from MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE versus yours from YOUR PERSONAL ASSUMPTION. The fact you automatically assumed I was claiming to have lost 30lbs. of fat in just 7 days is proof you have absolutely ZERO knowledge on the subject.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    And here we go again. In the last three years I've seen the juicing subject come up dozens of times. None of the people, as far as I know are able to maintain it for any length of time, and I have yet to hear of anyone who lost and kept their weight off. Most people will say they are using it as a "kick start" for their weight loss. Juicing does not help you lose weight! A calorie deficit does. We are human beings who are meant to chew our food.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited March 2015
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    For someone that is telling people NOT to do or try something, one would think that you would know wtf you are talking about. If you had looked into juicing even a little bit, you would know that a big part of Juicing is the detox and waste your body loses. I'm sorry that you apparently don't like my opinion from MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE versus yours from YOUR PERSONAL ASSUMPTION. The fact you automatically assumed I was claiming to have lost 30lbs. of fat in just 7 days is proof you have absolutely ZERO knowledge on the subject.

    that's not how the body works

    not about personal experience, not about assumptions, about science.

    What were you claiming to have lost in 7 days then .. please do tell .. all ears
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    edited March 2015
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    For someone that is telling people NOT to do or try something, one would think that you would know wtf you are talking about. If you had looked into juicing even a little bit, you would know that a big part of Juicing is the detox and waste your body loses. I'm sorry that you apparently don't like my opinion from MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE versus yours from YOUR PERSONAL ASSUMPTION. The fact you automatically assumed I was claiming to have lost 30lbs. of fat in just 7 days is proof you have absolutely ZERO knowledge on the subject.


    Yeah.. no. :noway:

    Edited to fix quotes... becuz quoting is hard work for some folks.
  • 600lbs2Beast
    600lbs2Beast Posts: 25 Member
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    Again, juicing isn't intended to be done forever as so many people apparently seem to think. But if you are juicing fruits and vegetables (mainly vegetables is recommended) tell me what foods you are eating that will allow you to a bigger calorie deficit?

    If I juice an apple and you eat an apple, who takes in the most calories?

    As I said in my previous post, there are other benefits than just losing weight to juicing.

    To be honest I couldn't care less if somebody chooses to juice or not. I had a positive experience with it, and will be doing it again. So I'm sharing my Positive Experience on thread that asks the question. "Too Juice or Not to Juice". My issue is that all of the negative posts (the ones I've seen on here) are from people who thinks this or thinks that about juicing but has NEVER tried it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I assume the OP wanted opinions from people that have actially tried it, not just people with opinions.

    While juicing clearly isn't for everyone, if someone wants to give it a try why would you tell them not to when you haven't tried it yourself?
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »

    For someone that is telling people NOT to do or try something, one would think that you would know wtf you are talking about. If you had looked into juicing even a little bit, you would know that a big part of Juicing is the detox and waste your body loses. I'm sorry that you apparently don't like my opinion from MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE versus yours from YOUR PERSONAL ASSUMPTION. The fact you automatically assumed I was claiming to have lost 30lbs. of fat in just 7 days is proof you have absolutely ZERO knowledge on the subject.

    that's not how the body works

    not about personal experience, not about assumptions, about science.

    What were you claiming to have lost in 7 days then .. please do tell .. all ears

    54394178.jpg
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
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    I have no advice, but if you can find a way to make a pizza drinkable I'd love to know!