Experience with juice fasting?

I did it for 24 days. I did it to learn control. My tummy growled the whole time and kept off half of the weight that I lost. That was almost 2 yrs ago. I love the juice but like chewing more.

Are you tracking your blood sugar? This is a way to know if your body is handling sugar well. I would recommend not juicing to accomplish this. Eat food with it's accompanying fiber. Soluble fiber in foods slows down the entrance of sugar into your bloodstream. Your craving for sugar can be addressed by removing excess carbs from your diet for a number of days. For myself, it took a week. For that period of time, eat protein, veggies and fats and make sure your fiber intake is high (35-45g). This did in fact totally stabilize my appetite and cravings.
Things which will increase appetite are stress and lack of sleep. So you should note how you are doing in those areas as well.

There's tons of sugar in juice! Don't go for these weird remedies. To get off of sugar go to diet drinks and splenda. Stay away from the donuts, cakes, etc. and soon your sugar craving will cure itself.

Drinking sugar juice, which is pretty much what you're planning on doing, to get off of sugar.... um... No.

If you're gung ho on doing this, use a blender, such as ninja etc. At least that way you will be getting the nutritious pulp/fibre instead of throwing it away....

Your immune system does not need "rebooting." It is not a computer.

Tum22 wrote: »

Fasting is supposed to be beneficial in rebooting your immune system. I've cut down on sugar a lot by having an egg for breakfast then a green juice in the morning and a large green salad at lunch with lots of crunchy veg and just generally eating lots of green vegs seems to reduce my sugar cravings. I couldn't fast completely on juice though as it makes me emotionally upset and very tired. You will probably go through detox symptoms like headaches and upset stomach for a while.

The very best way to know how your body is really reacting to whatever "program" you use, is to MEASURE things. Fatigue and headache and mood issues are important symptoms, and should at least make you curious what your blood sugar levels are....get a glucometer and test fasting/postrandial (2hrs post meal) blood sugar levels. Otherwise you may continue to make juices, and spike your blood sugar and promote diabetes! It's one thing if your body is handling it well...then the juice is full of nutrition. But if your blood sugar stays up postrandial, it's poison! In that case, make a stir fry, steam, or salad instead of juicing.

melodyfrederiksen wrote: »

I'm considering giving this a shot in order to break sugar cravings

Sorry, Can you please explain how drinking sugary drinks everyday possibly break you of sugar cravings?

I'm genuinely curious, because it just doesn't make sense to me. You obviously have more knowledge on this subject, so was hoping you would explain the premise this....

I juiced two meals a day and then did a salad with lots of veggies and either chicken or fish (no dressing) as my dinner for 7 days and lost 5 pounds. I have managed to lose an additional 3 the week after my juice cleanse by eating clean. I definitely had sugar cravings in the first 3 days, but haven't since then. I noticed a huge increase in my energy levels, sleep better and have less aches and pains in my back and knees. I'm sure some of that is from the weight coming off and not juice the juicing, but I am thrilled I did the juice cleanse!

melodyfrederiksen wrote: »

Thank you to those of you that shared your experience with juice fasting. It helps give me an idea as to what to expect. Although I would like to know, what juices did you make, how often did you est them, did you exercise at all, and how much water did you consume?

To everyone else: sorry, but I don't consider any of you more or less a health expert than myself. I'm only looking for inputs from people who have actually done it or know someone who has. I'm continuing to do research on the subject to see if it is safe and beneficial.

I did a juice fast for a week. It was part of weaning off an elimination diet to help identify food triggers for chronic pain and inflammation. I honestly felt incredible while on it and don't remember being overly hungry. It was actually kind of liberating. However, it was a ton of prep work (washing and chopping) and LOTS of produce to buy. I drank mostly veggie-based juices, lots of leafy & non-leafy greens and cucumbers for volume (used a masticating juicer). I used very limited amounts of sugary produce (apples, carrots, beets), ginger and lemon for taste. No nightshades (tomatoes or peppers). No oranges (too much sugar). Taste was a bit gross in the beginning, esp kale juice, but you get used to it. I had as much juice as I wanted, so hunger wasn't an issue. Having enough veggies to juice is more the issue. Being able to make fresh juice is also problematic if you're away from home all day. I ended up taking it in a thermos, but it was definitely more brown and oxidized that way.

I was lucky to have a very economical produce stand near my work, otherwise its pretty pricey. I don't remember being particular about water, just drank when thirsty. I wasn't doing it for weight loss, so while I know I lost some weight, I don't know how much. Exercise was just easy walking as it was more about nourishment and healing, plus it was expensive enough without having to provide for exercise calories. Overall, I enjoyed it and am glad I did it (my skin loved it too). However, if your goal is simply to break sugar cravings, its not terribly applicable.

To break a sugar craving, you need to eliminate the REFINED sugar. Whole fruit sugars and milk sugars are different. They are coupled with fibers and proteins to help release into your system slower. Even vegetables have sugar in them, so not all sugar is bad.

I eliminated most refined sugars and refined grains from my diet 59 days ago. Refined sugars & grains make my body and muscles hurt. They cause me a great deal of fatigue. I started paying attention to how certain foods made me feel and started eliminating them. I can honestly say I broke past my "sugar cravings", but it takes awhile. If we abuse our bodies for years, it take awhile to retrain ourselves. That "awhile" will be different for everyone.

It is nice going to a party and saying "hey, I don't even want that cake" not because you are depriving yourself, but because you know how it makes you feel and it just isn't worth it.

I hope you get past the hurdle and have a great healthy journey!