How to avoid weight gain after juice fast

Tjs8819
Tjs8819 Posts: 33 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm starting a 5 day juice fast on Monday. Any tips?

Replies

  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
    edited May 2017
    I'm sure everyone's advice will be not to start a juice fast.

    I like the occasional juice fast. It makes me feel good if I've been overeating or eating too much junk to have that little rest.

    I have never regained weight lost from a juice fast. I think that is extremely unusual. Usually I just eat lightly for a few days after the fast. I eat a lot of vegetables. I may even have a vegetable juice or two because I miss them after the fast. I've almost always had only green/vegetable juices with one nut milk a day on a fast. The one time I had fruit based juices (Nektar Cleanse), I gained weight during the juice fast.

    For the fast, just drink your juice every couple hours. Drink it slowly, holding the juice in your mouth before swallowing. You may want to add a little fat (maybe some coconut or olive oil added to the juice) since so many of the vitamins are better absorbed with fat. Sometimes it is difficult to drink as much as you should since you get full, but try to drink it anyway.
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    Because they do nothing.
    They taste delicious and make you feel good. That's not nothing. It's kind of the same reason I eat cupcakes.

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I am not a personal fan of juicing or juice fasts, but to answer your question, staying in a calorie deficit is what is going to cause weight loss. With a juice fast, you might see some scale movement due to losing water weight and a lack of solid food weight/waste in your digestive system, but obviously both of those would return when reintroducing solid food. You're unlikely to see any appreciable fat/body weight loss in just one week.

    For the fast itself, you'll want to make sure you are still getting enough macro and micronutrients, which means incorporating protein and fat. As mentioned above, you need fat to absorb some nutrients. I'm not sure how much protein or fat you are going to be able to get with juice (juicing also can remove fiber, which is also a concern), but not knowing your approach, perhaps you are doing something that is more like a smoothie, which would allow you to get that in. If your goal is weight loss, I'm not sure the juice fast approach is going to provide significant results beyond just creating a calorie deficit; if the goal is health/nutrition, you might be better off just eating a whole foods diet during that week, which would alleviate the protein/fat/fiber concerns.
  • Windrunner666
    Windrunner666 Posts: 91 Member
    If you do this for weightloss then -no, don't go on a juice fast hoping you'll cheat calories. Because if you don't have usual ritual, or are uncomfortable with it, you're gonna have a bad time. But if you do this and it makes you feel good and you don't feel deficient in any way, then go ahead.Opt for veggie juices and don't try fasting for more than a day.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    Why are you going to do it if you think you'll gain after it?
  • Daddy78230
    Daddy78230 Posts: 125 Member
    You should expect to gain some weight back after a fast, possibly more due to water weight fluctuations. Your body should settle after a week after a fast.

    Make sure you're in control of your refeed. Avoid binging. Prepare and plan what healthy foods you will eat way ahead of time.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    The only recommended juice fasting is fasting from all juice. Juicing removes most of the goodness from the food you are consuming while leaving the sugar behind.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    As others have said, you can't. And you will probably lose muscle from lack of protein. And threaten so many other things in your body from the imbalance of nutrients.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    I like the idea of the cup cake fast
    Sorry op not sure what answer is orher than not to do the juice fast
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Most of the weight lost during a one-week juice fast is either water weight, or the weight of the digested food in your intestines. Both will come back once you start eating normal food again.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Geeze, everyone is so touchy on this subject.

    I sometimes to a full-day juice fast (dinner one day to breakfast 1.5 days later) pretty much as an exercise in self control. The first time I did it I was prepping for a medical procedure, and I was shocked at how easy it was.

    I probably consume 500kcals from juice and tea with milk and honey. I find the juice to be very helpful, one glass for lunch and another for dinner (all logged). I also take my fiber and vitamins.

    I do it on a non-workout day, never tried it with a workout. I can say that I would not do it for 5 days straight because it would interfere with my workout schedule.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Geeze, everyone is so touchy on this subject.

    I sometimes to a full-day juice fast (dinner one day to breakfast 1.5 days later) pretty much as an exercise in self control. The first time I did it I was prepping for a medical procedure, and I was shocked at how easy it was.

    I probably consume 500kcals from juice and tea with milk and honey. I find the juice to be very helpful, one glass for lunch and another for dinner (all logged). I also take my fiber and vitamins.

    I do it on a non-workout day, never tried it with a workout. I can say that I would not do it for 5 days straight because it would interfere with my workout schedule.

    Why would you stress your body so much if it's not medically necessary?
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Geeze, everyone is so touchy on this subject.

    I sometimes to a full-day juice fast (dinner one day to breakfast 1.5 days later) pretty much as an exercise in self control. The first time I did it I was prepping for a medical procedure, and I was shocked at how easy it was.

    I probably consume 500kcals from juice and tea with milk and honey. I find the juice to be very helpful, one glass for lunch and another for dinner (all logged). I also take my fiber and vitamins.

    I do it on a non-workout day, never tried it with a workout. I can say that I would not do it for 5 days straight because it would interfere with my workout schedule.

    Who's touchy? I like food. I don't like doing unnecessary things for weight loss. *shrug*
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,282 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Geeze, everyone is so touchy on this subject.

    I sometimes to a full-day juice fast (dinner one day to breakfast 1.5 days later) pretty much as an exercise in self control. The first time I did it I was prepping for a medical procedure, and I was shocked at how easy it was.

    I probably consume 500kcals from juice and tea with milk and honey. I find the juice to be very helpful, one glass for lunch and another for dinner (all logged). I also take my fiber and vitamins.

    I do it on a non-workout day, never tried it with a workout. I can say that I would not do it for 5 days straight because it would interfere with my workout schedule.

    Drinking juice and tea with milk and honey for one day only, now and then - not the same as the 5 days OP intends.

    I dont think anyone would say one day here or there, if that is what you like, is a bad thing.

    Many people do similar mini fasts for religious/spiritual reasons ('excercises in self control') - but that doesnt seem OP's intention
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    cmtigger wrote: »
    Why would you stress your body so much if it's not medically necessary?

    As I said: it's an exercise in self control and I don't find it that stressful or difficult for one day. Lots of people do it 1-2 days every week.

    I totally agree that it's not necessary for weight loss.
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