juice fast?!? ....thoughts?

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Anyone ever try a Juice fast ? The one in particular I am talking about is featured in the documentary "Fat, Sick, and almost dead" (you can watch it on netflix) He takes a juicer and makes juice out of fruits and vegetables for each of his three meals. The reason he used a juicer is because in order for you to get the calories you need out of just fruits and vegetables(nuts and beans are also allowed) you would have to juice them because it would be way too many to eat. you can do it for a week as a detox (from caffeine, fast food, and other junk) or in his case he did it 60 days and lost a lot of weight (plus was able to be taken off his medication) and after the 60 days he adopted a healthy life style. and it seemed to be healthy. I was wondering if anyone has tried this or something like it ? any success or failure with it ?
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Replies

  • jenfactor
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    I liked that documentary. Wanted to try, but haven't had the nerve to yet! :)
  • racheljones_2007
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    Sorry it is called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and you can also watch it on youtube
  • jcearth
    jcearth Posts: 46 Member
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    It didn't work too well for Cameron and Mitchell.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
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    Why would you want to do that to yourself?
  • PBJunkie
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    Honestly a bad idea as you will be deficient in things such as EFA, protein etc that are vital for the healing of your body, skin, cell and organ health.
  • coracbeck
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    I did juicing for 18 months back in the early 2000's. I did also incorporate all raw fruits and vegetables in now juice form as well after a while. I lost 96 pounds total. I was never ill. I felt amazing and had more energy than I have ever had in my life. Unfortunately, it is extremely hard to keep up with. Many trips a week to the grocery store or farmer's market in addition to constantly making fresh juice. IF you can do it - I highly recommend giving it a try. The diet I followed was called the Hallelujah Diet. You can probably google it. Best of luck!
  • siabevis
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    I enjoyed doing the blueprint cleanse... it was for 3 days and rocked!
  • EA4488
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    I have read a lot about detox diets and juicing things and here are a couple of my opinions:
    1. It is unhealthy
    Any nutritionist will tell you that these new fad cleansing diets and juices are unhealthy for the body. The way the intestines work is via maintaining healthy flora that can break down the foods and absorb nutrients into the body for your benefit. Killing these bacteria and essentially starving them of nutrients can be potentially harmful to your body and cause you to become sick .
    2. It is unnatural
    Does anyone on a normal basis drink juice for every meal? Only those who are unable to process the food themselves because of illness have to do this. The purpose of the diet is not only to LOSE weight but also to have a healthy relationship with food. Juicing everything doesn't promote this and it brings me to my next point...

    3. It is often unrealistic
    A diet is a way of eating on a daily basis. If you are someone who can truly keep up with drinking juices every single day, not only will it eventually make you ill because your body won't be getting what it needs nutrient wise, but it also is relatively unrealistic for those of us who enjoy eating. Think about socially... can you go out with friends and family and always be juicing things? Probably not.

    4. It should be discussed with a physician
    Any time a diet is started, especially one as potentially harmful as this, a discussion should be held between you and a physician. Now, being on the doctor's side (I am a medical student) I will say that not every doctor is really knowledgeable on this topic but a primary care doctor should be able to give you insight and help you to make the best diet decision for yourself
  • PBJunkie
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    I have read a lot about detox diets and juicing things and here are a couple of my opinions:
    1. It is unhealthy
    Any nutritionist will tell you that these new fad cleansing diets and juices are unhealthy for the body. The way the intestines work is via maintaining healthy flora that can break down the foods and absorb nutrients into the body for your benefit. Killing these bacteria and essentially starving them of nutrients can be potentially harmful to your body and cause you to become sick .
    2. It is unnatural
    Does anyone on a normal basis drink juice for every meal? Only those who are unable to process the food themselves because of illness have to do this. The purpose of the diet is not only to LOSE weight but also to have a healthy relationship with food. Juicing everything doesn't promote this and it brings me to my next point...

    3. It is often unrealistic
    A diet is a way of eating on a daily basis. If you are someone who can truly keep up with drinking juices every single day, not only will it eventually make you ill because your body won't be getting what it needs nutrient wise, but it also is relatively unrealistic for those of us who enjoy eating. Think about socially... can you go out with friends and family and always be juicing things? Probably not.

    4. It should be discussed with a physician
    Any time a diet is started, especially one as potentially harmful as this, a discussion should be held between you and a physician. Now, being on the doctor's side (I am a medical student) I will say that not every doctor is really knowledgeable on this topic but a primary care doctor should be able to give you insight and help you to make the best diet decision for yourself

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  • catdoc1
    catdoc1 Posts: 227 Member
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    I just received a Breville juicer today and plan a modified juicing "fast." In other words, I will replace 1 - 2 meals a day with juice and eat 1 - 2 meals per day. I'll use the pulp to make crackers and to stir into other recipes, so nothing is wasted (the thought of wasting organic produce is NOT okay with me).

    A long-term (60 day) juice fast may not have enought protein, but I think the folks that raise concerns haven't done their homework and are having a kneejerk response (but have your best interest at heart). I suggest checking out www.jointhereboot.com and books such as Idiots Guide to Plant-based Nutrition for more information before you decide what's best for you.
  • maura5880
    maura5880 Posts: 346 Member
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    It didn't work too well for Cameron and Mitchell.

    lmao! Obsessed with Modern Family.

    To the OP, personally I'd never do a juice fast, or anything else with the word "fast" unless it happened to be the day before Lent! Just thinking logically about it, it can't be good to deny your body of actual food..
  • Spunndaze
    Spunndaze Posts: 10 Member
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    I for one subscribe to the juice fasting philosophy.

    I'm on day 23 and feel great. There is a 3-7 day window of major detoxing that kicked my *kitten*, but once the fog lifted, my energy has been phenomenal. I was 235lb when I began, so weight loss was not my primary motivation ... my paradigm shift was the cleansing part of it. I am a typical american with a crappy diet and juicing (rebooting) is working for me. I was going to do a 60 day fast, but it's just not feasible for me.. my weight this morning was 205.9lbs.

    The reboot for me was always more of a cleanse than a weight loss program. The amount of nutrients (juice) that I consume daily is more than anything Ive eaten daily in years.. I will not be protein deficient in the time I'm on the program .. No way, full stop.

    The one thing I did have a concern with was "whats next"... what substantial change was I going to make that would help make my reboot take hold...something that would enable me to sustain a healthily lifestyle. It was by chance that I stumbled into something called P90X . I have decided to not go 60 days with my fast (for reason above) but instead I will break the fast once I hit 199lb :) I will then (once I retrain myself to eat solid foods), begin round one of P90X. I will use the P90X program to teach me good nutrition and how to eat. The side benefit will be I will lose the rest of the fat I have been carrying around for the past 20 years.

    If you are thinking of rebooting (juice fasting) I suggest you look at www.jointhereboot.com. It has all the information you will need to for you to decide if this may work for you. Also if you end up doing it there are FB groups(the reboot site is great for information but blows as an active community (the site is not set up for it, despite the bazilion members) .The group I belong to is rebooting 2011.
  • Charlottejogs
    Charlottejogs Posts: 351 Member
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    I am interested in incorporating juicing into my diet by replacing breakfast and snacks- maybe lunch. Does anyone use a juicer they would recommend highly? I am trying not to spend a lot so I am also interested in any resources you know of to purchase a used one. Thanks!
  • Shannonigans84
    Shannonigans84 Posts: 693 Member
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    I tried it after watching the documentary... it's very time consuming and requires a lot of work. That alone turned me off on it, along with how I felt by 8pm.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    60 Days????? I am not a believer in self-deprivation. I've seen it work only temporarily for those that I know who tried it. I don't know anyone who has tried the juice fast, but 60 days is just plain crazy IMO. I truly believe to the only way to lose weight and be healthy is in portion size and control. Everything in moderation!
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    It didn't work too well for Cameron and Mitchell.

    That just seals the deal for me....forget it! :laugh:
  • cdalt24
    cdalt24 Posts: 55
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    It didn't work too well for Cameron and Mitchell.

    hahahaha oh my god. my thought exactly while reading this! LOVE it
  • shreddin_mama
    shreddin_mama Posts: 1,076 Member
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    It didn't work too well for Cameron and Mitchell.

    lol that's who i was thinking about when i clicked on this post
  • shreddin_mama
    shreddin_mama Posts: 1,076 Member
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    OK so i just watched the trailer...i can't believe how much weight that guy has lost. 60 days is a long time but if that's what motivates some people to lose weight than I'm all for it. Is this something you plan on doing?
  • racheljones_2007
    racheljones_2007 Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm not sure if i plan on doing it or not I am researching it for now I dont see really that it is unhealthy there is protein in the juice 9grams if i remember correctly I am kind of wondering if i do the juice and eat only fruits, vegetables,and almonds, with it hmmmm???anyways i am just checking into it I am not into quick fixes the reason this interests me is to get a clean slate food wise thank you for all your opinions by the way who is cameron and mitchell or whoever