Has anyone heard of this? Joe Cross Juice Diet?

wdruker
wdruker Posts: 77 Member
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone heard of Joe Cross or this documentary below? Has anyone tried to do the Juice Diet either? First I'm wondering if this is some sort of scam diet. Then I am wondering if I would be able to survive on it. What about protein?

From another website I follow, someone posted this below:

Inspired by Joe Cross' "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2011)"(documentary) Juice Diet - I've losted over 25lbs (and counting), and I've never felt better. Now, to get even more out of this wonderful program, I'm willing to help and get others excited to do the same.

It's been 29 glorious days of feeling a new found energy, while burning off 25lbs and shrinking from a 16-18 pants size to 12-14. My clothes are much looser now, and many of my friends have commented in surprise at how different (and healthier) I'm looking now. And I'm not done yet!

It all started when I watched the FREE documentary by Joe Cross called "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2011)". In this documentary, Joe Cross loses nearly a hundred lbs of weight, is able to dump his medications, and travels across the USA, sharing his experiences with others. Joe decided to change his bad eating habits and shed nearly 100lbs, by using a "reboot" diet consisting of only fruits & vegetables juices for 60 days. The documentary relays good medical and nutritional information concerning this awesome diet. You may think that just drinking juice would be unhealthy but in fact, as you will see in the documentary, it's actually very healthy. During his journey in the USA, Joe also inspires Phil, a 425lb truck driver, who was originally at his wit's end and unhappy with his life. After meeting up with Joe, and deciding to do the juice diet himself, Phil loses over 200lbs!! This enthralling and FREE documentary "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2011)" has, without a doubt, changed Joe and Phil's lives, and I'm sure it's changing people's lives everywhere who see it.


It all starts with a physical exam, which obviously, has to be done by your doctor. This is for safety. Once you have clearance from a medical standpoint, here are some things that you'll need:

1.) For inspiration, watch the movie "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2011)" - see it for free on hulu.com at: http://www.hulu.com/watch/289122/fat-sick-and-nearly-dead
2.) You'll need a good juicer machine. Any quality juicer machine will do, I don't advocate for a certain brand or anything. The one I bought, and I like it, is the Breville "Juice Fountain Plus". Available for $149 from breville.com (also on Amazon.com for the same price).
2.) 10, or 30, or 60 days of committment to drinking juice - all day, and whenever "your body says so". This sounds so hard, but it's really not! In fact, after the first few days, you will likely feel even better than you usually do.
3.) Some Juice recipes - Here's a link to a single page (small print) with 15 or so perfect Juice recipes that I use: http://goo.gl/cGGxm - it's really all you need. Or if you don't want to click the link, let me know and I can email it to you in PDF or ODF format. Also I encourage you to have a look at the fatsickandnearlydead.com website for more great ideas from Joe Cross himself.
4.) The willingness to reap the benefits of dropping the pounds, feeling better, and changing (or possibly even saving) your life.
5.) (optional) To truly get the most out of this program - Consider passing along your success story. Like the GNU/Linux operating system (powers Android, Amazon Kindle, so many websites, and much more) and FOSS (Free Open Source Software - e.g., so much of the software that runs websites such as Google, Amazon, Yahoo, etc.), Joe Cross was willing to share his story with us, so we can use the same process to help others everywhere!
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Replies

  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    I've wondered about this diet myself. I would think it would be healthier if you added hemp protein and flaxseed oil to the juice to get amino acids and fats. It also is expensive to buy that much produce.
  • dixiecup19
    dixiecup19 Posts: 50 Member
    I have actually done this and I can honestly say it works! I only did it for 5 days but it was crazy how much better I felt. I was more alert, wasn't taking my problems out on other people, and actually enjoyed getting up early (and I am not a morning person). My mom could tell right away that I had changed something, she said I just looked happy. It definitely takes some will power. There were days when I would walk to the fridge and just look thinking wow I could eat so much food right now. I ended up losing just over 5lbs in the 6 days I did it. It definitely jump started my weight loss and got me going by me actually seeing the number on the scale go down. The big downside for me was that I am a college student and buying all that fruit and veggies is so expensive, as well I live in North Dakota so its harder to get really good produce.

    Once it gets to be summer and we have a farmers market down town I will be juicing again! You can really make some great juices.... and some really awful ones!
  • wdruker
    wdruker Posts: 77 Member
    Thanks for the information. I didn't even consider the cost factor either for buying all the produce. That would be expensive considering I would then be buying the same amount of food for my family. I don't think they would consider going for a liquid diet. Maybe in the summer when produce is readily available I may try it if I still haven't reached my goal.

    Thanks!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Meh. It's DIET. Diets don't work long term. If they did then once you did one that would be it. Not to mention juice isn't food. Crash dieting on liquid diets usually mean weight regain once solid food is reintroduced.
    This same DIET has been passed around on MFP (and others too) for years now, but MFP is more about lifestyle than diet.
    I'd rather eat my fruits and veggies then put them in a blender.



    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,805 Member
    This topic is so highly original.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Yup, I'd rather eat fruit and veggies. Then you get the fiber from them plus your body continues to digest real food as it was meant to do. I'd rather do something sustainable. I saw the movie. I think for the trucker he helped, who was severely obese and was in danger of losing his job, IIRC, because of it, I can possibly see doing it very short-term to kick-start some quick weight loss. However, only the extremely obese should be losing more than 1-2# a week anyway. I didn't think Joe Cross was obese enough to need to resort to something like that. Although, I can see doing one green smoothie a day. Not my cuppa tea but I can see where that could be a healthy addition to someone's diet.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I haven't watched the docco but it just sounds too good to be true... and I'm old enough to know that most things that seem too good to be true usuall are.

    I've read a number of topics on these forums where people swear by it, but subsisting on only fruit and veggie juice sounds incredibly unhealthy to me. To say nothing of boring. Where do your proteins and healthy fats come from? And fibre? And the other micronutrients that we have evolved to need as omnivores.

    No thanks, not for me.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    LOL at calling it a documentary.

    It's nothing more than a thinly-veiled infomercial.
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
    A few days (five tops) as a cleanse are fine, but don't do it for any longer. The glow will wear off in a hurry. Been there, done that. After two weeks I no longer had enough stamina to run, and to top it off I regained every ounce I lost in one big hurry the second I started eating normally again... hell, I started gaining even while I eased out of the juice diet and back into solids.

    As I said, good for a cleanse, but this is no recipe for sustainable weight loss.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Sounds like a great way to burn through muscle. And "muscle weighs more than fat", so... Fantastic! :indifferent:
  • TxGem13
    TxGem13 Posts: 3 Member
    Hi rdwuker,
  • TxGem13
    TxGem13 Posts: 3 Member
    Hi rdwuker,

    I have watched the documentary and follow the Joe Cross Juice Diet but tweaked it to address my needs; and "DIET" for any well-informed nutritionist, is basically the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.

    I started following this type of diet after struggling with adult acne and dry, sensitive, skin. Although I have always followed a healthy lifestyle, I did plenty of research after viewing the documentary and I was sold. I also worked with a herbalist and physician from France.

    My face now GLOWS! I now started replacing kale with collard greens which provides additional nutrients compared to kale. I also opted to juice rather than blending the veggies because it absorbs faster in the blood stream.

    Purchasing produce is not expensive if one shops around. I keep it simply and shop at one place for all produce. For protein I eat wild seafood and free range chicken; for fats I eat natural nuts and; for fiber I follow the guidelines of a specialist and read up on his publications. (Not sure what type of fiber one post is referring to in regards to fiber.)

    Hope this helps.
  • priara
    priara Posts: 1 Member
    Hello!

    I love that documentary...truly inspiring. After being overweight/obese for about 17 years, and trying numerous fad and healthy diets, (Atkins, Weight Watchers, Body for life). I was ready for a change. I started my juice fast on January 31st, 2012 and aimed for 60 days. I finally broke my fast on day 53. Not too bad in my opinion. :) I recently had some blood work done, and all my cholesterol levels have dropped beautifully and most importantly....I'm no longer pre-diabetic!!!

    For those who mention the loss of fiber, and protein. All veggies and fruits have protein, albeit not as much as a 12 oz steak (YUCK!), but keep in mind, this isn't a long term solution. This type of "diet" is just to kick start your weight loss, and introduce healthy nutrients into your system. The difference between eating the "nutrients' and juicing it, is that with juice, the nutrients get directly into your bloodstream and doesn't need to be digested. Whereas with eating the nutrients, it has to be digested before your body can see any of the nutrients come its way.

    A fast is not needed to reap benefits from the juice. You can have one for breakfast, snack or even before (or for) dinner. But those of us who have abused our bodies for such a long period with bad, junk food can certainly benefit from a juice fast. I know I did. :)

    As for it being a gimmick, or "too good to be true"...that can certainly be true of a lot of things. However, in the end it's all up to us to make the necessary changes to our diet. As Dr. Joel Furhman said on the documentary, “You don’t get permanently well, unless you permanently change the way you live. If it’s something that has motivated you to eat healthy thereafter, then it’s done it’s job.”
  • I watched the documentary and I've been juicing some. Last week I started two meals a day and yesterday all three. Today I cheated and had some chicken this evening but the next two days will be all juice. I will also go back to this next weekend when I get back from my work trip. I do feel really good and healthy and the lbs are coming off just in these few short days.
  • urbansmamma
    urbansmamma Posts: 202 Member
    Watch the documentary. It is amazing and inspiring. No this isn't a "Fad Diet" it's an idea to reboot your body and release all the toxins from your body from the mayhem and destruction you've already put it through. They do not claim that this is something you should do long term. It is only a short term rebooting process that is followed by a HEALTHY WELL BALANCED DIET. 

    Joe Cross suffered tremendous health issues, toppled the scales at 300+ lbs, was on several medications including steroids and wanted a better life. He succeeded in keeping his weight loss stabilized for several years, no longer is on medications and has adapted a mainly vegan lifestyle. He has also started a revolution and helped change people's lives.

    I watched the movie with my husband along with a documentary called Forks Over a Knives, a must watch film. FOK will show you the science. Not just a measly study with a few mice but IMPRESSIVE extensive research by Nutritional experts who grew up in the farming business. 

    My husband and I didn't juice we blended using our Vitamix, which changes the composition of the food on a cellular level. You simply cannot chew your food as well to release the minerals and nutrition that is done on a juicing or blending diet. I also would like to see someone attempt to consume 1 apple, 1 head of kale, 1 bunch of celery, 1 lemon, 1 banana, 1/2 cucumber, 1 bunch of parsley in one sitting. We begin our day with a green drink of veggies and fruits every day and adapted a plant based whole foods diet. I've lost 22 lbs and my husband has lost 27 lbs in 3 months. We've tried everything and this is the simplest and happiest I've ever been. the first week was the hardest, but now we don't miss meat, dairy, the naughty desserts i was addicted to, or the junk food. This isn't "magic",  it simply is making life long changes and facing the reality that processed foods, meat and dairy make people sick. If you are worried about getting protein, eating the rainbow of vegetables and fruit give you the amino acids you require to get the nutrition you require. Read Dr. Furhman's book Eat to Live. He is the doctor that helped Joe through his journey.

    I've never felt better, more alive and clear headed in my life. Our whole extended family is juicing, blending and looking at the foods the consume in a new light. You should give it a shot!!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Anecdotal evidence sure is strong in the juicing community.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Elizadolots
    Elizadolots Posts: 178
    I think if you really need a kick start for weight loss this is probably a better way of doing it!
  • ablandford3
    ablandford3 Posts: 1 Member
    My fiancé and I just tried this juice fast according to the plan from Joe Cross. We got all the information and recipes from the website and were planning on trying the five day fast... We couldn't even last one day. The green and red juice recipes were the worst thing I have ever tasted. This makes me think the the whole documentary was a scam because they kept saying how amazing the juice tasted. The red juice tasted like *kitten* and both green juice recipes we tried tasted like we were licking grass outside on the ground. We were both gagging, trying not to throw up after each juice and we couldn't get through the dinner juice. We went out and got some steak instead. My goal behind trying this was to slim down for my wedding, but I will definitely be trying something different. We both workout regularly doing crossfit, martial arts, and running. We both believe that in exercise and dieting or eating that if you don't enjoy what you are doing you aren't going to do it. There is no way I could drink this juice five times a day. We both agree that drinking juice can be a great way to ensure you are getting better nutrients from fruits and veggies into your diet. We will be looking for other juice recipes that don't make us throw up to supplement our diets, but not replace them.
  • FearAnLoathingJ
    FearAnLoathingJ Posts: 337 Member
    I really would rather not drink all my meals
  • cubsgirlinny
    cubsgirlinny Posts: 282 Member
    Yes, I've seen it. Good luck.
  • fortimer
    fortimer Posts: 21 Member
    Saw the movie and honestly that's what inspired me to lose the weight. I couldn't do the juicing though. I've got colitis/crohn's and it would've ripped me apart.

    Hope it works for you...
  • CubicalF13
    CubicalF13 Posts: 263 Member
    Alternative for a plateau perhaps or maybe to get back into exercise after a long lay off. Ive only watched the extended trailer of joes documentary but sure i guess i would consider trying it if only for the before mentioned.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" is quite honestly just a really long infomercial for the juicer that he uses.

    When are people going to realize that "documentary" means "slanted movie with an obvious agenda to persuade you into doing something" and not "unbiased, factual journalism."
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Watch the documentary. It is amazing and inspiring. No this isn't a "Fad Diet" it's an idea to reboot your body and release all the toxins from your body from the mayhem and destruction you've already put it through. They do not claim that this is something you should do long term. It is only a short term rebooting process that is followed by a HEALTHY WELL BALANCED DIET. 

    Joe Cross suffered tremendous health issues, toppled the scales at 300+ lbs, was on several medications including steroids and wanted a better life. He succeeded in keeping his weight loss stabilized for several years, no longer is on medications and has adapted a mainly vegan lifestyle. He has also started a revolution and helped change people's lives.

    I watched the movie with my husband along with a documentary called Forks Over a Knives, a must watch film. FOK will show you the science. Not just a measly study with a few mice but IMPRESSIVE extensive research by Nutritional experts who grew up in the farming business. 

    My husband and I didn't juice we blended using our Vitamix, which changes the composition of the food on a cellular level. You simply cannot chew your food as well to release the minerals and nutrition that is done on a juicing or blending diet. I also would like to see someone attempt to consume 1 apple, 1 head of kale, 1 bunch of celery, 1 lemon, 1 banana, 1/2 cucumber, 1 bunch of parsley in one sitting. We begin our day with a green drink of veggies and fruits every day and adapted a plant based whole foods diet. I've lost 22 lbs and my husband has lost 27 lbs in 3 months. We've tried everything and this is the simplest and happiest I've ever been. the first week was the hardest, but now we don't miss meat, dairy, the naughty desserts i was addicted to, or the junk food. This isn't "magic",  it simply is making life long changes and facing the reality that processed foods, meat and dairy make people sick. If you are worried about getting protein, eating the rainbow of vegetables and fruit give you the amino acids you require to get the nutrition you require. Read Dr. Furhman's book Eat to Live. He is the doctor that helped Joe through his journey.

    I've never felt better, more alive and clear headed in my life. Our whole extended family is juicing, blending and looking at the foods the consume in a new light. You should give it a shot!!
    LOL
    Right, so blenders were invented what, a few hundred thousand years ago? I mean if they are needed to get the vitamins and minerals out of foods, obviously cavemen must have been using them so that we didn't go extinct...

    Oh, and since meat and dairy has been consumed for thousands of years, I'm guessing we've already all gone extinct, and we're just energy forms in the universe talking nonsense, right?:huh:
  • fullofquirks
    fullofquirks Posts: 182 Member
    I watched it and did a 40 days juice fast about 2 years ago, using a Jack LaLane juicer. I'd lost from 338 down to 285 and just kinda got stuck and was frustrated so I gave this a go. I lost 40lbs doing it, so about a lb a day. I would NEVER do it again, I was a grumpy resent mom and wife but I don't regret doing it. It gave me the jump start and got me back on track. I gained about 5lbs back when I started eating again because, well solids. :blushing:

    I was followed by a healthcare provider and I think to each his own, but it was the hardest thing I'd done. I'm still friends with Joe Cross and think he's a good dude with a great heart. Honestly the financial side of it was so not doable long term for us as a family of 4 one 1 income.
  • Pennylite
    Pennylite Posts: 66 Member
    I like juicing vegetables however you'd have to gradually build up to fast on juices alone. On Joe Cross's site there is a plan on which you spend 5 days having fruit and vegetables with a few juices each day before going onto juices only on the 6th day. If you can enjoy the juices, the weight loss is rapid.
  • Wildflower0106
    Wildflower0106 Posts: 247 Member
    Watch the documentary. It is amazing and inspiring. No this isn't a "Fad Diet" it's an idea to reboot your body and release all the toxins from your body from the mayhem and destruction you've already put it through. They do not claim that this is something you should do long term. It is only a short term rebooting process that is followed by a HEALTHY WELL BALANCED DIET. 

    Joe Cross suffered tremendous health issues, toppled the scales at 300+ lbs, was on several medications including steroids and wanted a better life. He succeeded in keeping his weight loss stabilized for several years, no longer is on medications and has adapted a mainly vegan lifestyle. He has also started a revolution and helped change people's lives.

    I watched the movie with my husband along with a documentary called Forks Over a Knives, a must watch film. FOK will show you the science. Not just a measly study with a few mice but IMPRESSIVE extensive research by Nutritional experts who grew up in the farming business. 

    My husband and I didn't juice we blended using our Vitamix, which changes the composition of the food on a cellular level. You simply cannot chew your food as well to release the minerals and nutrition that is done on a juicing or blending diet. I also would like to see someone attempt to consume 1 apple, 1 head of kale, 1 bunch of celery, 1 lemon, 1 banana, 1/2 cucumber, 1 bunch of parsley in one sitting. We begin our day with a green drink of veggies and fruits every day and adapted a plant based whole foods diet. I've lost 22 lbs and my husband has lost 27 lbs in 3 months. We've tried everything and this is the simplest and happiest I've ever been. the first week was the hardest, but now we don't miss meat, dairy, the naughty desserts i was addicted to, or the junk food. This isn't "magic",  it simply is making life long changes and facing the reality that processed foods, meat and dairy make people sick. If you are worried about getting protein, eating the rainbow of vegetables and fruit give you the amino acids you require to get the nutrition you require. Read Dr. Furhman's book Eat to Live. He is the doctor that helped Joe through his journey.

    I've never felt better, more alive and clear headed in my life. Our whole extended family is juicing, blending and looking at the foods the consume in a new light. You should give it a shot!!

    Name the toxins that juicing rids your body of
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    The body doesn't need a "reboot." The only "jump start" anyone gets is psychological.

    Weight lost on any extreme/elimination diet is because of calorie restriction.

    Why not just start now eating at a reasonable deficit with a well rounded diet? (Here using the word to mean way of eating, for those who may get confused or see red at the d-word :wink:)




    And I'm tired of seeing all these propaganda pieces called documentaries. :grumble: :noway:
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member

    This type of "diet" is just to kick start your weight loss, and introduce healthy nutrients into your system. The difference between eating the "nutrients' and juicing it, is that with juice, the nutrients get directly into your bloodstream and doesn't need to be digested. Whereas with eating the nutrients, it has to be digested before your body can see any of the nutrients come its way.


    The only way to get nutrients directly into your blood stream is intravenously.


    Digestion is good, though. That's why we have stomach and intestines. They human stomach is quiet efficient at extracting the nutrients from what we eat (compare, for example, to a cow or an elephant :laugh:) Juicing doesn't "introduce healthy nutrients into your system" unless you never at those fruits and vegetable before. In which case … eat them! :wink:
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