Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead: Joe Cross Juice Diet

Options
124

Replies

  • vivo
    vivo Posts: 80
    Options
    I've been wanting to try this out so bad but I keep getting worried that I'll fail. Yesterday I wanted to try out juicing the whole day but got out of control and binged :p
  • fmbomzo
    fmbomzo Posts: 382 Member
    Options
    I haven't tried juicing, but I did a raw food cleanse for 12 days. I experienced diminished cravings, it stopped my blood sugar spikes, my skin was very clear and so was my mind. My sense of smell was keener. I was mentally sharper and had boundless energy (I had to just go to sleep because it was night, not because I was sleepy). I found that when I did the cleanse, it helped to drink a few cups of water right before bed to help sweep out garbage my body tossed as it repaired itself at night. I lost the 10 lbs in January and have not gained it back...not 1 lb of it.

    To each his own, but I believe these options are great for jump starting a eating lifestyle change. Juicing a fruit or vegetable makes it easier to digest. Also as far as protein, I've been taking spirulina and drinking juices that contain spirulina for years. It is a superfood and contains a large amount of protein. It provides instant energy beyond measure.

    My ultimate goal is to be a raw vegan. The benefits are amazing, not to mention it's kind to the planet and animals.. I can only dream of proper sleep, energy, a clear mind and clear skin. I find it hard, though. Everything I seem to like is cooked or processed.

    Gradually convert foods you love to vegan or raw versions or just use that as your 20% or so of cooked food. Also there are lots of raw food recipes to try.

    Are you already vegan? If not, approach veganism first and then work your way to raw if that is your desire. Long term raw foodists are not all 100% raw, the more sustainable route is about 80/20 raw vs. cooked. And raw doesn't mean not heated, it just means not heated above a certain temperature. I think that some of the benefit of raw food is that you inherently consume more fruits and vegetables. It is definitely easier to grocery shop.... produce section and then out the door.

    Some veggies are better for your health when cooked, such as tomatoes. So just research and make informed choices.

    The only issue I encountered with the raw food lifestyle was that my foods were so low cal and high fiber that I was full but hadn't consumed enough calories to reach my BMR. After a point, I felt lightheaded. Then I added green juice (not raw) to make up for calories and protein.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Options
    Juicing is another term for "fasting". If all you're consuming is vegetable/fruit juice, you're robbing your body of essential nutrition. You may lose 200 pounds in 10 days but what happens when you want to start eating like a normal human being again?

    Losing weight shouldn't leave you hungry.
  • fmbomzo
    fmbomzo Posts: 382 Member
    Options
    Everyone's body is the same and different. People's bodies can respond differently to different types of foods. It is up to each individual to know their body and what works for it and what does not. There is no one size fits all. My body responds negatively when I consume beef. I become sluggish and feel toxic. I'm very sensitive to sodium and will retain ridiculous amounts of water when I eat foods high in sodium. Some artificial sweeteners give me a headache that leads me to believe I'm having a stroke.

    Other people may be able to consume these items and feel no side effects.

    I just think we can agree to disagree on some things and be respectful of each other's perspectives.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
    Options
    But research all points to too much protein being bad for you. I think you can have too much. I agree you should have enough if you're trying to build muscle, or whatever, but I don't think you should overdose on it.
    I'd love to see the research.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Google houses thousands of articles.
    Articles aren't true evidence. I'd like to see Peer reviewed clinical studies. Anyone can write an article or blog on their opinion (people who believe in light therapy write articles with no scientific evidence to back it).
    And it's not for me to google. If someone makes a claim and then is asked to support it, burden of proof is on the person making the claim. I'm open minded, I'd like to see the research.

    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
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
    Options
    I've been wanting to try this out so bad but I keep getting worried that I'll fail. Yesterday I wanted to try out juicing the whole day but got out of control and binged :p
    If you aren't going to be committed, then it's just a waste of time and money. Personally, I haven't found any "true" research to show that juicing isn't anything more than severe calorie restriction.

    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
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
    Options
    Everyone's body is the same and different. People's bodies can respond differently to different types of foods. It is up to each individual to know their body and what works for it and what does not. There is no one size fits all. My body responds negatively when I consume beef. I become sluggish and feel toxic. I'm very sensitive to sodium and will retain ridiculous amounts of water when I eat foods high in sodium. Some artificial sweeteners give me a headache that leads me to believe I'm having a stroke.

    Other people may be able to consume these items and feel no side effects.

    I just think we can agree to disagree on some things and be respectful of each other's perspectives.
    This is for sure: protein and fats are ESSENTIAL. Regardless if you believe it or not, many non meat protein sources are incomplete and lack the essential and complete protein profiles that meat contain.

    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
  • NU2U
    NU2U Posts: 659 Member
    Options
    Watched it too...I found it quite interesting...but I love to chew on food too much.

    ( *kitten* looks over to stomach
    Stomach says to *kitten*.."Ya think?" )
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Options
    Not to be the negative one here, but since it's a public forum and many people will take advice because others are touting results, the reality is that liquid diets are temporary fixes. Yeah it's 10 days, but really all that's being done here is VLCD. Introducing solid foods back into your diet will definitely put some of that weight loss back on.
    When your body is flooded by liquid, it will release it just as fast as it takes it in. So the majority of the weight is water weight.

    While this is true, I didn't think that the sole purpose of this particular diet is to lose weight. Yes, you WILL lose weight, but the main focus is to retrain your body to crave fruits and vegetables and not all the processed crap that we normally crave. My concern with doing it for long term is that the weight you are losing would be muscle mass since you're not getting a lot of protein (unless you supplement the protein). Muscle is what makes you burn fat, so if you're depleting your muscle mass, you won't have as much to use to burn fat when you do start eating "normal" again and then you'll again be just as likely to gain the weight back and then some.

    ^^^ Yeah, I think it's meant to be a jump-start and a detox, not a sustainable lifestyle. If it's just temporary and your doctor approves, it sounds acceptable to me. Not that anyone cares what I think...:laugh:
  • sixela0827
    sixela0827 Posts: 28
    Options
    you need to check out joinethereboot.com (its based on FSND) they have customized plans for your goals, it's not pure liquid juice 100% of the time.
    it's a great detox.
    as far as the protein debate, kale and spinach are protein dense as far as i know, plant based protein should be an important part of your diet.
    do your research. i've been "juicing" for a about 6 months, it's fantastic, biggest complaint is this weird tongue thing that happens when you detox, but i have found it extremely beneficial, and for a while juicing was a major part of my family's life, my kids, husband...even friends.
    again really research it, jointhereboot is a GREAT place to start. If you are interested in more info about plant based protein check out docs like food inc, and forks over knives. they are a little pushy about a vegan diet, which isn't for everyone, but the info on how to integrate more plant based protein is valuable.
    also check out david wolfe. he is a raw, plant based diet expert.

    good luck :)
  • starcatcher1975
    starcatcher1975 Posts: 292 Member
    Options
    A friend of mine was going to try it first for 10 days and then see how he felt after that. He started started complaining of headaches and not feeling well within 2-3 days. A lot of us encouraged him to up his calories, even if that meant he just drank more juice. He said he wanted to stick it out but about day 6 he stopped. He said he didn't like the way he felt. He had a lot going on in his life at the time and he was walking 10-12 miles a day on just juice. He said he was going to try it again because he believes it will work. I think right now he's juicing but also eating regular food. I'm not sure I could do it. I'm not one for mixing all my foods together to start with, lol
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    Options
    Hm. I'm going to go ahead and say that this diet is probably great for a certain group of people, but not everyone, and if anyone is considering it, they should probably consult their doctor first.

    I mean I'm all for fruit and veggie smoothies, I have one almost every day. But I'm also a proponent of a balanced diet which fuels your body so that your body can carry out all the functions that it was meant to be able to do. All fruits and veggies and no meat, dairy, carbs or even SOLIDS... hrmmmmmm I don't know what the ramifications of that would be. :-/

    So yea, I would just say consulting your doctor first is prooooobably a good idea. :P
  • starcatcher1975
    starcatcher1975 Posts: 292 Member
    Options
    On a side note, why are people getting so angry about this? Is it just MFP people that are ridiculously easily annoyed? I don't think I've yet come across a thread without at least one person being rude or acting arrogant.

    I don't understand either why people are getting so upset. If someone wants to try it, let them. They're not hurting anyone, it may help them. I posted about my friend, how HE felt. That doesn't mean everyone will feel like that. He just happens to be the only person I know who's tried it. (And honestly, I've never even heard of this documentary until he mentioned it.) He liked it enough to try it again, and he does some juicing, but he also eats "real" food
  • DisneySkaGirl
    DisneySkaGirl Posts: 161
    Options
    To answer a few of the comments I've seen, the program is designed to offer a pretty decent amoutn of calories, if I remember correctly, its around 1500-1600. Maybe that's not enough for some people, but that's what I'm eating now so calorie wise this would be doable.

    To answer why its juiced, the idea is to make the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables more readily available to the body. By juicing instead of eating, there is less digestion (in theory I guess) needed before you can use it.

    The overall program seems geared toward what a lot of you have said its not: lifestlye change. A person who has been eating nothing but Big Macs and Big Gulps is probably extremely nutient deficient, and by giving them pure fresh furit and veggie juice, you are helping the body heal from a lot of abuse. So many people stumble trying to switch to healthier foods, and this offers a plan on how to prepare a wide variety of juices and make a fresh start. The site someone mentioned, jointhereboot.com also offers recipes and meals that promote more focus on fruits and vegetables. I agree that protein and fat is important, but for people who were getting their protiens and fats from the value menu at a drive thru, these meals are quite obvioulsy more nutritious.

    Is it sustainable long term, as in every day for the rest of your life? Probably not. But it certainly isn't as "evil" as diet pills or other fad diets.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Options
    Sounds aweful.
  • prettygirlhoward
    prettygirlhoward Posts: 338 Member
    Options
    bump
  • lilfurson
    lilfurson Posts: 190
    Options
    I watched this, and while I haven't gone on a fast, I did buy a juicer and now drink 4 cups of fresh veggie/fruit juice every morning. Makes a huge difference in my mood and I finally am getting vegetables into my diet.

    I take pictures of the before fruits/veggies every day - http://goo.gl/41Gfe
  • sanjoparolas
    sanjoparolas Posts: 557 Member
    Options
    My personal experience: watched the movie, bought a juicer, started a juice fast, lost 5 - 7 pounds with no ill effects, currently enjoy juice and food everyday, and found that it is true -- I really changed my tastes to whole foods! That to me is an even greater victory than the weight loss (which I did not regain by the way). I am so grateful I saw this movie, and I think it was because someone on MFP recommended it soon after I joined. My mom is supplementing her diet with juice and I bought a juicer for my sister's family and they are seeing the benefits as well. This plus strength training have been two of the most valuable changes I have made since joining MFP.
  • Jamie65toloose
    Jamie65toloose Posts: 164 Member
    Options
    I did a juice fast for 30 days (I know, how can anyone do that). The first 2 days were the hardest for me but then I felt great. There is nothing that you are doing wrong with depriving your body from unwanted processed foods. I lost about 20 pounds in the month that I did it and felt great. Best part....KEPT IT OFF! I have a ton of books on juicing, let me know if you have any questions!
  • zacherybinx
    zacherybinx Posts: 215 Member
    Options
    My dear lord a whole ton of naysayers here whom I believe haven't experienced it/tried it on their own and come to their own life experience conclusions. I don't care what your medical or nutritional background is to be honest, learn from your own experience(s) not from what books/people tell you, especially when the majority of these people/books in the medical field have something to gain by you buying into what they believe.

    Detoxing is no myth and when you watch what happens over the period of time you do it, you'll realize that through experience. I've been steadily juicing for the past 6 months and increasing how much I'm juicing daily and have never felt better. And yes *kitten* for a lack of a better word will leave your body, but when you realize how long you've been putting crap in your body it makes complete logical sense that it will come out over time in different ways.

    As far as proteins concerned, I'd say it has the most misinformation surrounding it. There's not much money in it for the large companies to market plants that anyone can grow in their own yard, same goes for pharmaceuticals there. Bottom line is marketing meat as a protein source that will help you put on muscle or marketing milk that keeps your bones strong helps them make huge amounts of money. This obviously creates a larger argument of what's right and wrong vegetarian vs. carnivore, but I say don't take anyone else's advice wholeheartedly. Instead take the information from the numerous World class athletes who juice or are a 100% raw for that matter and come to your own conclusions based upon what you choose or choose not to personally try. Live and learn from your own experiences and you will see what's right and wrong for your body. No one persons advice can be true for everyone on the planet.

    In conclusion, everyone hydrate! lol At least we can all agree upon breathing air/drinking water as life necessities...

Categories