Juicing diet - has anyone tried it, recommendations, results

[brachary]

Hey all, so I was introduced into the juicing world by my friend and although it seems like a uniquely great idea I can't help to think that in a way it's not as healthy as it appears on the outside.

Anyone else tried doing this diet or attempted anything similar?

 

[chrisw87]

I have not tried it. A good movie for this is "fat sick and nearly dead" however.

In the documentary/movie there was no evident health detriments, however from my opinion it is not the healthiest option. Although you can get all of your required nutrients this way, I feel that it is far better to go with solids.

How I lost just over 40kg was as follows;

Stage 1. Cut out all sodas and candy/snacks
Stage 2. Eat lots of veggies, not much rice and pasta or bread. Some meat added in.
Stage 3. Alternate between paleo style eating (lots of good fat, meat etc) with vegetarian style eating (as long as I keep my protein levels up).

Estimate your calorie requirements, undercut these by 500-750 calories per day.

And second, WORK OUT, lift weight primarily, but also do cardio. Lifting weights and building muscle is the best thing you can ever do. Muscle is a great enemy to fat, especially when exercised. Additionally, it will combat the effects of sagging and skin folds that can occur with drastic weightloss. Weight loss should be gradual so that the body has time to adapt.

My 40kg was lost over an entire year, with weight exercise.

FINALLY I have to stress, there is no such thing as 'diet' in the common sense. Diet is what you eat every day. From my perspective it is irrational and a bad move to view diets as a weight loss thing, it is a lifestyle change that lasts a LONG TIME .

Change your diet to cut calories, maintaining good nutritional intakes, meet caloric requirements when at goal weight.

edit: for reference, I do eat MASSIVE amounts of simpler carbs (rice, pasta etc) these days since I have taken up large amounts of cardio exercise ontop of my strength training. Weight/strength training can be managed with a high protein and good fat diet, however with the added stress of cardio I found it necessary to add decent amounts of carbs to my diet to keep my body fueled.

 

[chrisw87]

edit: for reference, I do eat MASSIVE amounts of simpler carbs (rice, pasta etc) these days since I have taken up large amounts of cardio exercise ontop of my strength training. Weight/strength training can be managed with a high protein and good fat diet, however with the added stress of cardio I found it necessary to add decent amounts of carbs to my diet to keep my body fueled.

 

[looseliam]

^ spot on - especially about how your 'diet' should be how you eat from now on - not some quick way to drop a couple stone.

Say no to high fructose corn syrup, sugar substitutes, and white carbs. Say hello to veggies and lean proteins.

To add to chrisw about muscle - more muscle burns more calories. More muscle will burn more fat.

I recommend avoiding the scale. With diet change and exercise, you could burn 1kg of fat and gain 2kg of muscle and the scale tells you that you haven't lost any mass. Go with how your clothes are fitting, how you're feeling, how you look, etc.

 

[chrisw87]

^ spot on - especially about how your 'diet' should be how you eat from now on - not some quick way to drop a couple stone.

Say no to high fructose corn syrup, sugar substitutes, and white carbs. Say hello to veggies and lean proteins.

To add to chrisw about muscle - more muscle burns more calories. More muscle will burn more fat.

I recommend avoiding the scale. With diet change and exercise, you could burn 1kg of fat and gain 2kg of muscle and the scale tells you that you haven't lost any mass. Go with how your clothes are fitting, how you're feeling, how you look, etc.

exactly to all of this.

I lost a lot of weight, went from 119kg to 84kg in 11 months.

but for the last 4 months I have varied around the 83.5kg mark due to muscle mass. My weight loss slowed down around the 88kg mark when I started to bulk up.

Right now I am around the 14% body-fat mark but struggle to lose weight due to my exercise routine, I lose fat but not weight.

If you are overweight or obese though, you can expect a big drop in weight from waterweight alone, or a big drop in weight from actual fat reduction.

And just as a reference, spot reduction and toning is a lie, it doesn't work. I myself have fat still on my lower abs, and struggle to lose it, I will have to get under 10% bodyfat to actually get real "abs" then start to built my bodyfat up from there to even it out (unless my genetics say no). Already I look a tad staunch and vascular... by sub 10% I will look 100% bonafide meth addict.

Don't believe magazines and stereotypes.

 

[looseliam]

^ as one hits his 'plateau' I recommend talking to a professional trainer. They usually have tips on how to change things up to get over the hump.

But back to the soda, I lost a stone just by not having fizzy drinks. If I do have a desire for one, I make sure I buy the ones imported from Mexico that use real sugar. Sure, a 12oz bottle costs as much as a 2-litre with high fructose corn syrup, but it tastes sooo much better and better for you, too.

As for the magazines and such, have you read what those poor boys do before a photo shoot? Dehydration, laxatives, etc. - scurry stuff.

 

[trinket]

I have not tried it. A good movie for this is "fat sick and nearly dead" however.

Some great advice in your post - thought I'd also chime in that the other day I saw "Hungry For Change" and I'd recommend it as well for anyone looking to get a better handle on what they're eating.