First, I need to note that I'm not trying to preach juicing. However, I do think it's a good experience and is a short term investment that can offer long term rewards. I guess the same can be said about LSD and skydiving, but I'm not keen on LSD so I can understand if juicing sounds crazy.
If you have any curiosity about the health benefits and repercussions, check out Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It's a documentary you can watch for free online, Netflix, or Hulu. It's a juicing experiment that follows two subjects: a wealthy business man and an average joe truck driver. They both live with vicarious vasculitis, an auto-immune disorder that causes the body to break out in chronic hives. I decided to try juicing after watching this documentary.
People approach juicing with different intentions. Some call it a juice cleanse and view it as a detox method, while others are looking for a quick weight loss solution. While I did want to lose some weight, I really wanted to see if I had the constitution to do it. Turns out I didn't. I cheated, which I'll get more into later.
Here are a few common questions I'm asked:
Q: Is juicing expensive?
A: It's important to remember that it's a short term investment. Yes, grocery shopping was more costly than my normal runs, but I only needed to commit to it for a week and a half. Very doable. I also choice to try it when I had some time off, since I'd be too tempted to venture out for lunch at work.
Q: I would die. How are you not dead?
A: No fucking clue. In retrospect, I always think I should be. It's amazing how little the body needs to survive, and in turn, it's amazing how much food we are served and consume.
Q: Did you have a shit ton of energy?
A: Yes and no. The first few days suck. A lot. Day 2 and Day 3 are the most difficult. During both my fasts, my girlfriend and I were unbelievably cranky on day 3. We quickly surmised that the anger (hangryness?) was the result of the fast, and agreed not to talk to each other and keep it peaceful. We were quite venomous during this time. After this, though, things started to settle. And as long as I wasn't starving myself and drank when I was hungry, I discovered that I would have these odd bouts of antsiness. I just felt like I had to move, so I would run or knock out some pushups until the feeling went away. Keep in mind that I am not a very active person when I'm not working. These were odd for me, but I just didn't want to keep still.
Q: Were you hungry all the time?
A: No. There's an important distinction to be made here. A glass of juice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner does not replace your daily food intake. Even the juice plans that are offered online provide 6 or so bottles per day, but I drank a big glass of juice (or water if I was feeling lazy) when I was hungry. I did get hungry more often, but I was not in a constant state of torment.
Q: Did you lose weight?
A: Yes. Quite a bit on the first run. Less on the second.
Here are my experiences.
18 months ago.
I walk my dog daily. I lived in a second story apartment, and had to walk up a flight of stairs to return home. I always found myself huffing and puffing by the time I got to the top. I can't really pinpoint when the weight gain started, but adulthood had not treated me the way I expected when I as a teenager. I weighed 150 lbs (68 kg) out of high school and came in at 185 lbs (83kg) after college. Freshman 15, my ass. From then til 18 months ago, I had put on more weight topping off at 192 lbs (87kg). This made me clinically obese for my height.
One night, I spent half an hour looking for something to watch on Hulu/Netflix. I stumbled upon The Great Chicken Wing Hunt, a documentary on a buffalo wing lover and his team of judges looking for the best wings in New York. This grabbed my attention because I hated chicken wings. I could never understand why people ate them, so I watched it in hopes of discovering their attraction. If the irony here doesn't hit you...
Anyway, I learned about buffalo wings and learned to appreciate them. I still don't like most of them, but I do eat them on occasion. I feel that this is important because it doesn't take a health nut to try a juice fast.
One of the recommended titles from Hulu based on what I just watched was Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I had heard about the film but completely forgot about the flick. I figured I would give it a shot. Aside from being a good documentary with a nice little animated segment explaining the lead characters' medical condition, I found the film inspiring enough to consider juicing. I already had a juicer that was collecting dust (couldn't tell you where or when we got it). I liked fruits and veggies. I had a few weeks off. And I had nothing to lose. I ran it by the GF who agreed to join me on the experiment. We started the next day.
Day 1 was exciting. A whole of "Yea, I can do this!" even when the hunger set in later in the evening. I tried a few veggie recipes out that I found online. They were horrid. All the people that gave them 5 stars are nuts, except the recipes with ginger. I liked that bit of spicy. No serious complaints about day one, though I do have to admit that it cleaned me out. Read that as to about 4 trips to the restroom on Day 1, and not to pee.
I remember waking up on Day 2 to a huge appetite. The juicing process had already become a pain in the ass and the temptation to grab a bite to eat instead of fuss with cleaning the juicer five times a day was already rearing its head. If you decide to juice carrots, do them last. They leave a ton of pulp behind and the bits can clog parts of the filter, resulting in less juice from the ingredients that come after.
I ran to the market to grab some items for a few new recipes I found and learned that I was much more fond of the sweeter fruit drinks (25% apple, 25% orange, 50% carrots became a favorite). I started getting headaches halfway through Day 2, so I drank black coffee to help. I'm sure this totally went against the detox policy, but it couldn't hurt the weight loss plan.
Day 3... ugh! The headache here was the worst. Coffee didn't help, and neither did the pain relievers I took to top it off. As I mentioned before, my girlfriend and I were very irritable on this day, so we agreed not to talk to each other. No amount of juice consumption or distraction helped either. I stuck with various combinations of fruit juices and made it through the day, but this was honestly when I wanted to throw in the towel. I think, if anyone can make it through these three days the rest is easy by comparison.
I feel like Day 4 was a big transition day. Having I believed would be the worst of it (and it was), it didn't make sense to give up. My appetite was also smaller than it had been, and I was juicing a bit less. Consequently, I also began to run out of fruits but had a stockpile of veggies left. My last few glasses were self concocted, mostly carrots with some kale, carrots and fruits. Knowing that the following day would be the half way mark kept me going. I was less grumpy, too.
Day 5 was an odd day. I awoke to a weird soreness in my butt that ran down the back of my thighs, calves, and into the soles of my feet. I hadn't read or heard any similar stories, but I figured my body needed some protein. To fight this, we made a pot of bean soup. Water, pinto beans, onions, garlic, and other miscellaneous veggies (no salt). Considering the ingredients, I convinced myself that it wasn't too far off the juice mark. I felt better a few hours later. My attitude had improved a great deal despite this. I felt normal again.
Days 6, 7, and 8 were wholly uneventful. By then I had the routine down. I made fruity drinks for breakfast and straight veggie drinks for the remainder of the day. I still drank glasses of water when I got lazy, but I was also drinking less. Occasionally, I'd munch on a few raw almonds if a food craving hit me. I made sure to count them out because absentminded snacking is the devil. I generally picked out 6 at a time, with no more than 12 per day. I'm still surprised that such a small amount was enough to curb the food craving. I also found it interesting that I didn't poop at all these days. I guess it makes sense, but it was still odd. Energy levels were normal around this time until the end with spurts of the aforementioned antsiness occurring now and then.
Day 9 was my birthday. I juiced for the early and middle part of the day, but my parents, gf, and I went out for a steak dinner. I couldn't finish it all, but I ordered desert anyway (gasp!). I couldn't finish that either. So sad, haha.
I kept track of my daily weight losses and gains, but I unfortunately no longer have my notes. I remember that I weighed an extra pound and change after the meal, and lost a half pound or so when I dropped a deuce the next day. Pretty gross, haha.
That big cheat took a toll on my motivation, but since Day 10 was supposed to be the final day, I stuck it out. I still had a ton of ingredients at the end of Day 10, so I added an 11th day to compensate for the big dinner.
At the end of it all, I lost 24 lbs (10.8 kg) in 11 days - 192 lbs (87 kg) to 168 lbs (76.2 kg). This is atypical. For my second round, I only lost half a pound per day, and didn't have the associated leg pains. My girlfriend lost half of the 24 the first time around, which was pretty odd considering we had exactly the same diet and general activity levels. I don't remember her getting the random bursts of energy, but I doubt my little extra activity could make that much of a difference.
We celebrated by going to our favorite burger joint and ordering a plate each. I was ready to chow down. I only ate half the burger and I couldn't even touch the garlic fries... the reason for which I believe is the biggest benefits of juicing - reduced appetite.
Over the next year, I only ate until I was full, and no more. This would insult some of my friends who made home cooked meals ("You didn't like it?!"), and result in a lot of to-go boxes at restaurants, but the benefit outweighed that (selfish, I know). I wasn't getting tired after meals anymore, either.
My palette also changed and I am more fond of certain veggies than I previously was. I hated celery and bok choy, but now I don't mind them. I thought kale was a bit too bitter, but now I enjoy it. I still eat all of the same things I did before (pizza, burgers, steaks, cheesecakes, cakes, pies... buffalo wings!), but in moderation and I'm more inclined to choose a healthier option when available (~75% of the time). I can't stand lettuce, though, so I'll usually only get spinach or kale salads, and always with a protein or nuts. We grill a lot at home now and try to stick to meats and veggies. I can make a mean seared ahi tuna steak, but only because I'm an awful cook and it's easy to prepare.
Another side effect from the process that resulted from the good home cooking is that I don't eat fast food (particularly burgers, and I LOVE burgers) or at family-style chain restaurants anymore. I wish I could say it's because I know better and that fast food is unhealthy, but it's because I don't have a tolerance for poor quality food anymore. I do not consider myself a foodie, but my appreciation for quality grub is higher and my tolerance for poor quality food is lower.
I kept my weight between 171-173 lbs up until six weeks ago. After this last round of holidays, I bumped up to 176.6 (omg, 4 lbs., how horrible...), but more than that I noticed that I was eating large helpings again. I went was going to my local lunch spot at work, but placed my usual order and then some. And I was still unsatisfied. It was a horrible sign.
I juiced again for 7 days this past week, much to the same tune as the first time, sans the odd leg pain. I only lost 3.5 lbs, but the shrunken stomach happened again. My appetite was more manageable today than during the break, and I had a little more than half of this mornings' breakfast omelette before I felt right.
I hope my experiences are interesting to some. Thanks for taking the time to read it!
TL: DR
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. Interesting movie.
If you have any curiosity about the health benefits and repercussions, check out Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It's a documentary you can watch for free online, Netflix, or Hulu. It's a juicing experiment that follows two subjects: a wealthy business man and an average joe truck driver. They both live with vicarious vasculitis, an auto-immune disorder that causes the body to break out in chronic hives. I decided to try juicing after watching this documentary.
People approach juicing with different intentions. Some call it a juice cleanse and view it as a detox method, while others are looking for a quick weight loss solution. While I did want to lose some weight, I really wanted to see if I had the constitution to do it. Turns out I didn't. I cheated, which I'll get more into later.
Here are a few common questions I'm asked:
Q: Is juicing expensive?
A: It's important to remember that it's a short term investment. Yes, grocery shopping was more costly than my normal runs, but I only needed to commit to it for a week and a half. Very doable. I also choice to try it when I had some time off, since I'd be too tempted to venture out for lunch at work.
Q: I would die. How are you not dead?
A: No fucking clue. In retrospect, I always think I should be. It's amazing how little the body needs to survive, and in turn, it's amazing how much food we are served and consume.
Q: Did you have a shit ton of energy?
A: Yes and no. The first few days suck. A lot. Day 2 and Day 3 are the most difficult. During both my fasts, my girlfriend and I were unbelievably cranky on day 3. We quickly surmised that the anger (hangryness?) was the result of the fast, and agreed not to talk to each other and keep it peaceful. We were quite venomous during this time. After this, though, things started to settle. And as long as I wasn't starving myself and drank when I was hungry, I discovered that I would have these odd bouts of antsiness. I just felt like I had to move, so I would run or knock out some pushups until the feeling went away. Keep in mind that I am not a very active person when I'm not working. These were odd for me, but I just didn't want to keep still.
Q: Were you hungry all the time?
A: No. There's an important distinction to be made here. A glass of juice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner does not replace your daily food intake. Even the juice plans that are offered online provide 6 or so bottles per day, but I drank a big glass of juice (or water if I was feeling lazy) when I was hungry. I did get hungry more often, but I was not in a constant state of torment.
Q: Did you lose weight?
A: Yes. Quite a bit on the first run. Less on the second.
Here are my experiences.
18 months ago.
I walk my dog daily. I lived in a second story apartment, and had to walk up a flight of stairs to return home. I always found myself huffing and puffing by the time I got to the top. I can't really pinpoint when the weight gain started, but adulthood had not treated me the way I expected when I as a teenager. I weighed 150 lbs (68 kg) out of high school and came in at 185 lbs (83kg) after college. Freshman 15, my ass. From then til 18 months ago, I had put on more weight topping off at 192 lbs (87kg). This made me clinically obese for my height.
One night, I spent half an hour looking for something to watch on Hulu/Netflix. I stumbled upon The Great Chicken Wing Hunt, a documentary on a buffalo wing lover and his team of judges looking for the best wings in New York. This grabbed my attention because I hated chicken wings. I could never understand why people ate them, so I watched it in hopes of discovering their attraction. If the irony here doesn't hit you...
Anyway, I learned about buffalo wings and learned to appreciate them. I still don't like most of them, but I do eat them on occasion. I feel that this is important because it doesn't take a health nut to try a juice fast.
One of the recommended titles from Hulu based on what I just watched was Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I had heard about the film but completely forgot about the flick. I figured I would give it a shot. Aside from being a good documentary with a nice little animated segment explaining the lead characters' medical condition, I found the film inspiring enough to consider juicing. I already had a juicer that was collecting dust (couldn't tell you where or when we got it). I liked fruits and veggies. I had a few weeks off. And I had nothing to lose. I ran it by the GF who agreed to join me on the experiment. We started the next day.
Day 1 was exciting. A whole of "Yea, I can do this!" even when the hunger set in later in the evening. I tried a few veggie recipes out that I found online. They were horrid. All the people that gave them 5 stars are nuts, except the recipes with ginger. I liked that bit of spicy. No serious complaints about day one, though I do have to admit that it cleaned me out. Read that as to about 4 trips to the restroom on Day 1, and not to pee.
I remember waking up on Day 2 to a huge appetite. The juicing process had already become a pain in the ass and the temptation to grab a bite to eat instead of fuss with cleaning the juicer five times a day was already rearing its head. If you decide to juice carrots, do them last. They leave a ton of pulp behind and the bits can clog parts of the filter, resulting in less juice from the ingredients that come after.
I ran to the market to grab some items for a few new recipes I found and learned that I was much more fond of the sweeter fruit drinks (25% apple, 25% orange, 50% carrots became a favorite). I started getting headaches halfway through Day 2, so I drank black coffee to help. I'm sure this totally went against the detox policy, but it couldn't hurt the weight loss plan.
Day 3... ugh! The headache here was the worst. Coffee didn't help, and neither did the pain relievers I took to top it off. As I mentioned before, my girlfriend and I were very irritable on this day, so we agreed not to talk to each other. No amount of juice consumption or distraction helped either. I stuck with various combinations of fruit juices and made it through the day, but this was honestly when I wanted to throw in the towel. I think, if anyone can make it through these three days the rest is easy by comparison.
I feel like Day 4 was a big transition day. Having I believed would be the worst of it (and it was), it didn't make sense to give up. My appetite was also smaller than it had been, and I was juicing a bit less. Consequently, I also began to run out of fruits but had a stockpile of veggies left. My last few glasses were self concocted, mostly carrots with some kale, carrots and fruits. Knowing that the following day would be the half way mark kept me going. I was less grumpy, too.
Day 5 was an odd day. I awoke to a weird soreness in my butt that ran down the back of my thighs, calves, and into the soles of my feet. I hadn't read or heard any similar stories, but I figured my body needed some protein. To fight this, we made a pot of bean soup. Water, pinto beans, onions, garlic, and other miscellaneous veggies (no salt). Considering the ingredients, I convinced myself that it wasn't too far off the juice mark. I felt better a few hours later. My attitude had improved a great deal despite this. I felt normal again.
Days 6, 7, and 8 were wholly uneventful. By then I had the routine down. I made fruity drinks for breakfast and straight veggie drinks for the remainder of the day. I still drank glasses of water when I got lazy, but I was also drinking less. Occasionally, I'd munch on a few raw almonds if a food craving hit me. I made sure to count them out because absentminded snacking is the devil. I generally picked out 6 at a time, with no more than 12 per day. I'm still surprised that such a small amount was enough to curb the food craving. I also found it interesting that I didn't poop at all these days. I guess it makes sense, but it was still odd. Energy levels were normal around this time until the end with spurts of the aforementioned antsiness occurring now and then.
Day 9 was my birthday. I juiced for the early and middle part of the day, but my parents, gf, and I went out for a steak dinner. I couldn't finish it all, but I ordered desert anyway (gasp!). I couldn't finish that either. So sad, haha.
I kept track of my daily weight losses and gains, but I unfortunately no longer have my notes. I remember that I weighed an extra pound and change after the meal, and lost a half pound or so when I dropped a deuce the next day. Pretty gross, haha.
That big cheat took a toll on my motivation, but since Day 10 was supposed to be the final day, I stuck it out. I still had a ton of ingredients at the end of Day 10, so I added an 11th day to compensate for the big dinner.
At the end of it all, I lost 24 lbs (10.8 kg) in 11 days - 192 lbs (87 kg) to 168 lbs (76.2 kg). This is atypical. For my second round, I only lost half a pound per day, and didn't have the associated leg pains. My girlfriend lost half of the 24 the first time around, which was pretty odd considering we had exactly the same diet and general activity levels. I don't remember her getting the random bursts of energy, but I doubt my little extra activity could make that much of a difference.
We celebrated by going to our favorite burger joint and ordering a plate each. I was ready to chow down. I only ate half the burger and I couldn't even touch the garlic fries... the reason for which I believe is the biggest benefits of juicing - reduced appetite.
Over the next year, I only ate until I was full, and no more. This would insult some of my friends who made home cooked meals ("You didn't like it?!"), and result in a lot of to-go boxes at restaurants, but the benefit outweighed that (selfish, I know). I wasn't getting tired after meals anymore, either.
My palette also changed and I am more fond of certain veggies than I previously was. I hated celery and bok choy, but now I don't mind them. I thought kale was a bit too bitter, but now I enjoy it. I still eat all of the same things I did before (pizza, burgers, steaks, cheesecakes, cakes, pies... buffalo wings!), but in moderation and I'm more inclined to choose a healthier option when available (~75% of the time). I can't stand lettuce, though, so I'll usually only get spinach or kale salads, and always with a protein or nuts. We grill a lot at home now and try to stick to meats and veggies. I can make a mean seared ahi tuna steak, but only because I'm an awful cook and it's easy to prepare.
Another side effect from the process that resulted from the good home cooking is that I don't eat fast food (particularly burgers, and I LOVE burgers) or at family-style chain restaurants anymore. I wish I could say it's because I know better and that fast food is unhealthy, but it's because I don't have a tolerance for poor quality food anymore. I do not consider myself a foodie, but my appreciation for quality grub is higher and my tolerance for poor quality food is lower.
I kept my weight between 171-173 lbs up until six weeks ago. After this last round of holidays, I bumped up to 176.6 (omg, 4 lbs., how horrible...), but more than that I noticed that I was eating large helpings again. I went was going to my local lunch spot at work, but placed my usual order and then some. And I was still unsatisfied. It was a horrible sign.
I juiced again for 7 days this past week, much to the same tune as the first time, sans the odd leg pain. I only lost 3.5 lbs, but the shrunken stomach happened again. My appetite was more manageable today than during the break, and I had a little more than half of this mornings' breakfast omelette before I felt right.
I hope my experiences are interesting to some. Thanks for taking the time to read it!
TL: DR
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. Interesting movie.
R territory).