Talk to me about Juice Cleanses

fwtx5815

It's interesting that you had results on WW but stopped.. Have you thought about starting that back up?

I started WW on December 13 and at the 4 week mark, I was down 9 lbs. While I'm sure a lot of it was water weight, I was still super pumped about it because that means in those four weeks, I made it through mine and FI's birthdays, all the bad CHRISTMAS food, and all the booze of New Years Eve and still lost weight. And that was before I even started working out. I just started hitting the gym this week.

I read an article on MindBodyGreen.com where this man described his weight loss journey and the way he explained it really made sense to me. He didn't cut out 100% of the bad food and start working out vigorously all in one day. He gave himself time to adjust to a new lifestyle and then he didn't really have a chance to miss his old bad habits, because they faded out slowly.

Eta apparently my iPhone is still real excited for CHRISTMAS. I don't know why it defaults to all caps. Wasn't shouting or anything.

PrettyGirlLost

There's really no such thing as "bad food" though.  Our bodies need carbs.  Our bodies need sugars.  It is why we evolved to be able to digest those things.

The issue is portion control and exercise.

fwtx5815

I did Weightwatchers before and LOVED it. I lost something like 18lbs in 2 months, but then I met FI and we spent every day and night together and I didn't want to seem insecure and let him know I was doing WW so I was all, "Sure! let's go to buffalo wild wings/get chinese/etc" every night. And finally I just quit because I was spending the money for no reason. 
------------------- ghetto box-------------------- Also, the bolded bothers me mostly because I can relate. Like, women are supposed to have bangin' bodies but nobody can know that it actually takes effort! Ugh.

fwtx5815

PrettyGirlLost said:

There's really no such thing as "bad food" though.  Our bodies need carbs.  Our bodies need sugars.  It is why we evolved to be able to digest those things.

The issue is portion control and exercise.

I would call (most of) the stuff that you can't identify in nature bad food. Like cheetos are a bad food - totally processed nonsense. Soda is a bunch of chemicals and sugar. Or if you can't easily identify the ingredients mixed to get the food (so like bread, pasta, etc.--they're easy to identify how they're made).

PrettyGirlLost

dallasbetch said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

There's really no such thing as "bad food" though.  Our bodies need carbs.  Our bodies need sugars.  It is why we evolved to be able to digest those things.

The issue is portion control and exercise.

I would call (most of) the stuff that you can't identify in nature bad food. Like cheetos are a bad food - totally processed nonsense. Soda is a bunch of chemicals and sugar. Or if you can't easily identify the ingredients mixed to get the food (so like bread, pasta, etc.--they're easy to identify how they're made).

Oh you're talking about processed stuff, gotcha.

Cheetohs are so good though!

theartistformerlyknownas

dallasbetch said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

There's really no such thing as "bad food" though.  Our bodies need carbs.  Our bodies need sugars.  It is why we evolved to be able to digest those things.

The issue is portion control and exercise.

I would call (most of) the stuff that you can't identify in nature bad food. Like cheetos are a bad food - totally processed nonsense. Soda is a bunch of chemicals and sugar. Or if you can't easily identify the ingredients mixed to get the food (so like bread, pasta, etc.--they're easy to identify how they're made).

I would argue that Cheetos aren't even really "food" so they're immune from this discussion.

Foods found in nature, good. Food-like products created in a lab, not so good. Sugar found naturally in fruits, good. Sugar added artificially to EVERYTHING, bad. 

Did you know that Mortons adds sugar to SALT?!

KatieinBkln

lolo883 said:

dallasbetch said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

There's really no such thing as "bad food" though.  Our bodies need carbs.  Our bodies need sugars.  It is why we evolved to be able to digest those things.

The issue is portion control and exercise.

I would call (most of) the stuff that you can't identify in nature bad food. Like cheetos are a bad food - totally processed nonsense. Soda is a bunch of chemicals and sugar. Or if you can't easily identify the ingredients mixed to get the food (so like bread, pasta, etc.--they're easy to identify how they're made).

I would argue that Cheetos aren't even really "food" so they're immune from this discussion.

Foods found in nature, good. Food-like products created in a lab, not so good. Sugar found naturally in fruits, good. Sugar added artificially to EVERYTHING, bad. 

Did you know that Mortons adds sugar to SALT?!

I did not know that. Holy balls! 

Also, just want to admit right here: For all my sensible talk, I have been known to say "FUCK IT" and eat a whole can of Spaghettios with meatballs for dinner.

VulgarGirl

I keep reading this as Jesus Cleanse.

Also the only juice clenase I would participate in would be where the juice is wine. 

VulgarGirl

dallasbetch said:

I did Weightwatchers before and LOVED it. I lost something like 18lbs in 2 months, but then I met FI and we spent every day and night together and I didn't want to seem insecure and let him know I was doing WW so I was all, "Sure! let's go to buffalo wild wings/get chinese/etc" every night. And finally I just quit because I was spending the money for no reason. 

------------------- ghetto box--------------------

Also, the bolded bothers me mostly because I can relate. Like, women are supposed to have bangin' bodies but nobody can know that it actually takes effort! Ugh.

**But there are boxes when I post. I don't want an app. I just want working boxes**

Well of course. Haven't you read the rule book? Look like a supermodel, eat like a line baker. Always have flawless make up and hair, but roll out of bed and throw on jeans to get ready. Never admit weakness, but always be helpless.

It's fun being a girl.

theycallmelinz

MagicInk said:

dallasbetch said:

I did Weightwatchers before and LOVED it. I lost something like 18lbs in 2 months, but then I met FI and we spent every day and night together and I didn't want to seem insecure and let him know I was doing WW so I was all, "Sure! let's go to buffalo wild wings/get chinese/etc" every night. And finally I just quit because I was spending the money for no reason. 

------------------- ghetto box--------------------

Also, the bolded bothers me mostly because I can relate. Like, women are supposed to have bangin' bodies but nobody can know that it actually takes effort! Ugh.

**But there are boxes when I post. I don't want an app. I just want working boxes**

Well of course. Haven't you read the rule book? Look like a supermodel, eat like a line baker. Always have flawless make up and hair, but roll out of bed and throw on jeans to get ready. Never admit weakness, but always be helpless.

It's fun being a girl.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Me being proactive against possibly not having boxes.

This drives me NUTS. Society really can eat a dick. ...Even though we are society. 

I really would like to do WW again, but that isn't the problem. It really is knowing WHAT I can eat. I make a million excuses like I don't have time to sit down and meal plan/it costs too much/etc. and I feel like these are true even though they're still excuses. When I did WW in the past, I think it was 'working' because I was in grad school living on Lean Cuisines and skipping calories so I could still eat Moe's at least once a week.

I really love Moes.

fwtx5815

MagicInk said:

dallasbetch said:

I did Weightwatchers before and LOVED it. I lost something like 18lbs in 2 months, but then I met FI and we spent every day and night together and I didn't want to seem insecure and let him know I was doing WW so I was all, "Sure! let's go to buffalo wild wings/get chinese/etc" every night. And finally I just quit because I was spending the money for no reason. 

------------------- ghetto box--------------------

Also, the bolded bothers me mostly because I can relate. Like, women are supposed to have bangin' bodies but nobody can know that it actually takes effort! Ugh.

**But there are boxes when I post. I don't want an app. I just want working boxes**

Well of course. Haven't you read the rule book? Look like a supermodel, eat like a line baker. Always have flawless make up and hair, but roll out of bed and throw on jeans to get ready. Never admit weakness, but always be helpless.

It's fun being a girl.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't be a slut, but give really good and frequent blowjobs

theartistformerlyknownas

theycallmelinz said:

This drives me NUTS. Society really can eat a dick. ...Even though we are society. 

I really would like to do WW again, but that isn't the problem. It really is knowing WHAT I can eat. I make a million excuses like I don't have time to sit down and meal plan/it costs too much/etc. and I feel like these are true even though they're still excuses. When I did WW in the past, I think it was 'working' because I was in grad school living on Lean Cuisines and skipping calories so I could still eat Moe's at least once a week.

I really love Moes.

Pinterest really is good for stuff like this. As long as you're not following the people pinning s'more cupcakes and whatnot... it's great to flood yourself with all kinds of creative, healthy ideas, and can spark new ways to prep your favorite vegetables so you don't feel like you're stuck with grilled chicken and steamed broccoli every day. (Note: there's some vegetarian and some paleo here... I don't follow any one particular "plan," but just a balanced mix of everything.)

http://www.pinterest.com/Leake100Days/

http://www.pinterest.com/skinnytaste/

http://www.pinterest.com/ohmyveggies/recipes-from-oh-my-veggies/

http://www.pinterest.com/bhg/bloggers-best-healthy-recipes/

http://www.pinterest.com/bakedbree/healthy-living/

http://www.pinterest.com/nomnompaleo/

VulgarGirl

theycallmelinz said:

MagicInk said:

dallasbetch said:

I did Weightwatchers before and LOVED it. I lost something like 18lbs in 2 months, but then I met FI and we spent every day and night together and I didn't want to seem insecure and let him know I was doing WW so I was all, "Sure! let's go to buffalo wild wings/get chinese/etc" every night. And finally I just quit because I was spending the money for no reason. 

------------------- ghetto box--------------------

Also, the bolded bothers me mostly because I can relate. Like, women are supposed to have bangin' bodies but nobody can know that it actually takes effort! Ugh.

**But there are boxes when I post. I don't want an app. I just want working boxes**

Well of course. Haven't you read the rule book? Look like a supermodel, eat like a line baker. Always have flawless make up and hair, but roll out of bed and throw on jeans to get ready. Never admit weakness, but always be helpless.

It's fun being a girl.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Me being proactive against possibly not having boxes.

This drives me NUTS. Society really can eat a dick. ...Even though we are society. 

I really would like to do WW again, but that isn't the problem. It really is knowing WHAT I can eat. I make a million excuses like I don't have time to sit down and meal plan/it costs too much/etc. and I feel like these are true even though they're still excuses. When I did WW in the past, I think it was 'working' because I was in grad school living on Lean Cuisines and skipping calories so I could still eat Moe's at least once a week.

I really love Moes.

**Lets be real the boxes probably won't work**

I met with a dietitian and she was awesome for showing me what to eat and when to eat it. For instance, for me, it works better if I have several small meals throughout the day rather then three large meals. It keeps me feeling full and keeps my blood sugar level. We'd also talk about why I eat. The emotional responses we all have towards food. And she'd give me some decent ideas for meal planning, cooking at home, and even eating out. 

Big plus, she was a total foodie, she loved to eat. At no point was she going to suggest I sustain myself on rice cakes and broiled chicken breast. And when I had a bad day, she was non-punishing. Just "Ok, so you ate oreos for lunch yesterday, that was the past, this is now" which is good for me. If I feel punished I'll just rebel, if I feel supported I'll try harder to do better.

plainjane0415

MagicInk said:

I keep reading this as Jesus Cleanse.

Also the only juice clenase I would participate in would be where the juice is wine. 

Seems like you're meshing threads together.  It can be easy to do on today's CC board!

theycallmelinz

MagicInk said:

theycallmelinz said:

MagicInk said:

dallasbetch said:

I did Weightwatchers before and LOVED it. I lost something like 18lbs in 2 months, but then I met FI and we spent every day and night together and I didn't want to seem insecure and let him know I was doing WW so I was all, "Sure! let's go to buffalo wild wings/get chinese/etc" every night. And finally I just quit because I was spending the money for no reason. 

------------------- ghetto box--------------------

Also, the bolded bothers me mostly because I can relate. Like, women are supposed to have bangin' bodies but nobody can know that it actually takes effort! Ugh.

**But there are boxes when I post. I don't want an app. I just want working boxes**

Well of course. Haven't you read the rule book? Look like a supermodel, eat like a line baker. Always have flawless make up and hair, but roll out of bed and throw on jeans to get ready. Never admit weakness, but always be helpless.

It's fun being a girl.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Me being proactive against possibly not having boxes.

This drives me NUTS. Society really can eat a dick. ...Even though we are society. 

I really would like to do WW again, but that isn't the problem. It really is knowing WHAT I can eat. I make a million excuses like I don't have time to sit down and meal plan/it costs too much/etc. and I feel like these are true even though they're still excuses. When I did WW in the past, I think it was 'working' because I was in grad school living on Lean Cuisines and skipping calories so I could still eat Moe's at least once a week.

I really love Moes.

**Lets be real the boxes probably won't work**

I met with a dietitian and she was awesome for showing me what to eat and when to eat it. For instance, for me, it works better if I have several small meals throughout the day rather then three large meals. It keeps me feeling full and keeps my blood sugar level. We'd also talk about why I eat. The emotional responses we all have towards food. And she'd give me some decent ideas for meal planning, cooking at home, and even eating out. 

Big plus, she was a total foodie, she loved to eat. At no point was she going to suggest I sustain myself on rice cakes and broiled chicken breast. And when I had a bad day, she was non-punishing. Just "Ok, so you ate oreos for lunch yesterday, that was the past, this is now" which is good for me. If I feel punished I'll just rebel, if I feel supported I'll try harder to do better.

BOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOX

That really sounds like what I need! How did you find her?

VulgarGirl

theycallmelinz said:

MagicInk said:

theycallmelinz said:

MagicInk said:

dallasbetch said:

I did Weightwatchers before and LOVED it. I lost something like 18lbs in 2 months, but then I met FI and we spent every day and night together and I didn't want to seem insecure and let him know I was doing WW so I was all, "Sure! let's go to buffalo wild wings/get chinese/etc" every night. And finally I just quit because I was spending the money for no reason. 

------------------- ghetto box--------------------

Also, the bolded bothers me mostly because I can relate. Like, women are supposed to have bangin' bodies but nobody can know that it actually takes effort! Ugh.

**But there are boxes when I post. I don't want an app. I just want working boxes**

Well of course. Haven't you read the rule book? Look like a supermodel, eat like a line baker. Always have flawless make up and hair, but roll out of bed and throw on jeans to get ready. Never admit weakness, but always be helpless.

It's fun being a girl.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Me being proactive against possibly not having boxes.

This drives me NUTS. Society really can eat a dick. ...Even though we are society. 

I really would like to do WW again, but that isn't the problem. It really is knowing WHAT I can eat. I make a million excuses like I don't have time to sit down and meal plan/it costs too much/etc. and I feel like these are true even though they're still excuses. When I did WW in the past, I think it was 'working' because I was in grad school living on Lean Cuisines and skipping calories so I could still eat Moe's at least once a week.

I really love Moes.

**Lets be real the boxes probably won't work**

I met with a dietitian and she was awesome for showing me what to eat and when to eat it. For instance, for me, it works better if I have several small meals throughout the day rather then three large meals. It keeps me feeling full and keeps my blood sugar level. We'd also talk about why I eat. The emotional responses we all have towards food. And she'd give me some decent ideas for meal planning, cooking at home, and even eating out. 

Big plus, she was a total foodie, she loved to eat. At no point was she going to suggest I sustain myself on rice cakes and broiled chicken breast. And when I had a bad day, she was non-punishing. Just "Ok, so you ate oreos for lunch yesterday, that was the past, this is now" which is good for me. If I feel punished I'll just rebel, if I feel supported I'll try harder to do better.

BOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOXBOX

That really sounds like what I need! How did you find her?

---I tried to trust in the box---

My shrink actually recommended her. I was going through a lot of shit at the time. But your general doctor might be able to recommend someone. And if you look through your insurance providers they might have someone you can meet with too.

amelisha

@theycallmelinz, if you have an EAP through your job, they can often provide suggestions too. But your GP can give you a referral for sure.

southernbelle0915

Oh, also one things that's helpful for me is to eat consciously. So when I put something in my mouth that's not water (or...), I ask myself whether I'm actually hungry (or if I'm bored/emotional). If I'm bored/emotional, I find something distracting and leave it it alone. If I'm actually hungry then I ask myself what that thing is going to do for me. What nutrients is it providing? What "extras" (fat, sugar, processed junk) is it providing? 

You can't wait and let yourself get starving or those questions are really hard to answer rationally because you're just like "yea I'm hungry and I need this big mac so nomnomnom."

I also set goals and reward myself. So one time I went for 2 months without getting (or eating if other people got them) appetizers or desserts. When I made it to the end of the 2 months, I got myself a new pair of shoes. And it felt damn good to wear them because I earned them. Plus when I'd go out wearing them, it reminded me to stay on track.

kat1114

It helps me to limit my grocery shopping to the outer aisles of the grocery store (produce, meat, dairy). It's a lot harder to eat crappy if you don't buy stuff that comes in a cardboard box.

levioosa

kat1114 said:

It helps me to limit my grocery shopping to the outer aisles of the grocery store (produce, meat, dairy). It's a lot harder to eat crappy if you don't buy stuff that comes in a cardboard box.

But think of the fruit snacks!

jacques27

Juice cleanses are junk science at best, detrimental to your health at worst, depending on the cleanse.

What on earth is a 10 day juice fast restricting what you consume to something that is completely unreasonable to maintain in the long term going to teach you about what to eat?  Maybe it's the only thing that the Gwyneth Paltrows of the world who are already super skinny and just looking for a fast fix to lose some bloat and water weight think is going to help them.  They are not the solution for people with bad eating habits who never learned portion control.

I have friends who lost weight with Weight Watchers.  Most of them eventually gained it back when the holidays came around or some stressful event in their life occurred.  And rather than just start back with the principles of what WW teaches, it seems like they are waiting for the "right time" or enough money to join WW again to make an honest go of it.  I've never done it - it was never of any interest to me.  I will admit it may be right for some people.  Some people say "Well, paying for something and having to weigh in motivated me."  Meh - I've paid for gym memberships.  I've made pacts with people and signed up for Biggest Loser like contests at work where I had to weigh in.  I've tried losing weight for specific events or for a guy.  I only ever lost weight and maintained it when my motivation finally came from within.  I realized I didn't want to have diabetes like the rest of my family.  I didn't want to have orthopedic issues caused by obesity.  I didn't want to be out of breath climbing a couple of flights of stairs anymore.

Honestly, I find it very hard to believe that you, OP, don't know WHAT eat.  Unless you come from a very poor area and dropped out of school and don't engage online or watch TV - you should, on some level, know that healthy diets consist of balanced meals and that you should eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats than you do chips, soda, and cheeseburgers.  No food is necessarily bad - I think what you probably need more than being told what to eat is to 1) train yourself to think of certain foods as "occasional foods" and 2) learn portion sizes.  If that isn't how you grew up, it's a very hard thing to do, and it's not something you need to do all at once.  When I started, I still depended on frozen pizzas and meals a lot - I just tried to not eat the whole thing or make slightly smarter choices about what ones I picked.  I still occasionally pig out on a Haagen Dazs, I just don't pig out on pizza and ice cream and fries in the same day or even week.  It took me a really really long time to come to terms that fast food and ice cream weren't every day foods.  It wasn't that I didn't KNOW it and had to be taught that, necessarily, but that I had to learn to accept that as my reality.  And that's hard - because that stuff is crazy delicious and easy to pick up.

Here are the things that helped me:

1. You didn't gain it in a day, so you're not going to lose it in a day. 

When I finally found the motivation for myself that made it all click, I purposely went low and slow.  I made very gradual changes because I'm the type who will give up when it gets hard or when life intervenes making the super strict lose it fast regimen I built for myself difficult to maintain.  So I probably could have lost a lot more than I have by now - but doing it this way for me has also meant that I have been able to maintain the weight loss that I have had and this is the longest I've ever done that (four years so far).  I haven't had a lot of yo-yo-ing up and down.  I've had quite a few long plateaus because when work gets ridiculously busy I've cut myself some slack and made a deal that as long as I don't gain I'm ok.  Sometimes just NOT GAINING in stressful times is the victory.

2.  I track my food.

For the most part, weight loss is math (unless complicated by medical issues - like thyroid issues).  Burn more than you take in.  In theory, you can lose weight eating junk.  It's not that I'm recommending it, but my point is that you don't have to go from eating McDonald's three times a day to only eating salads without dressing.  If you don't have any other medical issues requiring a special diet, then just start by focusing on calories at first if it's too overwhelming to also watch your fat and sodium and sugar intake.  Eventually, just by nature of cutting the calories, you'll also cut those other things to some extent and as you start to get used to one thing, you can start looking for healthier food substitutions to work on the other stuff.  Start paying attention to labels though and what the portions actually are.

Sparkpeople.com has a good food tracker.  They also have a lot of articles about healthy eating and exercise, exercise trackers, forums if you're the kind of person who finds they need support and accountability to others helpful.  Their food tracker is fairly comprehensive, you can add your own foods, and if you cook, you can enter in the individual ingredients into a recipe module and it will calculate the calories per serving for you.

I have since switched to the tracker on Fitbit since buying myself one 15 months ago.  The nice thing about Fitbit is that it will sync with your phone if you have once fancier than I have.  But even the online module - it will automatically recalculate your recommended caloric intake depending on your activity level and your weight (because as you lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories to maintain/lose).  I also found the Fitbit to be a good tool to give guidance on how much or how little you are actually moving. 

Start with just tracking what you consume for a couple of weeks.  Don't make changes, just track.  The results will probably surprise you.  Then analyze it to see where you can start making some minor changes - could you put skim milk in your coffee instead of half and half, could you get buy without putting mayo on your sandwich, would an apple with some peanut butter satisfy your sweet tooth instead of a candy bar for an afternoon snack?

3. Know your trigger foods and find easy foods you like for when you just can't get it together.

I don't deny myself chips and ice cream, but I know I can't keep them in the house.  I cannot portion control myself from a larger container.  A big bag or an entire pint becomes a single serving for me.  So, I don't allow myself to buy them.  I don't deny myself these things entirely.  I just buy a small bag from the near the checkout counter for a treat instead about once a week.  Maybe once every two or three weeks I'll either buy one of those little single serving ice cream cups or a cone from a drive-thru.  If you don't buy it, it's not there to tempt you.

Likewise, I've found some foods that maybe aren't super healthy, but are definitely healthier than hitting a drive thru on the way home and easy to heat up for when I'm not in the mood to cook.  Even though I make big pots of soup, I keep a few cans of Progresso on hand if I didn't make a pot or am sick of the kind I made.  I keep a frozen dinner in the back of the freezer.  I have a bowl of Chocolate Chex instead of a candy bar or cookies if I'm really craving something chocolate.  I keep a few microwavable things on hand.  I also do a lot of food prep on the weekend so it's easier and more accessible during the week.

4. Move more. 

Start small and slowly challenge yourself more and more.  Any movement is better than none.  You don't have to go from nothing to hitting the gym for an hour every day.  That's not realistic.  I really can't recommend fitbit enough.  It's a great product and they have excellent customer service.

[Deleted User]

I'm late to this thread (and have an unpopular opinion on this topic!), but I love juice cleanses. NOT the master cleanse, which is the lemon/cayenne/maple syrup one, but actual cleanses where you drink nothing but fresh fruit and vegetable juice. I first got into them after watching the documentary 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' (click), which I found to be very inspiring. I try to do at least one cleanse a year, for 3 days or more - the longest I did was 20 days, and I after about a week I started to feel better than I ever did in my life - more energy, increased mental clarity and better outlook, and just overall amazing. 

However, I don't recommend juicing for weight loss. Have I lost weight on juice fasts? Yes - about a pound a day. Do I gain it back when I start eating normally again? Absolutely. However, I feel they are a good "reset" for the system, and the way my body responds to them (after the initial few days of "detox") makes it worth it for me.

If you don't do a juice fast, I definitely recommend incorporating smoothies and juices into your diet, if possible. I love juicing because you can get so much more fruits and vegetables into one juice than you'd be able to eat in one sitting. I love smoothies because they tend to be more filling, and they can taste like dessert and still be good for you - for example if you add cacao powder, some sort of sweetener (like agave or honey) and even an avocado to them, it's like drinking a chocolate milkshake. 

amelisha

teenabeenerz said:

I'm late to this thread (and have an unpopular opinion on this topic!), but I love juice cleanses. NOT the master cleanse, which is the lemon/cayenne/maple syrup one, but actual cleanses where you drink nothing but fresh fruit and vegetable juice. I first got into them after watching the documentary 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' (click), which I found to be very inspiring. I try to do at least one cleanse a year, for 3 days or more - the longest I did was 20 days, and I after about a week I started to feel better than I ever did in my life - more energy, increased mental clarity and better outlook, and just overall amazing. 

However, I don't recommend juicing for weight loss. Have I lost weight on juice fasts? Yes - about a pound a day. Do I gain it back when I start eating normally again? Absolutely. However, I feel they are a good "reset" for the system, and the way my body responds to them (after the initial few days of "detox") makes it worth it for me.

If you don't do a juice fast, I definitely recommend incorporating smoothies and juices into your diet, if possible. I love juicing because you can get so much more fruits and vegetables into one juice than you'd be able to eat in one sitting. I love smoothies because they tend to be more filling, and they can taste like dessert and still be good for you - for example if you add cacao powder, some sort of sweetener (like agave or honey) and even an avocado to them, it's like drinking a chocolate milkshake. 

Not gonna start a fight...but that's because you're pulling the fibre and stuff out of the fruit and leaving just the sugar and water. Smoothies are more filling because at least you're including the whole fruit. Overall, though, they're still ultimately kind of empty carbs in the quantities most people ingest when they do "smoothies". Yes, there are vitamins, but there's also a ton of sugar and not much else.

If you feel like doing that stuff is good for you, whatever makes you feel good I guess. But there is pretty much zero science to support it, so recommending it to others seems a little irresponsible. The "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" guy improved his health because he was eating nothing but crap beforehand, so anything was an improvement from that, even juice.

I'm really not a militant "healthy" eater at all - I believe in eating lots of vegetables, counting calories, and trying to avoid food I haven't prepared myself, but I also can plow through a bag of Goldfish in front of the TV - but I just wish people would stop falling for woo-woo "science" because it sounds good and understand that your body's function and weight management is predictable and quantifiable with real biology.

theartistformerlyknownas

Preach it, @amelisha‌

ashley8918

lolo883 said:

Preach it, @amelisha‌

Seconded.

I love making smoothies/juices, because they taste damn good. But I have no delusions of any real health/weight loss benefits.

theartistformerlyknownas

ashley8918 said:

lolo883 said:

Preach it, @amelisha‌

Seconded.

I love making smoothies/juices, because they taste damn good. But I have no delusions of any real health/weight loss benefits.

Absolutely. I love green smoothies as a quicker and much more palatable way to get in 2 cups of spinach. But it's not a "detox" or a "cleanse," it's just a meal. (With avocado, pineapple, OJ and brown rice protein powder, YUM.)

ashley8918

lolo883 said:

ashley8918 said:

lolo883 said:

Preach it, @amelisha‌

Seconded.

I love making smoothies/juices, because they taste damn good. But I have no delusions of any real health/weight loss benefits.

Absolutely. I love green smoothies as a quicker and much more palatable way to get in 2 cups of spinach. But it's not a "detox" or a "cleanse," it's just a meal. (With avocado, pineapple, OJ and brown rice protein powder, YUM.)

I am super interested in trying this, but haven't yet because it grosses me out. Like, can you actually taste the spinach? Because I am so not down with that.

theartistformerlyknownas

@ashley8918‌ nope, with some other fruits you can taste it a bit, but pineapple covers it up really well.

amelisha

@ashley8918 do you have the Jugo Juice chain where you live? They make a bunch of fruit + vegetable smoothies with spinach, kale, beets, avocado, etc., that just taste like fruit to me, so it might be a good way to test it out before you attempt it yourself. I get one with kale and coconut water occasionally for lunch because it's 24oz for like 200 calories and it tastes good.

However, I really like vegetables, like a lot, so I might just not notice that it tastes like green after all.

ashley8918

amelisha said:

@ashley8918 do you have the Jugo Juice chain where you live? They make a bunch of fruit + vegetable smoothies with spinach, kale, beets, avocado, etc., that just taste like fruit to me, so it might be a good way to test it out before you attempt it yourself. I get one with kale and coconut water occasionally for lunch because it's 24oz for like 200 calories and it tastes good.

However, I really like vegetables, like a lot, so I might just not notice that it tastes like green after all.

No, I don't think so. We just have Jamba Juice, but they seem to have some similar things.