Juicing Forum

Over the weekend we watched the doccie Fat Sick and Nearly Dead which is famous on this forum.

Giving this whole juicing thing some serious thought. I could easily fill Phil’s shoes but with some differences.

I have been challenged by my son to a juice fast, to loose weight mainly.

I would like to give this a serious go but have some questions.

1) Mainly the issue of hunger, do you experience hunger on this diet?. How is it dealt with, water, more juice, do you even get hungry…?
2) Do you get dizzy or light headed. What about nausia. A big concern is will I be able to work and stay focused , still be able to drive around, visit customers and live an normal life. While doing the juice fast.
3) Does this diet give you the runs, ie upset stomach . Frequent toilet visits.
4) Afternoon walks with the doggies is a big deal in our lives, will be able to still go walking and mess around in the pool.
5) What is the volume of juiced fluid do you consume per meal. Especially for a 6 foot 3 man.
I would appreciate any frank answers to my questions.

Regards

Godfrey

Godfrey, congrats on taking the first steps to lose weight and get your health back on track!

Hunger is really a non issue on a juice fast as odd as that sounds. See, hunger is how your body tells you that it needs nutrients. Cravings are when your mind is telling you to eat out of habit, boredom, or for the sheer pleasure in eating. Once you can differentiate the two, things will be much easier on you. You get plenty of nutrients while on a juice fast, and that quenches the hunger. It's the just the cravings you have to deal with Godfrey.

As long as you are giving yourself plenty of juice throughout the day, you should be fine. It may be best for you to start on a weekend or when you have a few days to yourself outside of work. Sometimes detox symptoms can occur but if you keep to your juices, and drink plenty of water you should be fine.

It's funny how the juice works. During the first few days you may experience bowl movements, or even loose bowl movements. The juice helps to clear out your system of what you have eaten the past few days. Since juice is already broken down it gets absorbed into your system and doesn't go through digestion. So this leaves you with empty bowels after a few days. Don't mistake lack of solids in your system for constipation. There's just nothing in your system to digest and pass out as a bowl movement after a few days. Be assured that you're still getting nutrition, it's just getting absorbed instead of digested.

You should be fine to go on your walks or have a swim. Just make sure you listen to your body and don't over exert yourself.

Make sure you have a juice when you are hungry. Remember, less isn't better when on a juice fast. If you listen to your body and have juices when you are hungry you'll do great Godfrey. It's best to have around 4-6 servings of juice per day with each serving being around 16 ounces. You may have less or you may have more. Just remember to listen to your body, it knows best!

I wish you all the best Godfrey, keep me posted and let me know how things turn out. I'm always here if you have any questions.

Good day Gentlemen

Thank you for your advice especially about seeing the Doc and getting his permission. That was a very wise thing to do.

We went to see the Doc today. We have his permission to do this subject to a few conditions. I have to keep on my chronic medications, we have to report to him twice daily our BP and blood glucose levels, report to his surgery on Saturday for blood tests, make ourselves available if asked and agree to operate only under his guidance. To my amusement my son has had to agree to end his smoking habit.

Having secured the Doc's blessing, we purchased a juicer. It looks like the one used in the Doccie. Made by Russell Hobs. Tomorrow I will go to the vegetable market and get stocks of various vegetables.

We plan to make a start on Friday and reassess ourselves on Tuesday morning.

A word about the blood glucose the Doc says apparently in some individuals their blood glucose levels can drop in which case we could land in trouble. We have to monitor this very closely through out the juice fasting process.

We also have to be careful about exercise, gentle walking is ok till we settle down.

My brother who is a downs person and cannot speak is forbidden from joining us even if he wants to. He has to keep to his diabetic diet.

The Doc's parting words were go for it!

I am very happy that I followed your advice and went to see the Doc.

We will make a start on Friday and let you know how we get on.

Regards Godfrey

Godfrey, thanks for keeping us up to date with your progress. Keep at it and include that evening meal. Sometimes it's best to gradually introduce the juice as your body adapts to it. It sounds like you are on the right path. Keep it up and keep us posted.