What is a juice fast? It's just that: juice! But it's not just any juice. I can't go to the grocery store and pick up a bottle of orange juice and drink a few glasses of it through the day and survive. [File that under: Worst Idea Ever.] The juice concoctions I drink 4 times a day are made up of most vegetables and a few fruits and are made fresh right before I drink them. Sometimes, I'll make juice ahead of time if I know I'll be away from the juicer for an extended period of time, but those are rare occasions.
Why can't I have more fruit juices in my juice recipes? I have a condition known as insulin resistance. In a nutshell, my pancreas produces too much insulin for my body to store safely, so if those levels are elevated by consuming high amounts of sugar (natural and artificial), the insulin floodgate is released open and my body turns the excess hormones into fat. Sugars are dangerous for me in large amounts, so drinking mostly fruit juice is actually defeating the purpose of why I am doing the juice diet in the first place. This is why I will add only a few pieces of fruit to my juice at a time to regulate my blood sugar and keep my body stable.
Is juicing 4 times a day healthy? This is a tricky question to answer as there are varying opinions, but for me and what I am doing, absolutely. My 4 juice concoctions add up to at least 1200 calories, and one needs at least 1200 calories per day for his/her body to stay out of starvation mode. I may not be eating solid foods, but I am definitely not starving myself! Each one of my recipes has all of the micronutrients my body needs each day to live a healthy life.
Do I have enough energy from just consuming plant juice all day? More than enough! It's amazing how much more energy I have now since I've removed all of the bad crap out of my daily diet and just rely on Mother Nature's fresh goodness. I also exercise, so that helps, too!
How much weight have I lost? In 12 days, I've lost about 10 lbs. I'm currently in a plateau, but that isn't surprising to me as this has been my natural rhythm of changing my diet for most of my life.
What is my favorite juice recipe? 2 comice pears + 2 medium fennel bulbs = Heaven in your mouth. I only juice this once a week. It's like my special treat.
What will I do after the juice fast? I will be cooking more at home, limiting my intake of simple carbs, gluten, dairy, and processed sugar. I will be focusing more on lean meats, fish, and lots of fresh veggies with some fresh fruits. I will also continue to exercise daily. Most people are concerned that when this fast is over, I will gain back all of my weight and then some. It's true that most people do that when they go on crash diets. I will not discount that at all. The difference between myself and those people is that they go back to their unhealthy lifestyle they lived before starting something this drastic. I am educated in what I need to do for my body and I had already started implementing those things into my life before this juice fast. I've lost about 15 lbs. total since the middle of January just by getting myself in a healthy mindset towards wellness.
I would love to answer any questions you may have! Just post them in a comment and I'll update the full page! Thank you for reading. :)
1 comment:
Good info, and keep up the good work. :)
Post a Comment