Saturday, February 04, 2012
The answer is a resounding no! Juice fasts and cleanses, which involve consuming 1,200 calories or less in just liquids each day, go up and down in popularity, depending on how many celebrities are on them. Joe Cross is the latest- but they are always an unhealthy way to lose weight and often an unpleasant one as well.
Why?
Well, first of all, the body doesn't know if a person just wants to drop a few pounds. Instead, it thinks the owner starving it. The result: Just like any crash diet, the metabolism slows and the body holds on to fat in order to preserve itself. Any weight a person does lose will be mostly water, which they'll quickly regain as soon as start eating real food again. In addition, the body is perfectly able to cleanse itself without a juice fast. It doesn't need one (or the colonics that are often recommended with them) to detox.
And if planning to fast, better stay at home and away from friends, family, coworkers ... basically everyone. An all-liquid diet is far from satisfying. You can expect to be hungry all the time -- and really, really cranky and anyone who tried this diet before they will perhaps describe feeling so ravenous that they couldn't think of anything but food. That inevitably leads to bingeing, and all one has to show for your suffering is several days of torture.
Finally, real health risks are associated with this type of diet.. With all the fiber removed in the juicing process, your body gets a big shot of sugar from the fruit juice and even the vegetable juice. This can cause dangerous blood sugar spikes and crashes in diabetics (including many who are undiagnosed) or those who are insulin-resistant. And if one does this often enough, it could permanently lower metabolism.
Another aspect that had me scratching my head is that teeth suffer from the huge exposure to simple sugars and lack of chewing.. We encourage the elderly to eat up and to eat enough food so not to loss muscle mass or their abilities to chew.. Some of these outrageous diets put people back in the cave man way of thinking.. Juice is also like soda is very acidy on the teeth and the daily recommendation is ½ glass..
Stick to a weight loss plan where you can eat real food and enough of it so you aren't hungry. I recommend that your total daily calories never dip below 10 times your goal weight (e.g., 1,500 calories if your goal weight is 150 pounds). That's the way to lose weight without suffering -- and actually have a plan ready to keep it off. Remember sparkspeople is free advice- life is still choices so make safe ones.. There is no fire to get the weight off- it is a "for" lifestyle change that is needed not quick fixes..
I see alot of stuff on the message boards- try to say things to people and it is like jumping to a sharks tank with the play nicely crap division.. The person I followed on the HCG diet has never come back- sometimes it is tough sitting on ones mouth letting others get their aha moments....
Life is still choices and I guess we will never save everyone no matter how much we reach out to people..
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