Juicing for Weight Loss

Juicing for weight loss can yield amazing results, but you need to heed a few tips and tricks to ensure lasting success.

Joe Cross, mastermind behind Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, is an inspiration in the juice cleanse community. Joe was 100 lbs overweight, had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was on medication. After 60 days juicing, he’d lost 85 lbs and was medication-free. Phil Staples was a trucker who weighed in at 429 lbs. He lost over 200 lbs after his 60 day juicing diet. These two men have started a juicing for weight loss health revolution.

Inspired by them, I did a 2 week juice cleanse and lost 23 lbs. My snoring disappeared, blood pressure became normal, and I could concentrate again. My mother – a 54 year old menopausal woman who complains her metabolism is dead – did the juicing diet for 2 weeks and lost 18 lbs.

Weight loss is at its peak in the first 5 to 7 days, and can be more water than fat. Body swelling decreases rapidly and you feel better. In Week 1, I lost 15 lbs and my mother lost 10 lbs.

Don’t be discouraged when weight loss slows down. After Week 1, weight loss remains around 1 lb per day. You can realistically lose 30-40 lbs the first month, and up to 100 lbs after 60 days.

Some of the main keys to successful juicing for weight loss are:

~Consume at least 1,000 calories of nutrient dense vegetable and fruit juice daily. Mix it up to keep it interesting and vary the nutrients. Include green leafy veggies. Veggies should outweigh fruits at least 3:1 by the end of the day.

~Drink at least 60 ounces of water daily.

~Do some mild exercise 3 or 4 times per week. A walk around the block or swimming a few laps is sufficient. If you are an exercise fanatic, tone it down during the juice cleanse so you don’t overdo it.

When juicing for weight loss, you need at least 1,000 calories daily, and should include a source of protein and fat. Veggies are full of healthy carbs, so no shortage there. Don’t starve yourself, or your body will burn muscle instead of fat. If your body thinks it isn’t getting enough food, it goes into survival mode and slows your metabolism. This makes weight loss harder, and sets you up for a feeding frenzy binge when you get off the juice cleanse.

An important thing to keep in mind is that where you will lose a lot of pure fat, you will lose muscle weight. This can’t be avoided. That’s why it is important to be as active as possible during your fast.

Cynthia Sass, R.D., author of S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches, cautions to be smart about juicing. If you cut corners on nutrition, it costs you.


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