Juice Fast

I make it a regular habit. Although in my fifties, my doctors and young friends tell me that it drives them crazy looking at me because they can't believe my age. My answer; juice fast. I do it most every week for about four days. I try to eat plenty of fruits and veggies on the weekend as well.

That's awesome. Congratulations! =)

That's great Dave. Astonishing amount of weight lost. Hope your goal of balance is something that you reach and maintain. 121 lbs is the loss of another human being!

I decided three weeks ago today to get my weight under control and to get my cardio back to functioning. Lost about 15 lbs and have been walking religiously. It's great to feel the pressure off my back and to be able to get out of the car without straining. I have about 25 lbs more to go. Been controlling calories.

Wow! That is impressive.

Good for you David! Consider a balanced combination of diet and excercise. For now you can only excercise lightly. You need both. One of the neat things about juice fasting or food fasting is loosing food addictions. I used to think about eating ice cream constantly, it took several fasts, now I can refuse it and other foods without a feeling of great loss and now have no feelings about it, those thoughts are not dominating me now. It's like any freeing of an addiction (food can be an addiction) your thoughts and emotions are not dominated by it anymore.

David that is amazing Congratulations , checking out that movie thanks !!!!

'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' is an interesting documentary; I've seen it twice. There are definitely a lot of health benefits to juicing. All the best in your pursuit of better health!

Suzanne, you are absolutely right. I have always loved food and yes, I had certain things that I would crave. Juice Fasting is a great way to reminder yourself that you can do without.

Today, I went to Kim Son with a bunch of friends of church and had water while everyone enjoyed lunch. We had a great time and I was not wildly hungry. Pretty cool.

What is very interesting is that there are certain foods that I used to enjoy that I find repulsive now, such as Ice Cream. I took my son to Marble Slab the other night and I was not at all tempted.

The main thing will be finding that balance once I am done with my fast.

It is a shame - my parents gave me "good genes" - I still take care of myself, exercise and diet - it's a shame bread and butter don't taste like liver and onions.

Yes, David you are becoming used to not having fats, it's whatever you get used to in your diet, isn't it amazing? I believe we are always going to be in situations that are over our head, or reveal a weakness, I find I can't rely on myself for the strength, I think you know where I am heading with this... ( :

I believe we are learning to be balanced that is what quality of life is about. What we are today is not what we will be tomorrow. Our habits are changing, it is a progression of revelation. We don't know today how we will change and what we will do differently tomorrow, so I try not to stress about it. It's not about me, thankfully!

Lol, Roy, is it the bread and butter you like or the liver and onions?!

Thank you David I WILL join you. I have been thinking of a juice fast for awhile now. You have just confirmed what I have already been thinking. Tomorrow is monday the 20th and the first day of my juicing. Time to rewire my cells into better condition.

David, Wow! Congratulations!

I am now on Day 26 and things are going great!

I have hit a plateau with my weight loss, but I expect that to change shortly. So far, I have lost 33 lbs on the Juice Fast. Added to the 20lbs that I lost prior to juicing, I have lost 53 lbs since Sept 1, 2014!!

The next 70 lbs will be challenging, but I am up for it. Fun times!

Congratulation, last year I went to Scotland to help a author photographing a book on juicing and healthy eating. http://www.purehighlandliving.com/
If you are interested in her book I have some signed copies left for sale. Amazon has it as well. http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Transformation-Intermittent-Intuitive-Prevention/dp/0992818303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414059627&sr=8-1&keywords=pure+5+2+transformation+in+21+days
I can include the shipping for the Amazon price. I have 10 copies left.
When I stayed with her she would make the juices and I must say that I was never hungry. I need to start doing them myself. I felt really good too. Keep up the good work.

Love a good juice fast! My hubby was motivated to do it by watching that same movie, David. It blew his mind. He became obsessed with studying the health benefits of fruits, veggies, herbs and spices, bought a masticating juicer, and started bringing home carloads of fresh produce. We don't juice for taste or flavor...no fancy smoothies for us...we just put it ALL in there, and chug down a tall glass every day. It doesn't always taste wonderful, but it's the best medicine ever. WAY more fresh veggies than I would EVER get in a day before.

David, you are going to be one handsome dude when you get done!

David, Yup..I did the same reboot after seeing the documentary...went through the feeling-like-absolute-crap phase..lost a bit of weight..but I couldn't stick with it. It became a huge chore that I didn't enjoy.

Then around Memorial weekend I just decided to stop eating junk food, ate some salads and started exercising.. walked five miles a day all summer and lost about 35lbs. Now that, I did enjoy especially being outside in the sun! I reversed my diabetes, I was on a huge dose of insulin plus numerous meds and a bunch of other BP meds etc. I don't take anything now.

Nowadays I am (supposedly) going to the gym Monday-Friday and (supposedly) do a 10K everyday. However it's my busy time of year and my portrait studio is going crazy so I get to the gym less and less...I need to work smarter. And out of nowhere I have developed a constant craving for ice cream...never cared much for it before!

It's great that you lost so much..it makes a huge difference to your overall health and self esteem, especially when the ladies tell you how handsome you look all day long!

Congratulations David! You deserve the accolades you're receiving. :)

For most people, the problem with fasting is that once it's over they think they can keep the weight off by simply eating what they did before, but in smaller portions. It usually doesn't work that way... too many people slide back to old habits and regain with extra pounds. What does work is turning a fast info a lifestyle change. The lifestyle change is learning about and acknowledging the difference between stomach hunger and mental hunger. I lost significant weight I had gained through physical problems I was unaware of... a modified atkins diet where I ate more protein than carbs... meat/chicken/fish/pork before veges, then veges before potatoes/breads. Paying attention to when one is full is paramount rather than eating to eat. When I changed my eating habits I didn't count fats, etc... nor did I eat any "fat free" or "light" foods.

I wish you great success once your fast is over.. you have already proved to yourself that you own the moxie to hang in there and make that lifestyle change! :)

Best,
Donna

Amanda,

I was walking a lot like you but I wasn't seeing the results. I got hypoglycemic sitting at the computer 3 months ago. I had changed my routine to 20 min. a day of a walk/run but it also wasn't quite enough. I increased my excercise to 30 min. of walking 22 steps/running 22 steps and the ten minutes made all the difference. I no longer have the symptoms and just the extra 10 minutes means I can also skip every other day if I want to. It seems I can also eat whatever I want within reason.

Read up on the 5:2 fasting. It is very popular in Europe and has shown benefits even after the fasting stopped. You fast 2 days which really means a nice large shake and than a small dinner. The other five days you eat a healthy normal diet. You have to enjoy your food. Wile I was in Scotland working on the book I had plenty of vegetable shakes but they where delicious. I did not feel hungry at all. The vegetable smoothies has coconut oil in them and frozen banana or dates to sweeten,

Congratulations, David. My husband recently bought a juicer, and I certainly feel better when I use it. I usually throw in a lot of greens, a carrot and half an apple.

I have acquired a ton of food sensitivities in the last three or four years. Three days ago, I cut out all grains except rice temporarily because I found I can't eat oats. I already knew I was gluten-sensitized, so I bought steel-cut, gluten-free oats and made myself a big bowl of oatmeal in the morning. I was sick all day. I've lost 3 pounds since Monday just cutting out the grains.

In any case, you have inspired me to keep going on this no-grain diet for a while until things settle down, and I will go home from work tonight and make myself a nice glass of baby spinach, a carrot and an apple half and have that along with my fat-free yogurt. Keep it up and give us progress reports, please.

Congratulations, David!! I am applauding your success. I haven't read all the posts here, but Donna is right on about making lifestyle changes rather than focusing only on getting the pounds off. Once they are off, then you have to maintain! So, why wait? Start a healthy diet NOW. I worry about your juicing being high glycemic, which is not good for you in the long run.

Remember, it's in your head as well as on your plate. Here is one of my favorite quotes when I'm faced with a huge chunk-o-cheesecake. Kate Moss (supermodel): "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." That is so true!

Oh, he still is one handsome dude. He will just be a happier more energetic handsome dude.
applauding your commitment & dedication.

Ok, it is good to feel part of something. So I will behave now ( after stuffing my face with pumpkin muffins for the past few days) - I prefer a yogurt / kefir "Fast" .

Basically because I am lazy when it comes to food and prefer to blend then cook. Kale, apples & honey sounds good to me.

I have taken my juicer out of the cupboard...great achievement David! Bravo!
Beetroot and celery for me please!
I am going to be doing some juicing now...yes...great thread..thank you David!

Janine...love your new avatar!!
keep smiling
Jolanta

Thank you Jolanta : ) I was like 2 there. Quite a few years ago... but I enjoy the season.

Years ago, I was having some gastrointestinal issues, so I did a series of three five-day fasts, and this did me a world of good. I prepared by eating ONLY fruits and veggies for three days BEFORE the liquid-only phase, followed by three days of ONLY fruits and veggies AFTER the liquid-only phase. My juice of choice for the three-day juice fast was distilled-water, unsweetened lemonade.

My only advice would be: fast intelligently, not recklessly.

David, you know what I mean. Once handsome, always handsome!

David, SO happy for you! Wonderful to hear of your diet changes & weight loss. Thanks for sharing the good news. You never know who needs to hear just what you're going through & have to say!
I've always eaten a pretty healthy diet & exercised, mainly vigorous walking. I started 'juicing' on a fairly regular basis about 15 years ago, but have yet to grow fond of fasting. It works wonders for some.
In early 2010, I had gained some weight & was feeling less than my usual perky self. As luck would have it, I was asked to be part of a group endeavor, which included a 'major' cleanse, inside & out. It was being monitored by a local health professional, who had recovered from a life-threatening illness through diet, and a woman who has written the book[s] on the benefits of green smoothies. The diet & exercise plan wasn't easy at first, but I grew to love both, plus the weekly check-in with the group to monitor our weight & any other issues was welcomed. Not only did I lose 25 pounds, but all my stats improved as well!
It's been 4 years ago this month since I completed that 3-month long program...and I have maintained the weight loss & stuck to a plant-based diet of 70% raw/30% lightly cooked foods. I feel better and look younger than my years!
Looking forward to hearing more about your journey to better health & longevity! Have a great day! You have a lot of good energy coming your way!

Suzanne, well done! My Doc always told me that even a small change in your lifestyle can make quite an impact on diabetes...didn't believe her at the time..

Congrats and WAY-TO-GO-DAVID! I love juice fasts!! Exciting you are having awesome results!

Ooh Suzanne, I'm sure he knows. Look at the admiring crowd he has gathered here. I was just teasing a bit.
& congrats. to you for getting that under control . It happens so quickly when we sit for so long working. You've encouraged me to shake it up a bit.
I really liked that line about "eating whatever you want " - because I do - so I have to pay the piper somehow.

Amanda, yes that is what I found out too, bingo! We can all have it (health, good looks) all the time!

Janine, the thing about exercise is one really has to want to do it badly because you can easily talk yourself out of it. You almost have to have a disease or something wrong in order to be consistent!

It's 8:30 pm and been three days since I exercised last and I know I have to get out there tonight! I don't mind it because it is not that rigorous, not like all running, it's just doing it. If you are a reader and study what exercise does for you then you can stay motivated or you know through experience. One of the great things and something we all want is finding your waist again! I dread getting fat and old but sometimes even that is not enough motivation.

I'm usually good for one obsession at a time - putting that on the list for November Suzanne

Good for you Janine! Just a tip, just started doing stretches for (22 seconds) and substituting it for the walking, (Google stretches) between the running (22 seconds), my heart rate is still good with this substitute. Stretches help to nourish the cells with better blood flow in areas that didn't get as much before, causing better elasticity (lessens wrinkles!) and muscle growth (not bulging like weightlifting).

David, that sounds like a lot of weight loss in a very short time. After doing just a few searches this is what the experts say: The bottom line: It's too extreme, and the results aren't likely to last. I wish you success but I find the method very extreme and question if it's a safe way to lose weight. I have always heard that the best way is by making small adjustments and over long periods of time.

Suzanne - I can do just about anything - for 22 seconds !
Thanks for that - love stretching - & the idea of less wrinkles. Stretching always did make me feel better, never thought about oxygenating cells.

Hit 50 this year, & things have changed. Need to put myself on the list for maintenance now.
How easy it is to forget ourselves on the list of obligations.

A favorite quote, unknown to me author " If you don't take care of your body - where will you live ? "

Exactly, yes you can Janine it is not a stretch, and somewhat mild excercise. It's taken some time to figure out how to get maximum results without being stressed out physically. You can even stretch muscles in your face and neck, get more blood in those areas (google those exercises).

I think stressful exercise is the main reason many quit. I wince when I think of going to a gym! I like it because I don't have to get in my car and drive somewhere and take an additional 30 minutes traveling. I can just walk out the door and exercise wherever I am. Simple.

I'm a happier because I look better and feel good most of the time and don't get sick much. I enjoy putting on my clothes, doing my hair and looking in the mirror, I haven't always felt that way.