The start of my juice cleanse/fast.

[El Jefe]

Alright lads, I started my juice fast/cleanse today and I thought it would be fun to keep everyone updated with where I am. I have already found two recipes I do not like. I thought this kind of thread would be a good way for anyone who is currently doing it or thinking about doing it. You can see me make the mistakes and then learn from them if you want to do this yourself. If you have any good recipes definitely put them in here. Anyone who has any type of input feel free to share it!

Reason for juice cleanse/fast: Doctor recommended for possible solution for migraines. He recommend this also as a good way to lower my blood pressure, LDL and CDL's, none of my numbers are really high, but they could definitely be lowered. I also am getting surgery on my ankle to take my steel plate out and install another newer plate, he said this would help with joint pain and healing. I also watched quite a few different documentaries and read a boat load of articles and I just love what the juice cleanse can do for you. It's not a diet for me, it's a lifestyle change. I want to be healthier for myself, my wife and out future kids. Personally I think I will always incorporate at least 1 juice meal per day after my cleanse.

Cost so far: I bought an Omega 330BM juicer at Bed Bath and Beyond, I had a 20% off coupon and I got it for $130. I spent $39 dollars on 2-3 days worth of juicing items (cucumbers, kale, celery, ginger root, carrots, kiwi, lemon, apples, pears, berries and strawberries). I will update this pretty regularly because I am not sure how much I will go through initially.

Starting numbers:

6'5
358lbs

First two recipes:

Breakfast: 6 carrots and a head of romaine lettuce. Did not like this recipe, it tasted like carrot dirt water. Definitely would alter or not use this recipe.

Lunch:Mean Green juice(off fat sick and nearly dead website). 2 cucumbers, 2apples, 6-8 kale, 1/2 lemon, 4 celery, 1tbsp ginger root. I havent drank this juice yet, but I did try it when I made it. I read online to leave the lemon peel on, it makes it taste a little more lemony. I found the opposite, it makes it more bitter. This juice I would envision to be like take a cows chewing cud and spinkle lemon juice and water on it lol.

Dinner: I will probably make something fruity, because I will need it.


Tips I have obtained and learned that are good to know: Do not make fruity juices to drink at night. Once you get over the detox period, you will have much more energy, if you drink a fruit juice mixture it will definitely keep you up. There are properties in the greens that help mellow you out a bit. I got this tip off a website of a black woman who has a youtube called Raw Raw life, she is super insightful, definitely recommend checking her page out.
Starting off I would definitely recommend spending the money on buying extra fruit, you have start off on the right foot, if you only drink the greens with minimal fruit you aren't going to like it. You can start off on the fruit and pull back after you get used to it.

The cleanup takes longer than making the juice. Buy a good juicer, mine is super easy to clean and use, its a pain, but that comes with the territory.

Thoughts so far about possible road blocks: The only real concern I have is the caffeine withdrawal. I spoke to my doctor about this before I did the cleanse and I have weened myself off of caffeine to some extent, but I know this will be hard for the first 2-3 days. I also don't look forward to taking runny poo's all day.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by El Jefe

Yes, all types of berries, but I actually have been eating them whole. I am not wasting them in the juicer. It takes like 3lbs of blueberries to make one shake, F that noise. I have been eating tons of different berries. Cancer runs in my family very deeply, and I am on a lifestyle change to combat any type of disease or illness I can. The show fat, sick and nearly dead really hit me in the eyes. I don't want to have a stroke or massive heart attack before fourty. If I can eat different types of berries to help me avoid cancer, even if it only matters a couple %, I am going to do it!

Blueberries are my favorite type of berries.

[Carlota69]

Originally Posted by 58-4ever

Jesus Christ, I tried eating a lot of ginger this morning in my smoothie and I burned the shit out of my throat and ass. It certainly clears the pipes too.

Like I said, I'm a spicy bitch. I can handle it. Try a little less next time. Stuff is really good for

[houstonwhodat]

Do you have a Vitamix and do you have the shits after doing this???

[EagleRob]

Good luck Jefe. My chiro attributed my 5z per wk migraines to my gall bladder three years ago. He recommended some liver/kidney flush/gall bladder cleanses but told me that just getting rid of the excess fats in my diet would fix the problem. I switched to a raw diet for three weeks and the migraines disappeared. I've since been on 80% raw food (fruit, veg, nuts, seeds) and haven't looked back. I dropped wheat, dairy, and pork for the first year. Also dropped 50 lbs in the process. I don't juice but will water fast for a week every six months to give the body a chance to do some housecleaning. Over time I've stopped having stomach flus, sinusitis, and joint pain. Most recently I've seen random shooting pains in my feet vanish. You're on the right track!

[Silock]

You aren't cleansing any toxins. That's what your liver is for. In any case, good on you for trying a lifestyle change. I hope you find something sustainable after this fad diet loses its luster.

[ncCHIEFfan]

First, I commend anyone who has the courage to make this type of diet change. If you start to plateau or get bored with this I think you should look up Dr. Fuhrman. I have many of his DVDs and some books. I believe "you are what you eat".

Also, I invested in a Vitamix 7500. Great Great investment. Other than the cost I have no complaints. It is by far the best investment in my kitchen and we cook a lot.

Good luck!

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Silock

You aren't cleansing any toxins. That's what your liver is for. In any case, good on you for trying a lifestyle change. I hope you find something sustainable after this fad diet loses its luster.

No joke. The human species would be extinct if the body didn't clean itself of "Toxins" naturally. The idea that you need to shit yourself silly for a week to "Clean" your digestive tract is just a complete lack of understanding of how the body works. This is great for a lifestyle change, and the confidence and positive thinking provides much more than people realize. But you're not magically cleaning any toxins. Your digestive track has billions of bacteria per square inch. And that's a good thing. Each person's flora of gut bacteria is an insanely complicated and ever changing environment. There's good bacteria and bad. And it's not possible to simply separate the two. Suffice to say it's way too complex to think humans could easily alter this delicate balance in any positive way. And it's absolutely not happening by just intentionally giving yourself diarrhea with a juice fast.

Good on people for making positive nutrition changes with the idea of bettering your health. But don't kid yourself into thinking you have to do this to avoid some toxin buildup or other such nonsense.

[Jenson71]

I'm really interested in trying out this Mean Green Juice stuff. I have a blender which makes great smoothies, but I think it would bust if I tried to add in a chunk of ginger. I have a really small food processor though, so I think I'll chop up the ginger, then process it, then add it to the blender to make the Mean Green Juice. I think my blender can handle the celery and cucumber fine. It handles ice well enough.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by houstonwhodat

Do you have a Vitamix and do you have the shits after doing this???

No, I don't have a vitamix, but I do have a blender I use a lot, can't think of the name off the top of my head. It's been solid, we have ran a lot of fruit through it. I have not had an issue with running poop at all, I did the second day, but it hasn't been bad since.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by EagleRob

Good luck Jefe. My chiro attributed my 5z per wk migraines to my gall bladder three years ago. He recommended some liver/kidney flush/gall bladder cleanses but told me that just getting rid of the excess fats in my diet would fix the problem. I switched to a raw diet for three weeks and the migraines disappeared. I've since been on 80% raw food (fruit, veg, nuts, seeds) and haven't looked back. I dropped wheat, dairy, and pork for the first year. Also dropped 50 lbs in the process. I don't juice but will water fast for a week every six months to give the body a chance to do some housecleaning. Over time I've stopped having stomach flus, sinusitis, and joint pain. Most recently I've seen random shooting pains in my feet vanish. You're on the right track!

Hot dang man! That is awesome. I'm not sure if I would be able to stay up at the 80% raw, I think I could do 60%, but 80% is some dedication, so good on you for that. 50lbs of weight loss is freaking great mate! I'm really interested in seeing how well I am able to ward of sicknesses staying as diligent as I am.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by Silock

You aren't cleansing any toxins. That's what your liver is for. In any case, good on you for trying a lifestyle change. I hope you find something sustainable after this fad diet loses its luster.

Yeah, I understand that, but I like the idea of flushing the bad things out lol. I will definitely stay on track, this isn't a diet for me, but a new beginning.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by La literatura

I'm really interested in trying out this Mean Green Juice stuff. I have a blender which makes great smoothies, but I think it would bust if I tried to add in a chunk of ginger. I have a really small food processor though, so I think I'll chop up the ginger, then process it, then add it to the blender to make the Mean Green Juice. I think my blender can handle the celery and cucumber fine. It handles ice well enough.

I did the same thing with my blender, I chopped everything up into really small pieces, and my blender had no problem. If you try the mean green juice, definitely put some pineapple in it. Your supposed to follow the 80/20 rule, 80% veggies 20% fruit, but I find the taste is better if you add just a bit more fruit. Last night I put ginger in my mean green juice, but I haven't tried it yet.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by Fish

No joke. The human species would be extinct if the body didn't clean itself of "Toxins" naturally. The idea that you need to shit yourself silly for a week to "Clean" your digestive tract is just a complete lack of understanding of how the body works. This is great for a lifestyle change, and the confidence and positive thinking provides much more than people realize. But you're not magically cleaning any toxins. Your digestive track has billions of bacteria per square inch. And that's a good thing. Each person's flora of gut bacteria is an insanely complicated and ever changing environment. There's good bacteria and bad. And it's not possible to simply separate the two. Suffice to say it's way too complex to think humans could easily alter this delicate balance in any positive way. And it's absolutely not happening by just intentionally giving yourself diarrhea with a juice fast.

Good on people for making positive nutrition changes with the idea of bettering your health. But don't kid yourself into thinking you have to do this to avoid some toxin buildup or other such nonsense.

I'm in this camp. I watched a documentary on vegans and another on eating raw, and I just am not as fanatical or gullibe (in some regards). I agree with what you are saying, but I needed a change in the worst way, and I am 100X healthier now than I was.