"I was hungry, I was tired, but it's an amazing test of will and the temporary weightloss is a nice bonus."
How I did it:
The day before, I made sure I had all items necessary; my juicer was clean, and my refrigerator was well-stocked with an assortment of vegetables and a few different types of fruit. I wanted this mainly to be a vegetable-based juice fast to prevent my sugar levels from sky-rocketing. All in all, I lost 2 pounds each day with a total weight loss of 6 pounds in three days. It must be noted that 4-5 of these pounds was most likely water weight.
I juiced when I woke up and when I got home. I wrote down how much of each vegetable/fruit I juiced for each 'meal' in a notebook. Overall I was very strict with myself and only allowed a small portion of fruit juice within my regiment. Each day I estimated the calories I had consumed. Because I was using mostly vegetables, the calorie content was very low and would have been significantly higher had I used more fruit.
My three days went as follows:
Day One:
1 1/2 c spinach
1/2 zucchini
1 lrg beet
1/2 lrg cucumber
1 kiwi
1 c grapes
1/2 cucumber
1/2 squash
Day Two:
1 c pineapple (cubed)
1 c grapes
1 lrg beet
1 c zucchini
3/4 c asparagus
1 c spinach
1 med beet
1/4 c beet greens
1/4 lrg cucumber
1/2 red pepper
Day Three:
1 c spinach
1/2 med red pepper
3/4 lrg cucumber
1 lrg beet
1 c pineapple
1 c grapes
1 med beet
1/2 c beet greens
3/4 lrg cucumber
1 c grapes
As far as calories went, each day ranged between 200-350 though I calculated this based upon the nutritional values of the whole vegetable/fruit rather than the juice, so in actuality the caloric intake was most likely between 10-25% lower than that which I mentioned.
I used beets extensively because their sugar content made the other juices (such as spinach, asparagus, and zucchini) much more palatable. I would have used carrots alongside beets however I am allergic to fresh carrot juice. I did not have one allergic reaction throughout my three-day juice fast.
Cucumber was also a favorite throughout the fast, as its juice is very light and mixes well with other juices. Pineapple juice is delicious and tangy, however I made sure I didn't go overboard with it because its sugar content is very high.
On the afternoon of the first day I became extremely hungry. My stomach was growling often and loudly and I've found that the juice was able to satisfy my stomach for about 2-3 hours after ingestion. After those 2-3 hours has passed, I would get hungry again. This is one aspect of the fast that can cause someone to break it early. This type of fast as well as any type requires a great deal of will power. This was the first real fast of any type that I has ever done, and for encouragement I told myself that three days was, in retrospect, a very short period of time.
On my third day I found myself lusting after the smell of food, especially meat. For all three days my protein consumption was very low, as to be expected, and didn't reach more than 9 grams a day. My carbohydrate intake was decent, ranging from 44 - 78 grams a day. My vitamin C intake was well over 100% for each day.
On the third day I had a bowel movement of what I assumed to be undigested material from three days prior. This made me particularly aware of my body and how food moves through it.
Starting from the end of day one, my tongue turned white. I had read online from many sources that this was normal and that I should not be alarmed.
Each drink I consumed contained about 1-3 cups of juice. A four day supply of juicing materials at my local grocery store cost $15.
Lessons & tips: If you plan on using beets, do not by any means be surprised if your urine or bowel movements take on a reddish tint. You're not dying; it's just the pigment in the beet juice.
I personally wouldn't suggest juicing zucchini if the taste is a problem for you; the taste of the zucchini (which was a sort of bland plastic-type taste) came through in all the drinks that I used it in.
Resources: I read about juicing and juice fasting online before I decided to do anything. I used goggle search extensively in my quest for knowledge and was able to find a lot of information on what to expect and what vegetables to use.
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Feb 05, 02:01PM PST
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