Feeling Juicy

Juice cleanses are well-advertised in the media, and there are multiple companies out there that offer a series of healthy juices for a duration of your choosing (if you are willing to fork up your life savings). So, what is the appeal, and are there any supported health benefits of these cleanses? To answer this question, I did what all good researchers do – I gave it a shot myself.

Here’s what happened . . .

Spoiler alert. In one word: Nothing.

Okay, so maybe not nothing, but close to nothing. I did a 3.5 day juice fast (by the afternoon of day 4, I gave in and ate food). Over the 4 days, I lost a total of 4 lb. which I promptly regained within the next week. To be fair, my daily caloric intake was only 400-600 kcals less than I generally eat (thanks to a little thing I call the “accidental” residency diet, i.e. I’m busy and forgot to eat sometimes). If you do the crude math, that means I likely spared 2000 calories over the 4 days, which doesn’t equate to a lb. of weight (which is 3500 kcals). So then where did this weight loss occur? From water weight. The sugars within fruit juice pull water into the colon/kidneys to produce a diuretic effect (meaning you pee a lot or you get diarrhea, fun!). To be honest, I didn’t notice either of these effects. I did this cleanse with a friend, and he did notice the diuresis component every other day. He felt bloated one day, then peed a ton the next, then repeated this pattern. Better him than me, right?

I did maintain my workout regimen while on the cleanse, and for the most part, that went fine. I lifted the first 2 days and had no problem matching my normal routine. By day 3, things were a bit more difficult. Day 3 was my cardio day. If you know me, you know that cardio is not my jam anyways, but it was definitely more of a struggle than usual. I made it through 30 min on a stairmill, and my legs screamed every step of the way.

When all was said and done, it was a fun mental challenge. Nothing more. My friend did have a longer-term benefit in terms of weight loss than I did, though for him, the calorie deficit was much more significant.

Even though my personal experience was anticlimactic, I dug into the research to determine whether any true benefits exist (though I was extremely skeptical, at best). Tune into my next post to learn what I found.

As always, #Embracemovent

Please be aware that juice fasts can have negative consequences on your health.

If you plan to try one out, please check with your physician prior to doing so.

And remember, I started this blog as a platform to share information and my personal experiences. Medical advice will NOT be provided.

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