Juice diet

Maebb

Speaking of diets, one of DH's coworkers makes homemade juice. He uses things like apples, kale, carrots, etc.

Well, he and DH came up with this plan that DH will buy juice from him for $10 over the cost of the ingredients per week, and he will eat/drink nothing but juice for A MONTH.

DH and I are both about 20 lbs overweight, and we just signed up for a 10K in July and have said that we want to eat healthier. I told DH I would do it too for a week, but I'm not committing to a month upfront. I'd rather do a healthy, well-balanced eating approach. DH would rather go from ramen noodles, chips, and pizza to straight juice.

I'm kind of excited because I won't have to cook dinner, and DH won't be drinking beer, so I'm sure we'll save money. DH is ultra committed and disciplined when he wants to be, so I'm sure he'll go through with it. I'll be jealous if he loses a lot more weight than me, but I just want us to do it in a healthy way.

Should I call the doctor and see what he thinks or just "let" DH do what he wants? I say "let" mostly jokingly because I know he's an adult, and he'll do what he wants. I know there are raw fruititarians out there, so it can't be that bad for a month, right?

Thanks for reading - welcome to my stream of consciousness. For the tl;dr folks - is an all juice diet a horrible idea like with long-term negative health effects if done for a week or a month?

LaurelBee

It would be cheaper for you to buy a juicer. You can get one for like 100$. I also don't support doing it for a month. If you're doing it for diet purposes, switch out 1 meal a day. Like substitute your cereal for juice and a hard boiled egg, etc. your body needs more than juice to stay healthy! Dh juices for us, Ds and Dd love it! But we don't juice to lose weight. It's just to boost our nutrients.

missyishere

I'd say it's a bad idea, but your DH is a grown man. If he wants to do a juice diet, well then, he will do a juice diet.

Maebb

We have a juicer, but buying all the ingredients, making juice all the time, and washing it is a PITA. It's worth $10 a week to me to have someone else do it. After this little experiment, maybe DH can get the recipes and we can do it ourselves at home from time to time.

MrsJakes

There is a documentary called Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead that you can watch on Netflix or Amazon Prime. He just drank juice for a month or more and had amazing results. I don't know if it's the best plan for long term weight loss because once you stop drinking the juice, you have to be committed to a healthier lifestyle to maintain. It probably won't hurt him to try though. He might find that he has to eat a little something to go with it because he might not be getting enough calories. 

CinemaGoddess

I think it's a really bad idea to train for 10k without getting much in the way of protein.  

That just sounds horrible.  

LaurelBee

Oh, I read that as $10/day, not week. Cleaning is a pita

Maebb

Thanks, @ChickenOnSunday‌. DH used the Jeff Galloway method to train for a marathon in 2008, so we'll probably do something similar to that. DH could probably run a 10K today no problem, but I haven't run since doing this 10K last July, so I'm definitely going to need to train. I've let my health go by the wayside ever since I stopped BF in November, so I'm excited about getting healthy again but also nervous.

jorkz821

I don't believe in fasts or juice diets at all. There is no evidence to support their efficacy in long term weight loss. In fact they could be detrimental to long term goals if they lead you down a road of yoyo dieting. Agree with Fred that no protein is a problem.

Of course he'll lose weight. It'll be water weight at first, then muscle mass. That isn't helpful to 10k training. How can he be willing to do this for a month but bit willing to make actual real dietary changes that might result in long term health? The mind boggles.

Maebb

@jorkz821, he's an all or nothing type person. There's really no explaining it. It's probably not the healthiest, but I'm hoping that if he does this, maybe he'll pick up some healthy changes and not just go back to a college frat boy diet. I try to cook healthy things, but he insists on pizza, Mexican, etc., so we end up compromising, like I'll say, "Ok, you can order pizza tonight, but I'm cooking healthy food the rest of the week." But then he'll eat a bag of chips after dinner. OMG, it sounds like I'm talking about a teenager. Basically, I do want him to start to like healthy food, especially as DS gets older and is learning to eat real food, and I don't know if this juice diet is a step toward health or a step toward a cycle of super disciplined and then back to eating junk.

jorkz821

LindsRockies said:

I love the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (like PP mentioned), check it out.  Although I don't really agree with doing nothing but juice for a month.  Even though you're getting mega-doses of nutrients from the veggies/fruits, you still need some protein and carbs!

Uh no, carbs are all you're getting from a fruit juice fast. Did you mean protein and fat?

missyishere

Where is @KC_13‌ on this one?

jorkz821

missyishere said:

Where is @KC_13‌ on this one?

I don't think she'd approve. Too similar to pouches. Plus, life choices .

CinemaGoddess

jorkz821 said:

Where is @KC_13‌ on this one?

I don't think she'd approve. Too similar to pouches. Plus, life choices .

But skinny, tho. 

No, seriously.  Even the most hardcore diet people would not advocate this kind of "diet" when used in conjunction with a training schedule.  

DreadLoc

what's he going to poop if he takes all the fiber out of his diet?

[Deleted User]

I've done a 3-day cleanse and I was so over it by the end of day 3.

There is a "juice" that's actually made from cashews that can give you protein that is usually part of these diets and Kale has a decent amount of protein in it.  

However, I still think a month is a long time.

And yeah, I agree that you might as well buy your own juicer if you are going to do this.  

BluepointToasted

I like juices.  The juicer is such a PITA to clean that we shelved it and got the Ninja, which is awesomw and uses the whole fruit/veggie, no waste.

That being said, I will have a juice as either an addition to a meal, a snack, or for breakfast maybe (and that is with some protein added in).  I would not last a day drinking nothing but juice, let alone a month. 

But, tell him to knock his socks off.  I wouldn't bother with it though.

missyishere

DreadLoc said:

what's he going to poop if he takes all the fiber out of his diet?

Magic

BluepointToasted

missyishere said:

what's he going to poop if he takes all the fiber out of his diet?

Magic

Like that episode of "its always sunny" when Dee and Dennis start some crazy diet and taking all these supplements, and he says he hasn't taken a poop in three days but it is because his body is working at maximum efficiency and using every part of the food he eats.

[Deleted User]

You don't have to worry about pooping because your body is cleansing itself of all solids, which in turn is supposed to give your body a break because it's working less.  

Again, I've done the 3-day, but that was ridiculous.  I will do the juice until dinner time now.  

I think the people who do that Master Cleanse are much more crazy.  Living off of cayenne lemonade and salt flushes for 2 weeks-a month sounds HORRIBLE.

kcisthebombdotcom

jorkz821 said:

Where is @KC_13‌ on this one?

I don't think she'd approve. Too similar to pouches. Plus, life choices .

That about sums it up. I don't think its a terrible idea for like breakfast to get some nutrients--you can add some hemp to make up protein. I think its a bad idea for the only thing you consume in a month.

jorkz821

Lol!

Maebb

DH is normally a 2x/day #2 person too, so this might factor into his decision.

Ultimately, he's going to do what he wants. I don't care as long as he feels good and can still carry his end of the work around the house and with DS and it doesn't have long-term negative health effects.

For me, I will see how I feel the first day and then maybe bring almonds and other healthy snacks to work to supplement the juice. I'm not saying that I think this is a healthy or balanced diet, but I just wanted to get some opinions.

DebateThis

Cleansing and detoxing are effing stupid.

They're also incredibly hard on your kidneys and liver (you know, the organs that actually do a damn good job of cleaning out your body if you let them do their job).

Also, a solid month of juicing only sounds very close to the Gerson diet, which actually killed people and is banned as "treatment" for anything in the US. https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/dietandnutrition/gerson-therapy

winecastle14

jorkz821 said:

I don't believe in fasts or juice diets at all. There is no evidence to support their efficacy in long term weight loss. In fact they could be detrimental to long term goals if they lead you down a road of yoyo dieting. Agree with Fred that no protein is a problem. Of course he'll lose weight. It'll be water weight at first, then muscle mass. That isn't helpful to 10k training. How can he be willing to do this for a month but bit willing to make actual real dietary changes that might result in long term health? The mind boggles.

This. Also, do you know how far in advance he'll be making the juice he's selling you? After 24-48 hours, most of the nutrients in fresh juice are greatly diminished.  

Here is a great article about common juicing mistakes: https://foodbabe.com/2013/08/05/juicing-mistakes/

Maebb

I 100% agree that a balanced, moderate diet would be a more healthy choice. And I should probably do that for me, but it's hard when DH is eating like crap. I cannot convince DH to do a normal, healthy eating plan. He would have to decide that for himself.

Now that he came up with this juice thing, I'm hoping that maybe it's a swing in one direction and the crap eating is the other direction, and the pendulum or scale or whatever will settle in a healthy place. I just want to make sure the juice thing isn't going to cause harm in the meantime.

SpaceGirlSpiff

I dont get the juicing thing... I just don't really understand what you're getting from it, besides starving your body...I need protein and fiber to help keep me full or I'd get irritable really fast.  A month sounds like torture.

We have the nutribullet and it works pretty well, maybe look into something like that...uses the whole fruit/vegetable so you still get the fiber, and encourages you to add protein boosts to it... I like hemp seeds for that.  My H and I will use it in place of breakfast sometimes, but I'd get real sick of doing it all day long.

The only way I've been successful in losing weight and keeping it off is by not completely denying myself of anything, but rather use common sense to make smarter choices (grilled not fried, veggies, fruit, etc), learn about portion control and tracking what I eat...and of course exercise.  Calories in vs Calories out.  That's something you can maintain longterm

CinemaGoddess

Well, if your DH is bound and determined to do this, I would heartily suggest finding alternate housing for you and your kids. 

I would NOT want to be around a person completely detoxing off of junk food in favor of juice. 

He will legitimately go HULK SMASH on the carpet if it looks askance at him.  In other words, he will become completely irrational and a horror to live with. 

BluepointToasted

CinemaGoddess said:

He will legitimately go HULK SMASH on the carpet if it looks askance at him.  In other words, he will become completely irrational and a horror to live with. 

Right?!? I get like that if I wait too long between meals.

If it is too good to be true, it is. If it requires cutting out entire food groups, it is not usually sustainable. And if it requires cutting out all food???? It's probably just silly

lildevil968

30 days of just juice sounds awefully unsafe to me. I've done these fad diets before, and I have always gained the weight back within a matter of weeks.

Maebb

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Stop.
Buying.
Crap.

I am not the exclusive food-buyer of the household. Plus, I can stock the house with healthy things and throw out everything else, but if he eats a cup of almonds after we already eat dinner, what am I supposed to do? I have talked to him about portions and moderation, but I don't know how to do it in a non-nagging way.

A lot of you have brought up good points and resources, so thanks for that, and I'll talk about it with DH and see where it goes. I know I am responsible for my own health, so I will make the right choice for me, and if DH insists on this juice thing and turns into the Incredible Hulk, we can come up with another plan then.

winecastle14

@Maebb I understand that it's difficult to change your eating habits when someone living in your house will not. Chances are that after a week of juicing, he'll be ready to ditch the juice diet. You really need protein and healthy carbs to fuel your body. He's going to lose muscle mass and I doubt that's what he's going for.

Could you form an agreement that if you juice for a week (still would recommend you making your own so it's fresh and you get the nutrients needed), then he does a clean eating diet with you for the rest of the month? 

Eating healthy is a pain in the ass when you aren't used to it, but after a while you get in the routine of it and it doesn't seem so daunting. I have been using the shopping list and some of the meals from this blog: https://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/12/29/whole30-2014-week-1-meal-plan/

It's a Paleo blog, but we don't go that far. We just do clean eating. I don't think a long term Paleo diet is the best for you either. 

 

theimpossibleastronaut

Sorry it was too funny not to include.

Carry on.

missyishere

BILLY MAYS HERE FOR...

theimpossibleastronaut

This one too... I'm literally laughing at my desk... 

CinemaGoddess

But seriously tho. 

Maebb

slappalicious said:

Maebb said:

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Stop.
Buying.
Crap.

I am not the exclusive food-buyer of the household. Plus, I can stock the house with healthy things and throw out everything else, but if he eats a cup of almonds after we already eat dinner, what am I supposed to do? I have talked to him about portions and moderation, but I don't know how to do it in a non-nagging way.

A lot of you have brought up good points and resources, so thanks for that, and I'll talk about it with DH and see where it goes. I know I am responsible for my own health, so I will make the right choice for me, and if DH insists on this juice thing and turns into the Incredible Hulk, we can come up with another plan then.

A cup of almonds is better than a bag of potato chips.


I should have specified that it's an individual portion bag. But I still don't see why he needs to eat it after dinner. He says that's his "dessert."

CinemaGoddess

I often eat food after dinner. 

Dinner does not mean end of food.  

Maebb

AmberEA14 said:

@Maebb I understand that it's difficult to change your eating habits when someone living in your house will not. Chances are that after a week of juicing, he'll be ready to ditch the juice diet. You really need protein and healthy carbs to fuel your body. He's going to lose muscle mass and I doubt that's what he's going for.

Could you form an agreement that if you juice for a week (still would recommend you making your own so it's fresh and you get the nutrients needed), then he does a clean eating diet with you for the rest of the month? 

Eating healthy is a pain in the ass when you aren't used to it, but after a while you get in the routine of it and it doesn't seem so daunting. I have been using the shopping list and some of the meals from this blog: https://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/12/29/whole30-2014-week-1-meal-plan/

It's a Paleo blog, but we don't go that far. We just do clean eating. I don't think a long term Paleo diet is the best for you either. 

 

Thank you. This link and the other one are both great, and I like the idea of compromise and reaching an agreement.

CinemaGoddess

@Maebb

Has he tried straight calorie counting or keeping a log of what he eats for, say, a week?

If he has problems with portion sizes, maybe encourage him to go grocery shopping with you and help him understand what a serving size is. 

Maebb

@CinemaGoddess, he will not count calories (he has an "ain't nobody got time for that" attitude about it), and when I have gotten out the measuring cups to demonstrate portion sizes, it has not gone over well. Like, if he orders a large pizza and wings, I will have two pieces, he will have half the pizza, I will have 2 wings, he will have 8, and then he will have 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing to go with the wings. I am not exaggerating.

We could try going to the store together. I don't want to give up, but I'm just frustrated because I want to reach a place of moderation, and I want him to want to reach that place too. He does exercise, and he thinks that justifies his eating habits, but it just seems unbalanced to me.