Juice Fasting -- or My Month as a No-Food-Atarian ...

Posted on September 15, 2014

So I've alluded a couple of times in my posts on my two games to an "extreme" diet. I'm writing this post to explain a little more about my current nutrition.

Juice Fast

Last Saturday (September 13 2014) marked the completion of my first month on my juice fast (or as my middle schoolers chortle -- "Dad's a no-food-atarian!"). Since August 13 2014, I've consumed nothing but water, the fresh juice of fruits (20%) and vegetables (80%), and near-daily 16oz serving of coconut water. My intention is to fast for two months total, which would mean that I'd finish the fast on (or before) October 14. Seen or heard of the movie "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", or the Reboot with Joe website? Then you'll be familiar with what I'm attempting.

About Me

For context: I turned 50 in July of this year. I'm physically active (within the past decade, I've completed a Half Ironman triathlon and numerous cycling events with names like "California Death Ride" and "Double-Triple Bypass") and in generally excellent health (with the exception of being categorically obese). Before starting my juice fast, I'd reached my all-time-high weight of 227 lbs. My target weight is 160 lbs -- although that would put me at about 15 pounds less than what I weighted when I graduated university back in 1987.

Daily Nutrition

My daily nutrition consists of water with lemon first thing in the morning, followed by a morning juice (all juice servings are approximately 16 oz), a serving of coconut water around 10:30a, four more juices between noon and 8p, hot tea at bedtime, and copious amounts of water (and herbal tea) throughout the day. I'd estimate my daily calorie intake at less than 600 calories.

But But But ...

I expect this type of fast might be somewhat controversial here on DietBet, as 1) it's not sustainable (believe me when I say I'm not getting enough calories to sustain myself in the long term); 2) it's not supported by extensive medical research; 3) it can be a huge competitive advantage in DietBet games (right now, I'm most concerned about blowing through the lower weight limit of the first round of my DB10!); and mostly critically, 4) it could be dangerous for people that have health conditions or existing nutritional issues; etc. Let me categorically state that I'm NOT advocating this nutritional approach to anyone else (!), and that if you do choose to pursue this, that you absolutely should seek medical (and perhaps psychiatric!) guidance in advance.

Rubber: Meet Road

I have a lot more to say on this topic (assuming that there's interest), but let me end this post by giving some stats for my first month on the fast:

Starting weight: 226.6 lbs
Weight after one month: 196.7 lbs (loss of 29.9 lbs)
Goal weight on completing fast: 180 lbs
Eventual goal weight (after conventional diet and exercise): 160 lbs

Thanks to the supportive DietBet community, particularly my co-travelers in the Fitness Warriors 17 and The Transformer (August 26 - Feb 25) games!

Comment Now!

Miss Prickly

09/17/2014 1:09PM

So interesting! I'll be following your story. Sounds like you're doing some light exercise, but did you have to give up running/biking/swim workouts? Would you have enough energy for a ten-mile training run?

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Dave M.

Thanks Miss Prickly -- I wouldn't say I've had to give up running or biking (and I'm not currently swim training), but I'm definitely having to moderate what I normally might do -- e.g. there's a local ride here (Boulder, CO) that includes an 17 mile, 3700' climb (36 to Peak-to-Peak via Left Hand Canyon) that I won't attempt until I've completed the fast. Wouldn't attempt a 10 mile run, either. Pretty much limiting workouts to an hour.

Biking Syl

09/16/2014 3:56PM

Interesting experiment... At least you will get plenty of vitamins with all the juices. I am just wondering if you lost mostly fat or muscle tissue. Did you measure your percentages before and after, by any chance? The body does eat up muscle tissue as fuel, if you restrict the calories too much.

Example: A few years back, I got very sick and lost a considerable amount of muscle weight from just laying in the hospital bed, not moving much, not eating much. However, the body did have to rebuild the muscle after that to function, and since I did not lose that much fat, I quickly reached my old weight again when the muscles came back.

I hope you will find a way to transition from this crash diet into a manageable long-term lifestyle. Good luck, hope it works out for you!

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Dave M.

Your last point about transitioning to a sustainable approach to nutrition is spot on. I've given quite a bit of thought to how I want to change my nutritional approach at the end of my fast (which, quite honestly, could come at any time if I felt that I was no longer making progress towards my immediate goals). Definitely plan to cut out most processed carbs, eliminate diet soda, etc. -- probably something along the lines of modified Paleo (i.e. Paleo plus beans / legumes).

Thanks again for your comments, Biking Syl -- while I sense your skepticism, I also appreciate you taking timing to comment, and your support!

Biking Syl

Glad to see that you put so much research in your nutrition and the 'time after'. I really do admire your resolve, which is the main reason I think this might work for you, because if you can do this for 60 days, you can handle the slow transition to the modified paleo.

Continuous exercising and the protein were definitely the way to go. I really did not want to sound too negative, but I read about a lot of people who did a similar program and had no concept for the time thereafter. So best of luck to you! Your results are amazing and with the new paleo life style you have a great plan in place!

Paula E.

09/16/2014 2:29PM

Good for you Dave! I love the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It inspired my husband to do the 30 day juice fast and I went along with him for the ride - this was two years ago though. A couple of thoughts: 1) your weight loss is tracking at the same pace as my husband's - about a pound a day. Mine was not as significant I think because I did not have as much to lose initially as he did 2) I found that when I entered Joe's juice recipes into MyFitnessPal, the caloric intake for one day was more in the 1500 calorie range (+\- 300). Technically plenty of calories, but definitely low on the protein and fat side with carbs being off the charts. 3) you are right in that it is not sustainable. My husband gained back most if not all of the weight he lost. 4) we still juice every now and then when we feel like we need a reminder or reboot. I wish you the best of luck as you continue with this!

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Paula E.

Good point Dave - when I entered Joe's juices as recipes in MFP I entered them as whole fruits or veggies, not as a juiced item. Does the caloric/nutritional value of a food item alter greatly after going through a juicing machine? I don't know. So perhaps your assumption on the caloric value of the juices is more spot on than mine. And, I was drinking an entire recipe, not halving it like you are. It sounds like you have figured out the juicing part - time to put a plan in place for the transition back to solids. (It will be fun to be able to "chew" again!) That transition and maintenance may be harder than the juicing itself! ;) best of luck!

Dave M.

I would think that a significant portion of the calories in fruit or vegetables are in the non-soluble fibre (aka compost) that passes through the juice machine.

Definitely looking forward to chewing again, but oddly really enjoying too how GOOD everything smells while I'm fasting! Everything from my wife cooking onions and garlic as prep for soup, to the "Crispy Garlic Smashers" (new potatoes smashed with garlic and lightly fried in oil) that friends had as an appetizer at a restaurant last night (not to worry, I just had my "dinner" and "dessert" juices!).

Dave M.

09/16/2014 11:37AM

@Mom-by-Love -- I'm basing that estimate on nutritional totals in my primary juice recipe book, "101 Juice Recipes" ( http://shop.rebootwithjoe.com/products/101-juice-recipes-book -- not to shill too much for the website!). Most of the calorie estimates are on the order of 50 to 175 calories per serving, including those recipes with fruit.

One of the elements that I'm enjoying most about the fast is NOT having to count calories! Not explicitly tracking nutritional calories makes up for some of the time I spend actually juicing :-)

Paula E.

Yeah, and don't forget about all the time you are spending shopping and stocking your refrigerator - man, can you burn through some Kale and green apples pretty quickly!

CraigM

09/16/2014 9:11AM

Keep after it Dave. Be healthy and safe!

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Mom-by-Love

09/16/2014 7:39AM

Question: I've been wishing I could do more juicing with my dietbet, but 1) I am a car addict and trying to lower my overall carbs, not just bread carbs. Juices have high carbs if you use 20% fruit. And 2) similarly, how are you keeping to 600 calories with that much juice if it's 20% fruit? If I drank that much juice, I would blow through my 1000 calorie a day limit, by my figuring. I'd appreciate the advice because u miss my fresh spinach celery carrot Apple juice! :-)

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Biking Syl

Maybe you could try veggie juice or a combination of fruits and veggies. I happened to compare labels at the store today and veggie juice has a fraction of the carbs/calories of fruit juice, because it is lower in sugar.

Susie D.

09/16/2014 7:26AM

Good for you! Sounds like you have researched it, know what you're doing, and it's just for short term. You've gotten amazing results! Can't wait to hear the next post!

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Kim

09/16/2014 6:58AM

Your post sounds awesome... I would have also gone with the juice only diet after watching that documentary; however, I am not obese or overweight, and frankly, I don't need to detox or lose all that much. That being said, I am an avid juicer, and I began after watching that doc. I haven't been sick for even one day since Jan of this year when I began. I also oil pull daily, exercise regularly, and address my stress and sleep needs intentionally.
I hope that your juice fast continues to go well, and I look forward to hearing more about your journey. Thanks for posting!

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Kayla M.

09/16/2014 6:37AM

This is really interesting as I've read a lot about juice diets and such. I'm certain a juice diet is not for me, but it's interesting to see how it affects someone else.

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Avi N.

09/16/2014 2:07AM

I've done juice fasting for a few days, so I feel for you. However, I did this in a very controlled environment. I REALLY hope you're doing this accompanied by a doctor or, at least, a clinical dietitian! Dangers be there!

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