60 Day Juice Fast?

[Wolfie]

Too many dark leafy greens, plus a high vitamin c intake is a recipe for stones if your body has a tendency toward them.

[liltwinstar]

Oh my gosh, I feel so bad for those girls!

I had my food similarly restricted (eating one fat-free, vegan meal per day during the 40 days of Lent, for example) when I was a teenager, and I'd do the same thing - pore over cookbooks, food magazines, etc looking at tasty things that I couldn't eat. Also, that kind of deprivation makes you really, really cranky and is hell when you're trying to concentrate - say, on school, or driving, or pretty much anything other than a nap. It's taken me nearly 10 years to heal from years of that kind of restriction - for me, my body/mind thought that I was in "famine" mode all the time, even when I started eating normally again. I literally forgot that you could eat part of something and then put it in the fridge for later. My mind/body wanted me to EAT ALL THE FOOD NOW. Which, of course, I did. It's better now, but it's taken me a long time to get here.

Anyway, there was a starvation study done on men during WWII to study the affects of food deprivation and then re-feeding (the gov't was trying to simulate the conditions in Europe, I guess, and figure out the best/healthiest way to get the population re-fed after the war). Anyway, the men in the study planned elaborate meals for themselves and reported high rates of depression and lethargy, same as these girls. So sad.

[Stickers]

They're going to be so depressed when they gain all that weight back.

My back did not hurt! This is amazing to me, as just being active for one hour usually makes my lower back ache terribly. I cannot even begin to explain this phenomenon!

I had energy to spare! I had been up since 4:45 AM, had no nap, and never once felt worn out during my busy day. This is new to me!

Losing weight might have taken some pressure off her back, but it sounds like she's running on adrenaline. That's not a good thing.

[CanadianHippie]

They've finished week two, so:

and as for her three daughters:

Yikes, especially as Haley and even Stephanie didn't look like they really needed to lose weight from the before pics. 15 lbs in 12 days would be 30 in 24 and 45 in 36. So, is a nearly 50 lb loss in a month a good thing? If at the same rate, that could be near 100 lbs in the 60 days if she sticks with it. Emily may not be slender, but I don't think she needs to lose much weight and definitely not 100 lbs worth. As for the other two, a pound a day would be 60 lbs total and I really, really don't think they need to lose that much weight. Sounds like it'd do them more harm than good. :?

*Note, not mocking them on the fast, but out of concern. The veggies are good and the juicing isn't a bad idea, but as a meal twice a day and how much weights they are losing on it and constant talk of hunger and constantly being tempted by smells says they aren't getting enough food. Now, smelling garlic bread or something and thinking how good it smells is one thing. I've smelled things like that and even though I just ate and wasn't hungry, it did smell rather appetizing. However, I don't get that from them. All the restaurants, Subway in the store, any food seems to trigger them.

As others have said, I think any weight they lose will be gained right back since they are already planning recipes for when the crash diet fast is over.

2-3 lbs per week should be the maximum weight loss (so they've lost more in 12 days than you are supposed to lose in a month). More than that and you are putting your body at risk. This scares me. At least two of those women don't need to lose 15 lbs let alone the full 100.

[GeoBQn]

Week 3

treasuresfromashoebox.blogspot.com/2012/06/adventures-of-secret-society-week-3.html

Thursday, Day 18

While shopping at Sam's Club yesterday (where we purchase our large bags of carrots for $2.99, bags of lemons and limes, and boxes of organic Spring Mix, all of which we juice), two of the Demo ladies noticed that I had lost weight and inquired. They were both genuinely interested in juicing; one lady for herself, and the other was thinking of her obese daughter. Lottie at first was clearly concerned when she asked, "You mean you haven't had solid food in seventeen days?! How can that be healthy???" I answered, "See all these veggies you have here?" She was demonstrating raw colored pepper slices and cherry tomatoes. "There is no way you could possibly eat even half what you have here; but I could juice the whole lot and drink the nutrients!" The light bulb fully lit up when I explained, "Your body doesn't need FOOD to survive; it needs nutrients! Take away the pulp, and you end up with concentrated nutrients!" As it all began to make sense, she became more interested in what kind of juicer to use and about the movie Fat Sick & Nearly Dead. I'm trying not to make a big deal out of all of this, but when somebody asks... ;) Note: This film has a brief bikini scene, Joe in his underwear, and some evolutionary teachings.

:angry-banghead:

The stupidity is spreading. Also, I was wondering if Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead had fundie connections since I've seen it mentioned on so many fundie blogs, but I guess that last sentence would mean that it's not.

This sentence really worries me:

I have noticed this week that if I fail to drink enough water, my kidneys will ache.

[luckystone]

She has a nice garden! The girls don't look too skinny, but the amounts she gave are huge. I noticed she hasn't given their losses for week 3? But they all seem to be doing it.

[Elle]

These diets work because they're starving their bodies, forcing their bodies to consume its own resources to keep them going. But it will screw up their metabolisms. A body used to starving will learn to be more efficient with the calories it does get, and so your metabolism will slow down. If they want to eat normally afterward, they need to realize they'll gain at least some of it back.

[Elle]

Week 3

treasuresfromashoebox.blogspot.com/2012/06/adventures-of-secret-society-week-3.html

Juicing doesn't take out the bad stuff. I can juice a carrot cake cupcake, and I'm not going to have a cup of concentrated nutrients. There will be tons of sugar and other bad stuff.

When it comes to produce, the roughage they aren't eating, that has next to no calories anyway, would actually require calories for their bodies to digest, so they're defeating themselves.

[B5SnowDog]

Plus all that fiber they're throwing away is necessary for proper digestion. They're going to end up as befores in an Activia commercial.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

I think this portion disturbed me the most. As someone who did intentionally starve herself and would practice these behaviors while doing so, all I can say is that depriving your body of needed nutrients is going to be detrimental in the long run. It doesn't matter if you call it a juice fast or anorexia.

And she's letting her 16/17 year old daughter participate as well?! I don't care if she's "mature", this is not a diet for anyone, much less a teen!

OT, but I love your avatar - what does the caption say?

[GeoBQn]

Week 4 Update. It turns out that they are using the juice diet from a book by Steve Fuentes, husband of June Fuentes of A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

treasuresfromashoebox.blogspot.com/2012/06/interview-with-member-of-secret-society.html

[emilymea]

I know a girl who did a 40 day liquid fast - juice, protein shakes and tea. At the end of the fast her feet had become deformed because of the lack of nutrients. It bothered her that her feet had changed shape, but that hasn't stopped her from attempting the 40 day fast every year nsince then. (Her last attempt ended at 20 days because she felt so sick.)

Fasting like that isn't good for you.

[Kailis]

OT, but I love your avatar - what does the caption say?

"Sometimes when people get what they want they realize how limited their goals were."

I am in love with Joan. Seriously. Words cannot describe.

[Witsec7]

...

Anyway, there was a starvation study done on men during WWII to study the affects of food deprivation and then re-feeding (the gov't was trying to simulate the conditions in Europe, I guess, and figure out the best/healthiest way to get the population re-fed after the war). Anyway, the men in the study planned elaborate meals for themselves and reported high rates of depression and lethargy, same as these girls. So sad.

The subjects were conscientious objectors recruited from work camps. The Great Starvation Experiment: The Heroic Men Who Starved so That Millions Could Live,Todd Tucker, is an easy read with good science. The whole Minnesota Starvation Experiment taught us fasting and extreme diets don't work. Also we must recognize these subjects were continuously monitored by doctors.

FWIW when a hungry/starving person fixates on food it's called the Goldilocks Paradigm.

[Elle]

They've finished week two, so:

and as for her three daughters:

Yikes, especially as Haley and even Stephanie didn't look like they really needed to lose weight from the before pics. 15 lbs in 12 days would be 30 in 24 and 45 in 36. So, is a nearly 50 lb loss in a month a good thing? If at the same rate, that could be near 100 lbs in the 60 days if she sticks with it. Emily may not be slender, but I don't think she needs to lose much weight and definitely not 100 lbs worth. As for the other two, a pound a day would be 60 lbs total and I really, really don't think they need to lose that much weight. Sounds like it'd do them more harm than good. :?

In the first couple weeks of a lot of diets, it's a lot of retained water that comes off. It's not loss that will keep up at the same pace. A lot of people who go on diets to lose weight get really encouraged at the fast loss up front, then are discouraged when it slows down to a pound or two, maybe three, a week. It takes burning 3,600 calories more than you take in to lose a pound of weight. That means that she'd have to burn through 4,500 calories a day more than any calories she's getting in her juice. That is a significant number of calories, and would require extremely hard, heavy, sweaty exercising to burn that many in one day. But dropping water weight retained from eating tons of sodium is easy. However it will all come back once you start eating salt again. Cut all salt out of your diet for one week (check everything, down to sports drinks, and avoid everything with salt), and without doing anything else different, you'll probably drop five pounds, if not a lot more. But once you start consuming salt again, it will come back.

There are medical issues related to not eating enough sodium for extended periods of time. Your body does need some. Without it, your body can't retain the water it needs to function. I have a medical condition that makes it hard for my body to absorb and retain water, so this issue is one I have to be on top of to stay alive. Drinking plain water doesn't hydrate me well. I can drink a couple large glasses of water and do nothing more than talk with someone for half an hour, and become too dehydrated to continue just talking. It sucks, and makes me feel sick.

I hope for those girls' sake that they're juicing celery. Celery is the produce item with the highest amount of naturally-present sodium and will be their best chance at staying hydrated. Their mother has already posted,

I have noticed this week that if I fail to drink enough water, my kidneys will ache.

Since her body isn't able to retain enough water, it's taxing her kidneys to process what the body needs to process, not dissimilar to expecting a car to run with low oil that's dark back (clean oil looks like cooking oil, and it darkens are it's used).

[GeoBQn]

Week 6 update: Juice fasts can improve your eyesight! Also, the mom is getting annoyed that her weight loss has slowed.

treasuresfromashoebox.blogspot.com/2012/06/secret-society-week-6-hidden-blessings.html

[Bellatrix]

The juice fast should really be reserved to well documented raw vegans who are very aware of their body, its needs and how to get those needs balanced out.

These people (especially the raw vegans who are known as fruitarians... and yes, I've met a few very healthy and athletic people living this lifestyle) usually get their blood tested on a very regular basis to know exactly what is up and what is down, their body is already used to exclusive raw intake (and they will stay on this type of food after the fast so they don't get the weight bounce back effect), etc.

Also, you can get protein and calcium from natural raw sources. Do not fear. BUT it takes a lot of knowledge, a lot of dedication and a lot of medical surveillance to achieve this balance. You don't do it to "lose weight". This is a lifestyle in which a juice fast represents a cleansing cycle. This is about living off fresh raw fruit and vegetables. All the time. Always. A tiny minority of people transition to it, and they thrive on it, but it's a bad bad bad idea to toy around with your body and health to wave some kg goodbye. It will take such a toll on your heart (seriously), your nutriments levels, your energy and your weight ultimately as it will return and probably in double the original volume.

I have little patience to go through their blog. And it is getting late over here. Does anyone know if they have a semi-raw lifestyle already? I somehow doubt it but perhaps it is their lucky day and I'm wrong.

[Rosa]

Indeed. At first I thought they were making smoothies, which I would think SHOULD retain the fiber, but a look at the actual link proves otherwise. All the "pulp" is FIBER being strained right out.

As far as calcium goes, they seem to be eating - um, drinking - a lot of dark leafy greens. That's calcium for you, especially if combined with vitamin c (all the fruit). But yes, they're very low on fats which we need, and yes, starving your body is counterproductive.

Holy shit. I assumed it was smoothies too. Taking out all the fiber seems like it would cause some sort of unpleasantness.

[GeoBQn]

To quote a doctor in the HBO doc Weight of the Nation, "Juice is Nature's way of getting you to eat fiber."

[Koala]

I *almost* feel sorry for her. *Almost*. She strikes me as very ignorant. I am thinking coming off this "juice fast" is going to be a bitch on their digestive systems.

[luckystone]

Who is her dentist??? Did he really say those things?

[ADoyle90815]

I *almost* feel sorry for her. *Almost*. She strikes me as very ignorant. I am thinking coming off this "juice fast" is going to be a bitch on their digestive systems.

I also think coming off the fast is going to be rough.

[Muriel]

Wow, they really have done it for 6 weeks now :shock:

I think I'm so use to read bloggers like Candy or Brandy who are in a new diet or trend each week and drop it 2 days later that I didn't believe they'll really do it !

[ChickeyMonkey]

The girls are curvy - they have hips and narrow waists. You can't make your hips smaller when that's just the way your body type is.

[alba]

Week 6 update: Juice fasts can improve your eyesight! Also, the mom is getting annoyed that her weight loss has slowed.

treasuresfromashoebox.blogspot.com/2012/06/secret-society-week-6-hidden-blessings.html

Maybe, just maybe, all the carotenoids she's been consuming have been improving her eyesight (though on the other hand carotenoids are much better absorbed with some fat, which she's not getting). More likely it's completely unrelated.