I Lost 15 Lbs From Juicing, Here’s What I Learned

I have been juicing off and on for 5 years now, and I have done 3 full on juice cleanses, so those experiences is what I will be pulling from. My first juice cleanse was by far my most intense one, and probably the one I've learned most from. I lost 15 lbs from juicing and here's what I learned.

I want to be very honest with whoever is reading this; I’ve been hesitant to write about this topic for a while. Juicing, and specifically, juice cleansing, is kind of a controversial subject in the health world. So here’s my disclaimer; I am not a health expert, nor can I offer any medical or scientific information, I can only speak from my experience and give my honest opinion. I have been juicing off and on for 5 years now, and I have done 3 full on juice cleanses, so those experiences is what I will be pulling from. My first juice cleanse was by far my most intense one, and probably the one I’ve learned most from. I juiced, without any additives such as protein shakes, smoothies, or meal replacements, for 17 days. I lost 15 lbs from juicing (give or take a pound.) The other two were a 7 day cleanse with one protein shake a day, and a 3 day cleanse without additives. If you are considering juicing for whatever reason, here are some things I have learned that you should know.

1. Water

If you are going to be juicing, you need to up your water intake substantially. I normally drink around 50 oz. of water, but I increase that to over a gallon of water a day when I am juicing. It helps with flushing out your system, it keeps your energy levels up, and it is essential for controlling cravings. If I think I am hungry and need more juice, I drink some water and wait 10 minutes. If I am still hungry, I have some of my juice, but if not, I know it was my mind’s habit of eating rather than my body needing substance.

2. You will be cold

I don’t ever recommend doing a juice cleanse in winter unless you want to wear a snowsuit around your house. Seriously, that’s how cold you will probably get. When your body is processing food, it takes energy, which produces heat, and when there’s no food to break apart, your temperature lowers. At least that’s what I have felt. So wear warm socks and sweaters if you are going to juice.

3. Energy levels

Again, I am only speaking from my experience, but if you are worried that you will be a zombie on your juice cleanse, don’t be. I run every day so believe me, I would notice if I suddenly didn’t have the energy to jog 2 miles when I usually run 4. I have maybe experienced one day when I felt tired, but other than that, juicing has never affected my energy.

4. Hungry

Will you be hungry? Honestly, that’s a complicated question. I usually want to eat, but am not actually hungry when I am juicing. It’s kind of a strange feeling. I can put it this way… if I am sitting around while juicing, I will feel hungry and really want to eat, but if I am distracted, as long as I am consuming enough juice, I feel fine. In my opinion, your body is getting what it needs, even though your taste buds aren’t getting what they want.

5. Results

Will you get results? Definitely. Will they last? Probably not. Here’s the thing, if you juice for anything over 3 days, you are going to lose weight, but keeping that weight off is another story. After juicing, expect to gain back 2-3 pounds right away. That will come from the food your body stores during digestion and there’s just no way around those pounds coming back. However, anything beyond the 2-3 pounds can become permanent weight loss. So say you lost 10 pounds on a 7-day juice cleanse and you gain back 2 of those pounds within a couple days of eating. Those five pounds you have lost will either come back or not depending on your diet. If you go back to eating exactly the way you did before, of course you will gain it back. But if you used the cleanse to reset your eating habits along with your body and you stick to a healthy diet, you will probably keep the weight off. I lost 15 lbs from juicing, but weight loss will vary from person to person.

My final advice is to do your research and take it slow. Maybe start with replacing one meal a day with a juice and see how that works for you. Make sure you are putting your body’s health over your desire for results.