Juice and Water Fasting, Are Methods to Loss Your Weight?

Water fasting has long been considered to be the most effective method of weight loss. However this program requires great self control and an extended fast can cause severe and even fatal side effects. Juice Fasting was built upon the same principles of water fasting and so it employs the positive aspects of water fasting and allows your body to efficiently expel waste and toxins. Juice fasting also eliminates the negative effects of water fasting such as a nutritional deficiency by providing the body with ample vitamins and minerals.

Correct Ways to Use Juice and Water Fasting

During a juice fast, an individual should ideally consume 32 to 64 ounces of vegetable and fruit juice daily. Vegetable juices like celery, cucumber, carrots, beets and cabbage are extremely nutritious and should form the basis of a juice fast. In addition to this, vegetable juice made out of Greens like parsley and spinach as well as Herbs like fennel, basil, green onion and milk thistle is also important and at least one glass of any of these juices should be consumed daily. Avoid citrus fruit juice as its extremely acidic properties can cause an imbalance in the body’s ph balance. Those on prescription drugs should avoid grapefruit and pomegranate juice as these juices contain compounds that affect the way certain medications are metabolized by the body.

For the first few days of a juice fast, it is not uncommon for individuals to experience a three to four pound drop in their weight but after that, weight loss stabilizes at approximately one pound per day. First-timers are advised to stick to a five day juice fast. After that the number of days for consecutive juice fasts can be increased up to a 7 day fast, 10 day fast and so on with the maximum being a 21-day Juice fast. People on this fast sometimes complain of constipation, bad breath, fatigue and nausea. Escalating symptoms should not be ignored and due to the severe constrictions of this diet, it should not be undertaken without medical supervision and assistance.

While a water fast or complete starvation will contribute 0 calories to your nutritional intake, it will also force your body to go into a “starved sate”. In this state, your body obtains the calories it requires from your muscles and your fat remains untouched which is why most people on this type of weight loss program complain of weakened or cramped muscles and extreme fatigue. It also slows down your metabolic rate and thus decreases your daily calorific requirement. The juice fast allows you to lose a larger amount of weight in a shorter period of time as the juice provides your body with nutrition and fiber and does not send it into starvation mode.