The juicing method for weight loss has become so popular mainly because it is made to look incredibly easy. You have probably heard the tremendous success stories where a person lost a stunning amount of weight in a very short time.
This has got you wondering if the same could happen to you, right? Well, maybe. What these stories don’t tell you, is that you’ll need to do much more than gobble down jugs of juice before you see any reduction in your weight.
So, before you run out and buy a juicer, we have come up with pitfalls that come with juicing to lose weight and solutions on how to avoid them. We only ask for a minute of your time to steer you in the right direction as you start your juice diet.
1. You’ll Probably Gain It All Back!
The bitter truth is, a juice fast is not an effective method of losing and maintaining weight. Before you start cursing, hear me out. For one, a juice fast is not long term since you can only go for a maximum of seven days on juice alone.
When you finally give in to your cravings, or you complete your juice diet, you are bound to gain the lost weight back or sometimes even more. This is because a juice fast works by reducing your calorie intake for a period of time allowing your body to utilize stored energy (fat) to sufficiently perform day to day tasks hence weight loss.
So, as much as you lose at most a pound a day, you will gain it all back when you stop juicing unless you plan on living on a juice diet for life.
The good news is, this can be avoided. To ensure you do not gain weight after juicing, you can add some tweaks to your method. After you complete your juicing period say three days, get on a healthy diet and an effective workout plan.
A diet comprising of as little processed food as possible will ensure you do not pack your body with unhealthy fat while regular exercise will maintain your weight or even lead to further weight loss.
2. Loss Of Muscles, Yikes!
Juicing especially long term will definitely result in a significant amount of weight loss but at the expense of your muscles. Imagine losing weight without muscle gain, all the sagging that comes with it will probably cause more harm than good.
The science behind this is that juicing provides your body with only vitamins and sugar (fructose) which are important for overall health but do not have the muscle building properties of proteins. So what do you do to avoid losing muscle while on a long juice fast?
This may seem unorthodox but adding protein to your juicing regime will work wonders for your muscle mass. The best way to incorporate proteins in your juicing diet is to invest in protein powders.
A scoop of protein powder to go with your juice will allow you to get your required doze of proteins necessary for a balanced diet as well as for muscle definition. Chia seeds when well grounded, also do a great job acting as a source of proteins in-case protein powders are too pricey for you.
3. It’s A Fake!
For juicing to effectively lead to weight loss, it is vital you use real fruits and veggies to make your juice. If you plan on going on a juice fast, you should avoid settling for store juices unless you are a hundred percent sure of their ingredients.
This is because most store juices use pulp instead of real fruit which add no nutritional value and may end up increasing your calorie intake due to the high amount of sugar.
Instead, go ‘homemade‘ on all your juices. There is no better way of watching your weight than consuming food you have made yourself. This will require you to invest in a good juicer most preferably one that comes with a blender for vegetables so as to retain their fiber.
4. Calorie Watch
Juicing may at times lead to packing more calories than intended due to the high amounts of fructose contained in most fruits. Moreover, some people may be tempted to add sugar to the juice to make it sweeter.
Please don’t! High sugar content leads to high-calorie intake which in most cases defeats the purpose of juicing. I mean, why go hungry only to drink the same calories or even more?
To avoid excessive sugar intake, first of all, do not add any artificial sweetener to your juices. Instead, go for fruits such as bananas and pineapple that will naturally sweeten your drink.
To add to that, when making efficient juices for weight loss, it is best to go green so as to avoid excessive fructose intake that might increase your calorie count.
Don’t get me wrong, fruit juices are excellent for weight loss, but depending on them too much may be counterproductive. Making vegetable juices is an efficient way to avoid too much sugar while attaining fiber. If you are clueless on the ideal juices for weight loss, some of these recipes will be a good starting point.
5. Don’t Just Sit There, Flash It Out!
Many people assume a successful juice cleanse is as a result of simply taking the juices and waiting for the magic to happen. You couldn’t be more wrong! For you to lose weight while juicing, you have to be active so as to burn excess fat. Failure to do this will lead to slower results or maintaining of the same weight as your metabolism rate will be low.
A good way to do this is engaging in any form of exercise while juicing to lose weight. As a bonus, your body will not only lose extra pounds but also flash out toxins through sweat and bowel movement. This will give you a clean slate when you decide to go back on a solid food diet.
Conclusion
So, does juicing help you lose weight? If only weight loss was as simple as going on a juice diet, then we would all be healthy. But it’s not. You have to do it correctly to ensure you attain and maintain your desired results. If you are planning on jumping on the juicing bandwagon, the above tips will be of good use on your weight loss journey.
In case you still have qualms with the juicing method for weight loss, leaving us a comment won’t hurt. Otherwise, stay healthy guys and happy juicing!
