Roseamerica

Hi, and wanted to share my successful experiences with combination of juice fasting and "clean eating" for weight loss.
First of all, I am day six of juice fast. Juice fasts in my opinion are the safest way to lose weight very quickly, detox and set yourself up for very healthy eating. I need to lose about forty pounds and have already lost ten these last five days.
JUICE FASTING requires you purchase a good juicer and lots of fresh produce (check out juice fasting sites for lists), but the more vegetables juice, the faster you lose, although I have found that you can stay on it longer if you make it fruity.
The first day is the toughest because you are still digesting solid foods which is what makes you hungry. When your system stops breaking down foods it begin to relax and then all you feel empty, and have occasional impulses to want to chew something. You can have as much juice as you want and freeze some of it, and you can use Stevia as a sweetner. You can also have any kind of tea, and I allow myself black coffee. No salt, but you can use pepper and any non caloric seasonings (ginger, fennel, tobasco, garlic,) which is great for making soups. Lots of water. No sugar free sodas...nothing fake.
PERKS of juice fasting to start major weight loss is you are literally breaking with your old habits which have gotten you fat. It is very hard to just cut out the bad things; you feel so deprived. With juice fasting you are cutting out everything, and therefore aren't tempted. And you see such immediate changes and feel better every day that this alone keeps you committed.
And sleeping is just divine. Your body is already at rest so it isn't digesting food all night. Naps are good too.
Changes such as losing all water weight the first three days which can amount to eight pounds, and your stomack shrinks and becomes used to being at rest which is so good for your body. Changes in your blood pressure and clear headedness, eyesight improves and although you will have what is known as ketosis (a metalic taste in your mouth) that's a normal result of mucho fat breaking down, and you will also be peeing like a racehorse, you have lots of energy and I have been so motivated I take on projects I have procrastinated tackling. Fasting seems to empower productive choices. I feel I am helping myself, have gotten out of the rut, so actually feel like taking on other issues that have been dragging me down. I also put extra emphasis on treating myself well in baths, massages, pedicures, facials, and I read self help books (and blog about fasting). It takes real intention to do this, but it's worth it.
I don't recommend strenuous excercise but walking is wonderful and any kind of other normal activity. I do lots of cleaning and rearranging and walk every day during a fast.

Last time I juice fasted I lost about fifteen pounds in ten days, maybe a bit more, and then transitioned gradually into what I call CLEAN EATING. Transitioning is as important as the fast itself. It must be done gradually, but the great news is any kind of solid food feels like work to eat and now that you are super clean you become very particular about what you put back into your body. Also, since you have weaned yourself off salt and can actually taste food now, this is a perfect time to be really sparing. Lemon and vinegars and juice from an orange are a great seasoning, and the less salt you use ..the less you will want to eat.
I transition into clean eating by adding solid vegetables and fruit first for a few days. Believe me this tastes wonderful, and you will continue to lose weight pretty fast, (about a pound a day). Then add lean protein (organic if you can), chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, very lean beef (no nuts or cheese) and you can also enjoy lentils or any kind of beans (not canned). After coming out of a fruit fast you won't want to eat big meals; I have felt like grazing some here and there.
CLEAN EATING is a good opportunity to see whether you are allergic to a certain food group, like my mother discovered she was lactose intolerant because when she added dairy to her diet she suddenly felt sluggish and phlegmactic.
After adding protein I add olive oil, about three tablespoons a day, and the good fats (avacado, seeds, almonds)...small portions and skim milk, yogurt (greek plain), cottage cheese (low sodium)...but stay away from feta cheese and any kind of canned or jarred olives, etc.
The key to Clean Eating is to only consume fresh foods which isn't stored as fat but rather fuel the body and keep you using your fat; stay away from anything that your body has to break down into sugar which is then translated into fat, like unhealthy carbs (breads, booze, sugar, processed rice, pasta).
When you are on clean eating you only eat enough to satisfy, and you feel your body working like a furnace to burn up your fat; but the moment you introduce a sugar (all processed carbs and glucose based foods) your body turns off the furnace on the fat and has to deal with the sugar. And once your body has had this "high" of sugar (glucose) it wants more again.

The last thing I add, and only after I have lost all the weight I want, are whole grains and baked potato, sweet potato, brown rice, and try to keep it to two servings a day.
Also a glass of red wine a few times a week and an ounce of dark chocolate.
Some people call this a cleaner version of the Meditteranean diet. Anyway, it's delicious and doesn't make you feel like eating more than you need.

So my goal is to lost about fifty pounds by mid September which I will easily be able to do on this plan. I have already lost about ten (on day six of the fruit fast). I can lose twenty on the fruit fast, which will take two weeks total (it's May 25th today) by June 2nd, I wil have three and a half months to lose the remaining thirty, but I will do this by transitioning gradually into the full Clean Eating regimen, so my slowest weight loss will be closer to September.

My problem is I have big extended family and we are partly Italian and the holidays are murder. Once I get that sugar and salt and back into my sytem I get addicted again. But it's great to have a tool like Juice Fasting to get back to clean and get off the sugar.

I hope this has helped someone. It helped me to write it.

My plan at this point is to do what I have done previously, to juice fast until I just don't want to do it anymore, to listen to my body.