Hey Everyone...

I'm Sabrina (hence the username). I started detoxing on Sunday and the first and second day were eh ok. But today MAN I want some food. lol Solid food. There's several types of detoxing and I chose the method of juicing. I blend my meals consisting of only veggies or fruits. I have 1 salad every night with only olive oil and lemon juice. I need some emotional support!! Bleh...

Well, here's the thing. If you don't eat, you're going to feel weak.

There is no evidence (ANYWHERE) that a normal body ever needs "detoxing" beyond what is acheived by maintaining a moderately healthy diet. Bodies were designed to eat actual food, not just juice and salad. Going on such a plan is a personal choice, but most likely, you aren't eating 1200 calories in a day, which is the minimum amount recommended without a doctor's supervision.

Is there a reason you chose such a restrictive detox rather than more moderate changes? Your body doesn't seem to be responding well to it...have you considered moving to a whole-foods calorie counting approach with real food in portion-controlled quantities?

Juice detox since Sunday and today is Tuesday??? wow is that safe? I don't blame you for feeling weak I think I would be bedridden if all I had was juice for three days!

I don't know anything about detoxing and especially juice detox but from what I have read from many posts on here a lot of people think they are unnecessary. Like I said I don't know enough about it so I won't debate the benefits for/against detoxes, beside you are looking for some support right!

How much longer are you going to go without solid food and only drinking juice? You say you are "weak" do you mean literally physically weak or mentally weak?

If you are physically weak I would say, and I'm no doctor so take it with a grain of salt, maybe you better rethink your detox plans... but if you are just mentally weak here is what is helping me.

I have been losing weight steadily since I started eating right in smaller portions and more frequently and exercising every day rain or shine. I can see I am losing 2-3lbs every week. I marked on a calendar every week my projected weight loss. Buy July 4th if I continue on how I am doing I should have lost almost 50 pounds by then and with the 26 pounds I have already lost that will be approximately 75 pounds and I should look and feel remarkably different.

EVERY time I mess up (and I have a few times) I move the date back a day for the day I mess up which fortunately has only been 3 times. If I overeat one day then that day is one day that my diet and workout is nullified for that day and my goal date I have to change on the calender..

When I can SEE my progress on a calendar it REALLY keeps me motivated and in line. And I hate having to push my goal date back! The calendar trick definitely works for me and maybe it could work for you.

There are many paths one can take but ultimately we are all heading for the same destination... too look and feel better, to be healthier.

good luck... you can do it!

I guess it was just a quick post but I actually feel pretty good. I'm stoked. I've been eating like every 2 hours (mind you it's juice or soup) and taking triple omega vitamins though I'm thinking of starting milk thistle soon. Weak as in solid foods are very tempting. I want to bite into something juicy or greasy. :P

mandalinn82 -- I've started detox so that I can jump start my metabolism and get rid of the toxins in my body. I chose to detox on a whim. I figured it would be easier for me to blend together some fruits and veggies rather than start on just dieting (I have never followed through with diets). The only type of dieting that I've tried before is the Atkins and just eating Weight Watchers meals, neither of them worked well. The longest I've tried dieting was like 3 weeks. No results in 3 weeks? I get discouraged and moved on. What diet method did you take on? I'm actually not going to be detoxing for too long. My friend and I were talking of doing it for a month but I'm not so sure if that's a good idea, I think my body wouldn't like me very much. I'm still juggling around with the end date. I'm thinking I'll stop on the 5th or 6th day, then start a REAL diet. :P Oh, so after the detox I'm thinking on going for low calorie intake and trying to eat more organic foods.

flatiron -- Thanks for your supportive post. Yeah there is definitely controversy regarding detox. Many feel that it is healthy, others do not. In fact, I made an appointment to speak with my doctor about it (and get my precise weight). Yup - I is mentally weak. I keep having dreams about eating food! lol They're horrible. That's great that you've done so well on your plan! Sounds like you're very self disciplined. That's awesome. Doing this detox (even though it's only been a short matter of time) has made me realize how much self discipline I do have. The other day my great grandmother baked some delicious cookies (omg!!!) and when no one was in the kitchen I sneaked in there opened the lid to the freshly baked cookies, sniffed, touched and ran out of the kitchen. LOL I feel pretty proud of that no matter how dorky it sounds. :P It's been 3 days and I am 7lbs lighter and even though it's just water weight it's awesome... it's been a while since I've been in the 220's. Thanks for your comment.

There's a fundamental problem with going on a very low calorie "detox" with the purpose of increasing metabolism...it basically goes against the way your body works.

Here's what happens. Your body is a well-evolved machine, designed to keep you alive when food is abundant as well as when it is scarce. Your body doesn't know the difference between "I'm eating very few calories because I want to lose weight" and "I'm eating very few calories because I can't find food", so, being the evolved machine it is, it starts acting like you are in the middle of a famine. It slows your metabolism down so you burn fewer calories doing the things you do every day. Now, in an actual starvation situation, this would be a huge advantage...you'd be conserving those calories you need to stay alive! But in a weight loss situation, this is exactly what you DON'T want...you want to keep that metabolism FIRING so you can eat as much as possible while still losing weight long term. Does that make sense?

Again, there is no evidence out there (and I've read a lot!) that indicates that bodies somehow need to be "detoxified" more than what is provided by a clean, healthy diet with plenty of water and exercise, so doing a juice fast not only might make your metabolism run slower, it also is probably unnecessary. I hate to see people struggling with overly restrictive plans when they aren't going to give them much of a benefit, you know?

Most of the people here who have found long-term weight loss success, and have maintained their losses, did so by ditching the "diet" mentality and focusing on lifestyle changes they could maintain forever. Read more about the plans people here are doing, stick around, and keep posting!

My take on "detoxing" and any other kind of extreme dietary approach is that if you're hating what you're doing, constantly craving something that's "illegal," and even dreaming about the things you'd prefer to be eating, then you're headed for serious disappointment when (not if, but when) the "diet" doesn't work out.

mandalinn already suggested a particular diet, which is the kind she follows, and lots of other people do: a whole-foods-focused, calorie-counting approach. Many people find that this kind of diet leads to real lifestyle changes which, in the long run, bring about real weight loss and health.

Have you looked at the amount of calories you are actually consuming in juice? For example, if all you are consuming is the juice of naturally low calorie fruits and vegetables, its likely you really aren't consuming enough to support your daily functions. It may be beneficial to either increase significantly the amount of juice you are consuming and include smoothies with items with a bit more substance to them, like an avocado or something. Really though, 3 days is quite a long time for any kind of juicing regime and I think you might like to start adding more solid foods back in. Just my two cents.

I know EFS (and I think FS) has a detox phase. It doesn't involve eliminating solid foods at all and incorporates very healthy foods. If you feel that the juicing detox isn't quite what you need, then it may be another nice alternative. It helped me to incorporate brown rice, beans, tons of veggies and fruits into my diet. Not only that, but in my case it eases some of the intense sugar cravings I get sometimes. I'm not perfect when it comes to eating but I'm learning to make smarter choices. It's a good start if a person needs some practice with food logging and calorie counting. Good luck Sabrina, sounds like youre determined!

Thanks everyone for your responses. After reading all of them I have decided to end the detox. It's been very difficult drinking a juice every two hours. Tonight I ended my detox and ate some eggs and a piece of sourdough toast. I really appreciate all the advice.

mandalinn82 -- A special thanks to you. Sorry if I came off as rude, I tend to have a defensive side. I had a Professor tell me that once, never noticed till he mentioned it. Anyways, you look great. Congratulations on your weight loss. I definitely should be taking tips from you or other successful chicks and dudes. :P

CookieQueen -- While detoxing I only ate fresh fruits and vegetables... never thought to even look up such information.

bekko -- I've been logging my juices. :P Dates of when I eat, how much I eat, etc. I think I can do pretty well on that. Now that I'm going to start eating more solid foods I'm going to continue logging. I have never really been too big on label reading but I'm going to make it a point to do. Mmm rice, beans... Mexican food!!

Thankee everyone!!! It was nice to get all the helpful responses. Has a nice day/night/year! :P