I recently (about 3 weeks ago now) overheard someone in Starbucks saying she had bought a 5-day juice diet from Groupon, as it was “74% off”.
Me being me, I went and looked this up (anything to procrastinate…)
Here’s the lowdown:
The Specifics
• Contains 5 juices per day and a bed time tea
• Both contain a variety of juices that provide an intense alkalizing effect
• Packed full of flavour with no loss of nutrient value
• Arriving on a Monday, the programmes can be followed for three or five-days
The Juices
• Juice no. 1: carrot, apple, ginger
• Juice no. 2: parsnip, pear, lime
• Juice no. 3: blueberry, mint, kale
• Juice no. 4: coconut water, yuzu, blue spirulina
• Juice no. 5: kale, avocado, coconut
Juice no 6: bedtime tea
The words “detox” and “cleanse” were mentioned over and over again by the woman, as she confidently justified her decision.
And I actually have nothing against having some juices to complement a diet, particularly if they choose to use mainly vegetables and struggle to get fruit and veg in their diet.
But, my concern is what happens after 5 days?
Truth is, a 5-day diet doesn't do any good for most people...
And it comes down to the question of: what have you learnt?
Maybe that drinking juice for a few days meant you couldn’t enjoy a coffee out in Starbucks with your friend?
You’ll probably lose a bit of weight.
Albeit mainly water and stored glycogen (stored carbs in your muscle).
And if you do it for long enough, you’ll probably lose a fair bit of muscle with that too.
And with muscle being a huge contributor to your metabolism and the calories your burn, you could be setting yourself up for weight regain!
Now, I don’t blame her for trying this.
“Everyone else is doing it” (or WAS...it does seem to be dying a death...hence the "74% off)
So it must work, right?
Just like it did for Kate Middleton post-baby…who probably also has her own chefs, 24 / 7 child care, servants, and organic Earl Grey…And for all we know, might not have even done a "juice diet.
But if she did, I'm sure she was well looked-after
And for the rest of us?
There’s no AFTER CARE…
Or AFTER AFTER CARE, for that matter.
You’re now reliant on these shake diets to lose weight.
There’s no education.
But because “it worked” <<< “worked” meaning you lost weight and put it back on again...you believe in it.
And unfortunately, you’ll continue to:
- Be frustrated by yoyo dieting habits
- Be confused about why you’re not getting “lean”
- And continue to shout LOUDER how coconut oil cures cellulite…along with everything else…
What I'm leading up to is this:
A 5-day diet doesn't do any good for most people.
When you start something, think about the journey.
What's the after-plan?
Where do you go next to keep the weight off?
Whatever "diet" you do, always be critical and ask how you're going to keep this weight off!
Speak soon,
Matt
matt@frucifit.com