How to Start Juicing for Weight Loss

The point of juicing for weight loss is to help you lose weight by abstaining from solid food, while still ingesting all the nutrients your body needs from the juice.

To lose weight, you must maintain a calorie deficit. In simple terms, you must consume fewer calories than you burn.

Most juice diets consist of 600-1,000 calories per day. The lack of solid food and calories result in a large calorie deficit for most people, which therefore lead to weight loss.

When picking a juice diet or a recipe, keep in mind the overall calorie intake you need to lose weight. The fewer calories you consume juicing, the more rapidly you’ll lose weight.

Different Ways you Can Use Juicing for Weight Loss

There are multiple ways to juice for weight loss. Most people who do a juice fast aren’t just trying to lose weight, they’re also looking to increase the nutrients in their body.

If you are juicing for weight loss or just for the health benefits, it’s important to stick to 80% vegetables and 20% fruit.

Fruit contains sugar, so the less fruit the better.

The three most common ways people juice for weight loss are highlighted below. If you are just beginning or are brand new to juicing, it is recommended you start with the juice fasting until dinner.

3-day juice cleanse (Juice fasting)

A juice fast is a certain period of time where you only consume juices and water.

The most common is a 3-day juice cleanse where you typically are consuming six juices a day.

One small study done by the Center for Human Nutrition found that a three-day juice cleanse altered intestinal microbiota associated with weight loss and also promoted a greater sense of well-being even two weeks after the cleanse.

While on a juice fast, it is important to not consume any liquids which will tax the body. These liquids include; coffee, caffeinated teas, soda, milk, protein powder, pasteurized juice, diet drinks, etc.

No solid or blended food should be consumed while you are on this 3-day juice cleanse or “juice fast” because the fiber content activates digestion which is avoided during juice fasting.

If you are juicing for weight loss, this is the best option for you! Although this option will help you drop some pounds, we definitely recommend you consult a dietitian before hopping on a long juice fast.

6 Juices a day plus fruit/vegetables

Juicing and still eating some fruits and vegetables may be easier for someone who has never done a juice fast before.

This option of 6 juices a day plus fruit and vegetables will still activate your digestive track so you may not get the full body detox as you would with the juice fast.

Eating solid food while still drinking your juices may be a better option if you are looking for long-term weight loss.

Fruits and vegetables lose their fiber when you juice them, so keeping some solid fruits and vegetables in your diet will help your body get the fiber it needs.

Fiber is important because it promotes gastrointestinal health and is considered a natural appetite suppressant because it helps you maintain the feeling of being full.

Juice Fast Until Dinner Time

Drink 4-5 juices and then make a healthy dinner such as a salad or vegetables plus clean protein.

Your dinner should consist of a couple of cups of greens, healthy fat (avocado or nuts) and a serving of clean protein (5 oz. chicken or turkey).

This option of juicing for weight loss is probably the easiest one for beginners or first-time juicers.

Juice fasting can be especially difficult if you have to sit at a dinner table while other people are eating and you are stuck drinking juice. Most people don’t want to have to say no to dinners with friends, so if you live a busy life and don’t want to give up every meal, this is the best way for you to juice for weight loss.

4 Benefits of Juicing for Weight Loss

Almost every health authority, including the United States Department of Health, recommends 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, but very few of us actually get that.

Juicing is an easy way to guarantee your 6-8 servings of fruit and vegetables.

There are 6 benefits of juicing for weight loss other than getting your daily serving of fruit and vegetables. The healthier weight loss juices consist of ones with less fruit and more vegetable’s. This is because fruits can be high in sugar content, while vegetables contain more fat-burning roots.

#1 More Nutrient Absorption

Juicing makes it possible to take in 2-3 pounds of vegetables a day because it leaves off the pulp and extracts the juice.

Before your body can absorb nutrients, the nutrients need to be broken down into usable parts, such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Normally your body breaks down foods into their nutrient components by chewing and digestion.

The juicing process does this all for you so your body can spare the energy needed to break down the nutrients and skip right to the absorption stage.

In more simple terms, because your body does not have to digest the pulp and other unneeded parts of the fruits and vegetables, the nutrients go directly into the bloodstream.

Juicing also preserves the enzymes that are usually destroyed when cooking fruits and vegetables.

#2 Feeds Good Bacteria to the Gut

Countless research shows that the key to a healthy body is a healthy gut and juicing feeds good bacteria to the gut, therefore giving you a healthy gut!

You may not know this, but, a third of our immune system is located in our digestive tract.

An unhealthy gut is generally linked to weight gain so keeping your gut healthy is essential to weight loss.

Foods rich in prebiotics increase the good bacteria in the gut and vegetables are one of the best sources of this prebiotics!

Another great ingredient that aids digestion and helps an upset stomach is ginger.

Ginger can also help with cramping during menstrual periods, reduce feelings of dizziness, and prevent nausea.

Juicing will help improve your digestive health, as long as you are adding the right amount of fruit and vegetables.

#3 Full body detox

A full body detox rids the body of toxins and resets the digestive system.

The best way to get a full body detox is through a “juice fast”.

This juicing reset your digestive system by nourishing it with nutrients and then flushing out the toxins. Juice does not go through the digestive tract like every other food, so while on this “juice fast” your digestive tract gets a break.

Almost everyone needs a full body detox because toxins naturally accumulate over time.

#4 Glowing Skin

Who doesn’t want glowing skin?!

Juicing helps rejuvenate your skin through all the nutrients which make your skin healthy and radiant.

The food and drink choices you make are reflected in your skin so choosing a juice over a soda will help you get that glowing skin you’ve always wanted!

Juicing flushes out unwanted toxins while replenishing your body with antioxidants and vitamins which help repair and produce the collagen in your skin, thus giving you that radiant, glowing look.

Juicing will help reduce any unwanted skin irritations, acne, and even help with antiaging!

The Best Juicing Recipes for Weight Loss

Shed the pounds healthily with these fat-burning juicing recipes for weight loss.

Juices contain a variety of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, all of which aid in speeding up your metabolism, which means burning more calories.

These juicing recipes for weight loss will offer a host of other benefits along will aiding in the weight loss process.

Make sure you are using a juicer and not a blender for these recipes.

Aloe Vera Juice

Aloe Vera juice comes from the gel of the nutritionally dense plant known as Aloe Vera.

Aloe Vera juice is a great juicing recipe for weight loss because it helps aid digestion through its laxative properties, combats water retention, boots metabolism, and helps detoxify the body.

Aloe Vera juice aids in the fat burning process because of its vitamin B presence, which converts the fat stored in the body into energy and thus helps weight loss!

Aloe Vera Juice ingredients:

• 15 leaves kale
• 2-3 lemons, peeled
• 1 small piece fresh ginger
• 1 stalk of fresh aloe vera (make sure you juice it correctly)

Green Juice Recipe

One of the most popular juicing recipes for weight loss!!

This green juice recipe is super simple and should take no more than five minutes if all your fruit and vegetables are already prepped (washed and cut).

Depending on your taste buds, you can add or subtract the apple serving to make it more or less sweet.

Green Juice ingredients:

• 2-3 green apples (cut out core)
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 cucumber
• ½-1 lemon, peeled
• 1 small piece fresh ginger
• 10 leaves kale
• 1 cup spinach

Carrot Juice Recipe

This carrot juice recipe is the sweetest out of the three recipes and is still packed with beneficial nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Carrot juice is great for weight loss because it is low in calories and is known to increase bile secretion which aids in burning fat, thus increasing weight loss.

Because carrot juice has a bit more sugar than the other two, we recommend you only have it once during the day (preferably in the morning) and then switch off drinking the green juice and the aloe vera juice.

Depending on your taste buds, you can add or subtract the apple serving to make it more or less sweet.

Carrot Juice ingredients:

• 3 large carrots
• 1-2 red apples
• 2 pieces fresh ginger
• 1-2 lemons, peeled

Conclusion

The point of juicing for weight loss is to help you lose weight by abstaining from solid food, while still ingesting all the nutrients your body needs from the juice.

The lack of solid food and calories from juicing result in a large calorie deficit for most people, which therefore lead to weight loss.

There are multiple ways to juice for weight loss.

The three most common ways people juice for weight loss are; 3-day juice cleanse (juice fasting), 6 juices a day plus fruit/vegetables, and juice fasting until dinner.

We highlight 4 benefits of juicing.

This includes; nutrient absorption, feeding good bacteria to the gut, full body detox, and glowing skin!

Lastly, we include the 3 best juicing recipes for weight loss.

Aloe Vera juice, green juice, and carrot juice help aid in the fat burning process while giving your body vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

-Danielle Eells