Posted on January 28, 2015 by Jenny Cromack

 

There are many varied opinions on the benefits of a juicing diet. This particular diet fad has become increasingly popular especially over the post Christmas period with many people looking to lose weight quickly. But will juicing diets help you lose weight?

There are a number of pros and cons surrounding this dieting technique however contrary to some opinions there is no reliable scientific evidence to suggest that it is more beneficial to consume fruits and vegetables this way. When attempting a juicing diet it is likely that you will indeed lose weight, however before you jump around your living room in delight and embarking on the latest juice plan, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. It is important you weigh up (no pun intended) the facts, before answering the question, will juicing diets help you lose weight.

Juicing Diet = Low Calorie Diet = Not Enough Energy For Exercise

When consuming a juicing diet, the calories taken on can be as little as 900kcal per day which, yes, will mean you are in a negative calorie balance and therefore may lose weight. However, eating this few calories means exercising, and what happens to your body during exercise, will be directly effected . Due to the extremely low calorie intake your body will start to use up muscle tissue instead of fat to produce energy for workouts meaning that weight will be lost but in a negative way. i.e You will lose HEALTHY muscle tissue, not UNHEALTHY fat tissue. We all know you need muscle tissue to burn energy during the day and perform exercise so why would you want to lose this?

What Happens Post Juicing Diet…..The Yo-Yo Effect. 

What happens when you have finished the juicing diet and you go back to eating normal? Well, we would expect that you will go back to eating more calories again too, therefore weight WILL be gained again once substaintial meals are consumed therefore producing a yo-yo technique which has a detrimental effect on your metabolism.

Juicing Diets = Low Macro Nutrients = Poor Muscle Building

The most influential part of the juicing diet is the lack of macro nutrients that will be consumed. The critical macro nutrients protein and fat are rarely found in juices which means there are no raw materials to build new muscle and so exercise would be extremely difficult and provide negative results in terms of muscle gain. Vegetables that do contain good amounts of fats and proteins such as; avocados, beans and lentils don’t lend themselves to juicing meaning your body would be starved of these critical nutrients.

Juicing however does have numerous benefits when consumed now and again. It can certainly be enjoyed as part of a healthy balanced diet,they can be a great quick morning fix of energy especially if the only other option is cereals or nothing, furthermore it is an easy way to get vital vitamins on board ready for the day ahead. In terms of taking up a juicing diet full time, as a team of personal trainers, we disagree with this as it isn’t beneficial to your diet, exercise or lifestyle and you would gain much better results through eating a clean diet and performing the right type of exercise.