Newbie: Juice Feasting---And Bloating? Help!

[Cressida]

Dear Friends,

I'm a newbie and have "feasted" before on juices briefly.

I hope someone can shed light on this. I have been feasting on juices now for five days. I have been vegetarian for a looong time and am sugar sensitive. I lost a lot of weight on a liquid protein diet (yes, I know) four years ago, but could never shift the last 25 lbs. I'm not obese, but I am definitely overweight.

I decided in this new year to do raw juices only as I had been feeling sluggish, but also to see if I could shift the weight and finally be at a point where I could feel better all around. So, I went and bought apples, carrots, courgettes, broccoli, beetroots, celery, cabbages and cucumbers...realizing that I could not have high-glycemic/sugary fruits. Other than apples, I used a few handfuls of berries (black and blue) and two tablespoons of probiotic yogurt (in one recipe from Jason Vale's book for breakfast). Everything else is juice...just juice.

I am bloated. My waistline has expanded. I am totally confused. I feel fine though the first two days were tough. Am I gaining weight? (Is this possible?) Am I not drinking the right stuff to lose weight? Am I supposed to dilute the juices (I am not). I am drinking about 10 to 12 cups of juice a day. Is this too much?

Is there a different protocol to follow for juicing and weight loss than for juicing for health? I thought they were both the same. Is it different for sugar sensitives? I thought I chose the least sugary things to juice.

Any insights? Advice?

In gratitude,

C.

I won't get on a scale...as I don't want to get discouraged. I always just look at how my clothes fit.

I exercise every day, too. (I have for four years...except Sundays.)

Has anyone else experienced this?

[fastfreedom]

I really don't know what is going on here. And I'm definately not one to be able to tell ya what's happening.

But have you tried just the juice without the yogurt? Maybe it's the yogurt doing it?

Another thing possibly is the combination of starchy vegetables with fruits? I know people talk about proper food combining. And it's commonly said to avoid mixing vegetables and fruits in the same meal or too closely to one another.

[Cressida]

Dear FastFreedom,

I am following some recipes in a juicing book. I didn't realize that you could not mix fruits and veggies (say an apple and a carrot or apples and courgettes or cucumbers). This book doesn't specify that.

Does anyone else have any information on this? Insights on what might be happening to me?

After having lost 70 lbs (on that protein liquid diet---I lost most of it three years ago and kept it off) I was terribly hungry all the time. With raw juicing, it seems that I am not hungry. I even get up in the morning and I am not hungry. This might be why I am feeling I am eating "too much"....when it is probably that I am just eating well. But that still doesn't explain the bloating.

Thank you!

[Shels]

Maybe look into the food-combining some more? I have also heard doctors say that yogurt is one of the worst things for your digestive system, gunks it up and things. Are you making sure you get enough pure water as well?

[Aleesha Sattva]

cabbage and broccoli will bloat you up like a helium balloon on a warm summers day!!! let go of them both. garlic can do the same if you happen to be adding it and just not mentioning it.

you can totally add apple to your cucumber and celery juice... no worries. i would certainly recommend different juices than the ones you are currently doing.

i'd ditch the yogurt... if you want to take acidophilus then do so, but no yogurt.

apples, carrots, courgettes, broccoli, beetroots, celery, cabbages and cucumbers are what you have on hand?

here's some nice combos with what you have:

apple/cucumber/celery - with parsley, spinach and ginger
carrot/courgette/beet/celery (light on the beet - perhaps 1/4 per juice) - with garlic and ginger and hopefully you have the greens from the beets to add in. even a few tomatoes would be nice with this one.

again... ditch the cabbage and broc... your bloat will go away! drink plenty of water as well... try to do 2 litres a day minimum. i don't recommend going over 4 litres a day.