How do I come off a fast?

[fearlessly]

Hey guys,

Hope this is the right section to post this on.

I'm currently on day 5 of a 14-day juicing fast. This is the second time I've done this - the first I went seven days, felt awesome, lost thirteen pounds, and then proceeded to eat **** and not exercise for two months after, and gained most of it back.

This time I want to actually wean myself off properly. I have nine days left of the fast, and then I have seven days to wean myself off of it - on the eighth day, I'm hopping on a plane and going backpacking for a month (which leads to another problem - limited exercise... I've been doing about half an hour of cardio plus strength training every day during the fast, and kind of just being careful to not overextend myself, but plan to go hard strength training after I'm off the fast when I can... which will probably mean not until I get back from Europe in September. Last year when I went backpacking, I lost about ten pounds just from being out in million degree weather and walking 15+ miles every day, hiking, swimming, etc., so hopefully that will constitute enough exercise).

So anyways. I've been googling and getting essentially nothing helpful. Again, I have seven days and need to know exactly how to come off the fast day-by-day; if there's any big no-nos for that week, if maybe one week isn't quite enough... I don't know. I just want to be able to eat mostly normal food in Europe, maybe stay off of red meat for a week when I get there, but I don't want to be chowing down on salads five times a day in Athens, Rome, Barcelona, etc.

Any help or suggestions you guys can offer would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks

[SwiftyX]

Don't do juice fast in the first place.

[nobrah]

the first I went seven days, felt awesome, lost thirteen pounds, and then proceeded to eat **** and not exercise for two months after, and gained most of it back.

You gained back most of the water weight that you lost? Fascinating. I can guarantee you that only a small fraction of those 13 pounds was fat. Another small fraction (probably more than the fat) was muscle, and the lion's share was simple body fluid. As soon as you started eating food again, fluid could be retained where it couldn't on the juice fast, and you gained back most of the weight. It really has little to do with eating ****, and everything to do with eating something.

Again, I have seven days and need to know exactly how to come off the fast day-by-day

First and foremost, I'd recommend realistic expectations on fat loss. You cannot lose 13 pounds of fat in 7 days and feel "awesome", it's physiologically impossible. If you want to minimize sudden weight gain (from water) then add solid foods back to your diet slowly. You'll still regain the water weight, but it won't be as sudden.

Exercise is also important because along with sufficient protein it promotes muscle retention. The goal of people on these diets isn't total weight loss, despite what weasel advertisements say, it's fat loss. You want to lose fat mass and either gain or maintain muscle mass for improved body composition.

[germaine07]

How do you come off a fast?....

Hmmm..... Try breakfast.

[fearlessly]

I guess thanks for the responses, but none of them really addressed my question.

I really think that the weight gain was because my metabolism was so ****ed after being pretty dormant for a week of fasting - that's what I'm trying to fix this time, because I know that my metabolism will be off when I come off the fast and I want to make sure I give it the proper nutrition and time to re-stabilize.

FWIW, I did feel pretty awesome after juicing... after three or four days, I felt (and now on day six of the second time, I FEEL) really good. I'm still progressing in my lifting (i.e. now, having not eaten solid foods for about a week, I'm lifting more for every muscle/machine than I was a week before), and I don't feel weaker or anything after running or bicycling.

I know that some of what I'm losing is water weight (though according to my scale, my water % is higher than it was like six months ago), and I do expect to obviously gain that back, but I don't think it will be 13+ pounds of it. As of this morning, I've lost fifteen pounds. I don't think all 15 will come back, and I'll certainly be trying to make sure they don't after I'm done with this two-week fast.

[nobrah]

I guess thanks for the responses, but none of them really addressed my question.

Since your question is nonsensical, it's pretty much impossible to address in any meaningful way.

I really think that the weight gain was because my metabolism was so ****ed after being pretty dormant for a week of fasting - that's what I'm trying to fix this time, because I know that my metabolism will be off when I come off the fast and I want to make sure I give it the proper nutrition and time to re-stabilize.

You can't damage your metabolism that quickly.

I know that some of what I'm losing is water weight (though according to my scale, my water % is higher than it was like six months ago), and I do expect to obviously gain that back, but I don't think it will be 13+ pounds of it.

Yes, the vast majority of those 13+ pounds consists of water.

To conclude, I don't see this thread being productive since you seem unwilling to accept that your current beliefs are wrong. On the other side, nobody knowledgeable about nutrition will be able to give you the answer you want in good conscience because that would mean knowingly lying to you.

[texicus]

Juice fasting is retarded, because guess what

it's not actually a fast

fruit juice has calories. and negligible protein

goodnight sweet gains

[JasonDB]

Juice fasting is retarded, because guess what

it's not actually a fast

fruit juice has calories. and negligible protein

goodnight sweet gains

^^^ This. Furthermore it is insane, unhealthy and doesn't work. Drop it immediately are return to a normal eating program. Calculate your macros from the stickies, start lifting heavy and eat the macros and calories required to reach your goals week to week. Stop doing fad diets like this.