How You Can Succeed in Doing a Three-Day Juice Fast

The key is strength in numbers — don’t do it alone

We recently moved to the Houston, TX area. One thing I love about moving to a different area is that it gives you a chance to start anew in all areas of your life.

One particular area that needs a serious reboot is to gain better control of the type of food I eat. I have a serious addiction to the wrong foods and I need to do something drastic to interrupt the habit of eating things that aren’t good for me.

Ever since our move — my wife, daughter, and son had been talking about doing a three-day juice fast to cleanse and jumpstart their bodies to achieve better health and make better food choices.

I waffled back and forth on whether or not I would join them and came up with all the excuses in the book. I knew I needed it too, but I feared an all-liquid diet for 3 days, let alone 1 day would be a very hard thing to do. I’ve never done anything like that before and I wasn't sure I was up for it.

Finding Your “Why”

The time had arrived when they wanted to begin their juice fast. They were prepping their menu and grocery shopping list for the various juices, blends, and soups they planned to consume during the three days, and they needed an answer from me on whether or not I was going to participate.

I reluctantly said yes.

I knew at that point there was no turning back. I told myself that the main reason I wanted to do it was to support them, but deep down I knew I needed it as much, if not more than they did.

The benefits of doing a three-day juice fast are numerous as this article shares on LiveStrong.com. These reasons alone resonated with me and the main reason why I needed to do it:

The point of this is to give your body a rest from processed foods and harder-to-digest items, such as fried foods and red meat. It can also help you break unhealthy habits like reaching for a bag of chips to snack on or cruising through the nearest drive-thru instead of cooking a more nutritious meal.

Breaking unhealthy habits was top on my list and seemed like a great enough reason “why” I needed to join them on their three-day journey.

Everyone has different reasons for choosing to do a juice fast, and you too will need a strong “why” that will get you through all three days.

Looking back on what helped us successfully complete our juice fast, here are eight recommendations that can set you up for success if you ever decide to do a juice fast.

It’s so worth the struggle.

#1 — Don’t Do It Alone

To keep yourself honest and accountable, find one or more close friends or family members to join you on your juice fast. If you can’t find anyone to join you, at least report to someone who can hold you accountable.

This quote from Mark Shields says it all:

There is always strength in numbers. The more individuals or organizations that you can rally to your cause, the better.

It is such a huge help having others along that are likely going through the same struggles and challenges that you are.

Having the support of others can also provide you with the added strength that is needed to help you push through barriers when the going gets tough.

This help goes both ways — you can provide help to others as well, which can be an additional motivator and create bonds that will buoy everyone up.

#2 — Ensure You Have the Right Tools

You will need a juicer and a blender for your juice fast. There are many different juicers and blenders that work, but we’ve had great results with our Greenstar juicer and our Vitamix blender.

You will need both because there are benefits to having pure juice from fruits and vegetables, and a blended juice that ensures you also have fiber from fruits to slow down your body’s absorption of the natural sugars in fruit.

We found that a mix of juices and blends worked well to provide variety during our juice fast.

We also blended a medley of vegetables to make a warm soup for dinner time, which provided a delicious alternative to cold juices that also satisfied any salty savory cravings.

Adding warm soup was a game-changer.

#3 — Plan the Menu and Shop Ahead of Time

It is recommended that you plan a menu ahead of time and also shop for all your fruits and vegetables so that you won’t need to go to a grocery store during your fast.

You know how it is — going into a grocery store hungry is never a good idea, but going into a grocery store while doing a juice fast will almost always bring it to an early end.

Be sure to plan your menu with a variety of juices and soups. There’s nothing worse than drinking the same flavors over and over for three days. Your body also needs a variety to ensure that you are receiving all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

You also don't want to be figuring out on the fly what juices to consume while you’re doing your juice fast. You want to be able to focus only on eating and drinking properly, how you are feeling, journaling about it, etc.

Planning the menu ahead of time is a must to set you up for success.

#4 — Do Your Juice Fast At Home

If you work from home, it’s possible to do your juice fast during the week and honestly, work can also be a great distraction to keep you from thinking about being hungry.

But if you work in an office, I wouldn't recommend doing your juice fast while away from home. Instead, plan a three-day weekend in which you can be mostly at home.

Keep in mind your body will be detoxing and you will want to have a bathroom nearby at all times, especially at first.

It is also recommended that you clear your calendar during this time so that you don’t have periods in which you are away from home.

In between meals, keep yourself distracted by reading a book, watching a movie, or spending time on a hobby. The less you think about food the better.

Otherwise, your old habits will kick in and temptations of grabbing those chips or chocolate brownies will get the best of you and you will cave to satisfy the beast within.

#5 — Limit Exercise and Other Physical Activity

It would be best if you didn’t exercise at all during this time. Your body is detoxing and you may experience some side effects such as being light-headed, dizzy, or nauseous. Don’t worry! This is normal and is your body’s way of telling you that it is ridding itself of unwanted toxins.

Give your body a rest and let digestion be the main physical activity you have during this time. Otherwise, you may exacerbate your side effects and make it hard to complete the juice fast successfully.

#6 — Expect That It Will Be Hard

I’m not going to lie — doing the juice fast was hard. My worst time was in the evenings, which is when many of my bad eating habits normally occurred. It was very hard for me to resist the urge of going to the cupboard to get some chips or other unhealthy snacks.

It may be a good idea to get those unhealthy snack items out of your house before you begin. It will be easier to be successful with your fast, as well as after you are done. You don't want to completely undo the benefits of your fast immediately afterward.

This is why it is so important to do your juice fast with others. The extra accountability gives you the motivation to find a higher gear of willpower so that you don’t disappoint the others that are participating in the juice fast with you.

The juice fast is all about mind over matter and allows you an opportunity to show what you’re made of when things get difficult.

It’s a time to renew not only your body but also your spirit. Nothing soothes the soul like a jumpstart to cultivate some new healthy goals and habits. It can also bring you clarity, energy, determination, and resolve to start anew.

#7 —Consume Enough So You’re Not Hungry

The juice fast isn’t a starvation exercise.

If you feel hungry, drink some more juice or fill up on water. You really can’t drink too much juice. The worst thing you can do for your juice fast is to try to work through feeling hungry or lightheaded. Drink up!

You want to drink enough juice to keep things moving in your body so you can cleanse and eliminate the poisons left over by solid foods that are processed or hard to digest.

How much juice to consume each day? This is what worked well for us:

• Three to four 32-ounce cold juices or blends
• 16 ounces of warm soup at dinner time
• 64 ounces of water

If you feel hungry in the evenings, mixing up a watermelon or grape blend gave me the willpower and energy needed to counteract cravings.

#8 — Write About Your Experience

Some advice we received from our son, who is a juice fast veteran, is to write down your feelings, struggles, or “a-ha” moments during your experience.

Capturing these moments of ups and downs is so important.

When you want to do another juice fast in the future, your written words can give you the motivation and reassurance that you can do it again. It can also remind you of how great you did feel and the benefits of having a clear mind, tons of energy, and no cravings.

We all wrote down some thoughts that will hopefully inspire you if and when you decide to do a juice fast.

My wife Wendy:

I feel like our three-day fast was a catapult to lead me to where I ideally want to be with my health. My experience has been that of feeling far less hungry than before. I have no more sweet cravings or cravings to eat or drink anything that is not going to benefit my body. I have far more clarity and determination to continue my well-being journey.

My daughter Hannah:

We started juicing today, and I feel so good. I’m just really excited! I think that’s my main feeling so far. So pumped! I feel like I’m finally in control of my body. I’m finally giving my body what it really needs so I can feel healthy and energetic.

My son Blake:

I feel like a feather; as if I can soar high above the clouds and bolt like lightning. I feel happy and excited. My positive outlook on life is amplified ten-fold. I never want this feeling to end.

Some thoughts I wrote on the morning after Day 3:

I did it! I accomplished something I never thought I could do. I feel lighter, my stomach is flatter and my body feels renewed. What’s crazy is I am not even hungry. I have clarity and resolve to eat more healthily than I haven’t had in a long time. I never want to experience feeling groggy from the wrong types of food again.

Final Thoughts

Everything we do in our society seems to revolve around food — especially during holidays or other family gatherings. You really have to make conscious choices about the food you put into your mouth if you are trying to eat healthily.

Much like moving to a different area where you can start anew — a three-day juice fast is a great way to detox and ensure everything in your body is functioning properly. You feel renewed and are able to have the strength to be more conscious about healthy eating.

And — you can do multiple juice fasts as you see fit. When you are feeling low on energy or feeling sluggish from too much unhealthy food, you can do another juice fast to recharge again and again.

This article is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before making any major medical decisions. This post also does not contain any affiliate links or promotions.

Sample menu that we used for our juice fast:

Day 1 (3–4 32-ounce cups of juice, blend, or soup)

• Fat Flush Juice (celery, cucumber, spinach, pineapple, lime)
• Watermelon Blend
• Grape Blend
• Manipura Bisque Soup (Sahara Rose’s — Eat Feel Fresh Ayurvedic cookbook)
• 64 ounces of water per day

Day 2 (3–4 32-ounce cups of juice, blend, or soup)

• Liver Lover Juice (apples, beets, dandelion, lemon, turmeric)
• Grape Blend
• Watermelon Blend
• Svadisthana Bisque Soup (Sahara Rose’s — Eat Feel Fresh Ayurvedic cookbook)
• 64 ounces of water per day

Day 3 (3–4 32-ounce cups of juice, blend, or soup)

• Everyone’s Favorite Juice (carrots, apples, ginger)
• Grape Blend
• Watermelon Blend
• Sahasrara Soup (Sahara Rose’s — Eat Feel Fresh Ayurvedic cookbook)
• 64 ounces of water per day

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