You were probably expecting a triumphant post today about how amazing my juice cleanse was, but here I am writing about quitting. Because I am a quitting quitter who quits.
I quit the juice cleanse.
Which, honestly, kind of killed me a little bit. That cleanse was a lot of money. And aside from that, quitting felt like admitting defeat. This was especially difficult for me when it seems like everyone else feels crazy amazing on a juice fast. Chris had the whole mental clarity, glowing aura of health thing going on and couldn't stop talking about how much energy he had, how great he felt, how he could wrestle a grizzly bear. And I just had an aura of "I spent the whole morning hunched over the toilet puking." (Because I did spend the whole morning hunched over the toilet puking.) At first, I wanted to soldier on. Then I thought: really? Am I really thinking about sticking with this? When it's making me physically ill?
So then I ate some saltines. And later, a falafel wrap. Because at that point, the thought of eating fruit or vegetables made me want to throw up even more.
I mean, I expected headaches. Hunger, I could deal with. But throwing up? Not so much. I am not a good thrower-upper. And juice that doesn't taste so good going down tastes even worse the second time around.
A lot of people say that when you get sick on a cleanse, it's your body releasing toxins. (I didn't really do the cleanse to release toxins--I'm not sure I believe that's a thing that happens, but I do believe that getting an insane amount of nutrients in juices for a few days can be beneficial.) But I eat pretty clean to begin with, so I really don't understand how my husband, who eats much more junk food than I do, could be feeling invincible, and I'd feel like jumping out of the window to end my misery. Especially after just coming off a 3-day raw cleanse that I felt fabulous on. I figured that, after a day and a half, I had given the 3-day juice cleanse a fair try, and since I felt progressively worse the whole time, it was time to throw in the towel. Something about those juices just did not agree with me--as soon as I'd start to feel a little bit better, I'd have another juice and feel terrible again.
I feel really disappointed. I was hoping for all those wonderful things people say happen to them during their juice cleanses--glowing skin, cleared sinuses, renewed energy. And instead I got crazy, ridiculously sick. Am I weak? Probably. But also, I think these cleanses just don't work for everyone. And they clearly don't work for me. There seems to be a lot of pressure that, once you've started a cleanse, you should stick with it and see it through; if you don't, it's some kind of moral failing. No, it's not! Listen to your body, always. I know that by posting this, I'm going to attract a lot of drive-by commenters telling me my body must be super toxic, that I didn't give this a fair chance, that I suck at life, and really, you can have at it; my experience is my experience and I stand by it.
So I'm sorry this post isn't super motivational. I guess I'm kind of being a bit of a downer today, huh? I'm not saying you shouldn't do a juice cleanse--my husband did well on it and so many other people have too. But know that it's not all sunshine and lollipops before you start, and maybe try a single day before you commit to three. Despite all this, I still got some positive takeaways from the whole raw food and juice cleanse thing:
- I really enjoyed raw food and I felt good eating it. I'm planning on eating more raw desserts, eating sprouted nuts and seeds as snacks, and skipping the frozen convenience lunches (even if they're low cal and/or healthy!) for fresh fruits and veggies. I have spent so long focusing on eating less, when what I really should be focusing on is eating more--eating more nutrient-dense foods, rather than eating less calories.
- I wondered if maybe, after doing this cleanse, I would want to make a dramatic change in my diet. I don't. A moderate approach is definitely the best for me, although, like I said, I will be replacing at least some of my weekend brownies and cupcakes with healthier raw desserts.
- Since I know everyone's wondering, I did lose 5 pounds. Of course, throwing up your food (or juice) will do that to you. I gained back a pound and a half when I started eating again.
Anna says
My Husband and I - the whole family actually - are vegan. We watched Joe's "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" end of 2011 for the first time and did our first juice fast. We vent from pork roast on Sunday night to juice on Monday morning. It has been a very very long journey since then.
My husband did 90 days the first time around and I did 21 we both felt great.
We all went vegan after this and never looked back now good 4 years later we decided a juice fast would do us some good, so off we go again.
My husband is on day 53 now and looking radiant and I decided to join him just yesterday.
So this time mind you we are talking - clean vegan diet to juice fast (homemade juice, slow juicer the whole thing) anyhow.
I had a nightmare of an experience. I got so week and dizzy at one point I kind of lost track of where I was and even who I was. Then I started getting sick and spent about 8 hours over the toilet.
"Good thing" - I lost 6 lbs in just one day this must be some sort of record - so here is what I think.
Just thinking about a juice makes me gag right now and I am not going back - had some oats this morning and they are staying down so far.
Maybe just maybe it is different every time, for me it worked before and it is working right now for my husband. I guess I will be trying again at some point.
For now I have a score of 1 amazing time versus 1 horror trip which translates to a 50/50 chance that is not a NO in my book.
susan says
I am on day 4 of a juice fast, and feel like throwing up all day today. Was good yesterday, not sure what happened but googled it and found your story.
Natalie says
SAAAAME
Rene says
Me too.
Nikki Welle says
I had the exact same experience. I am so glad to read this. I felt like such a failure as my husband is loving it. He said I just have more toxins in my body. Which maybe I do, maybe I don't. I don't care. I was feeling great eating healthy and excercising. This cleanse knocked me out! I will maybe try again at some point. Purely, out if pride.
MGK says
I agree. I know that it’s years later now, but I woke up on day 3 with a fever, the day before thanksgiving, in the middle of a pandemic. Is it a bizarre side effect of the juice cleanse? Or do I have COVID-19?
I don’t have a fever today but still don’t feel 100%. I went to get the swab test this AM (it’s thanksgiving day) and canceled my local family mini-get-together/dinner. I’m hoping that it’s not covid, but at the same time, I’ll be pissed about this cleanse since I ruined thanksgiving for 7 other people. I still haven’t seen widespread info about fevers from cleanses, but at least seeing this post, I don’t feel insane for questioning it.
Helena says
I am on day 9 of a juice cleanse. I'm waking up at 4am every morning. And having had a drink, I have just vomited it all straight up after having it. I have a severe problem with dental toxicity. I cant get them removed so I'm using a juice fast in the hope of improving the function of the organs of elimination to better excrete the dental toxins (like the liver) with a juice fast. I have previously done juice fasts without vomiting problems.
Lilotee says
I bought my first slow juicer this weekend. I made a juice of mango, pineapple, carrot, acv, ginger, and lemon. After drinking it I immediately had flu-like symptoms. I had a cough and body aches for like 3 days. I will try again with a mostly veggie-based juice when Im feeling better. But yea, I can definitely understand your disappointment.
Ed Maher says
Don't feel bad about quitting. I did the same yesterday. Made Just one half glass green vegetable juice for a week. Felt really off with severe stomach activity but thankfully so much better already. It may work for some but I'm not putting my body through such trauma again.
Phoebe says
Reading these comments and experiences are horrifying... guys, you're literally throwing up because your body is starving. It's not getting rid of toxins. And treating your body poorly, isn't good for it. You will be mjuch better off eating clean and keeping hydrated, not overloading your body with sugary fruit juices.
Katie says
THIS. I have several close friends who are Registered Dietitians and they regularly complain about how bad juice diets/cleanses/detoxes are for your body. The human body already does a pretty damn good job detoxing it self naturally, juicing removes good stuff in fruits/veggies, it's not a sustainable way to lose weight/keep weight off... and it's crazy expensive! Sheesh.
Cassandra says
I love everything about this post. It's so authentic and, I think, actually true for a lot of people. I've never particularly been a fan of juice cleansing so I appreciate seeing a post other than "the juice cleanse is going great, I feel amazing, you should try this product!"
I definitely agree that everyone is different and you should listen to your body, that's such an important thing to remember when thinking about a cleanse.
Rivka says
A hin of what happens. I am after bariatric surgery and my husband thought juices could replace the crazy amount of vitamins that a bari post op needs to take. Well, it became obvious that concentrated vitamins comes also with concentrated sugar. All sugar eventually becomes glucose and no sugar is good in concentrated amounts. For some, that means energy boost. For others that means wacky blood sugar swings. For me it meant nausea, heat flashes and, yes, vomiting. Most people say that without the juices, they on't feel it. The reason is your body is adjusting to normal sugar levels.
Wendy says
Thank you for this post! I am writing this from my bed where it's almost midnight on my 1st and last day of a 3 day juice cleanse. I was doing well until my 5th juice when my headache that I've had all day started becoming so bad I needed to take something. I took acetaminophen even though I usually take aspirin free excedrin because I didn't want caffeine to ruin my detox. An hour later I practically projectile vomited my last juice. I continued to vomit and dry heave and my headache reached the point where I thought it was going to split open. Now 6 hours later my headache is at a dull pain and I'm eating crackers. I also usually eat pretty clean but I must admit that I'm coming off a couple days of lots of wine and more bread products than I usually eat. Perhaps that's it? I tend to also get stomach aches and very rarely eat sugar...I eat minimal amounts of fruit only once a day in my morning green smoothies so perhaps my stomach just can't handle the excessive acid and sugar. Whatever the case - juice cleansing is not for me and I'm happy to read I'm not the only one!
Rachel says
This EXACT same thing happened to me! Today was my first day of my 3-day juice cleanse and I started to get a headache after juice #4 and then vomited an hour later. I tried drinking #5 but it upset my stomach again and I decided to skip #6 and I’m officially quitting my cleanse. It’s definitely not worth it if this is how it makes me feel. I’m just glad to read that I’m not the only one who’s experiencing this.
NoMeatoKeto says
I feel a juice cleanse will affect you depending on your state of nutrition when starting the cleanse. So my theory is if you start a juice diet from a high processed/ sugar filled diet you will feel better while juicing however if you already eat a relatively clean/ high vegetable unprocessed diet you will feel worse. Juicing removes the fibre and isn't actually all that healthy.
Nancy says
I'm so glad I found your blog. I just bought an expensive 3-day juice cleanse and after the first juice, i already started feeling bloated. Then I started feeling gassy and by the end of my last juice, I developed flu like symptoms (sore throats and chills and nausea). I finished it off with some vomiting and at that point, I decided to quit. It's 12:30am now and I wish I never decided to partake in this cleanse. I am now having a healthy little piece of avocado toast to put something in my body that is truly good for you. Sure the drinks are filled with natural sugars and laxatives, but my body is not having it. The cleanse is not made for everyone and it certainly wasn't made for me. I'd rather stick to eating healthy and exercising!
Samala Bernier says
Great information...thanks for sharing. You are definitely not a failure and I felt so sick the first day of juicing as well - sweats, shakes, nausea. I ended having a half cup of coffee with almond milk because I had not had my coffee that morning and I always do. I say, taper off at first and then full throttle it after a couple of days of tapering off the "bad" food. I was surprised to read that you had just completed a raw food bout though and you still had these symptoms. Again, thanks for sharing and God Bless!
Jess says
Thank you so much for writing this. It comes as a relief to hear other people have experienced what I have over the last 10 hours. I was halfway through a 3 day cleanse and after the first 18 hours, headache hit. So I took a nap, but woke up to feeling ten times worse-and yes, diahorrea, vomiting, cold sweats and shaking. Such an awful experience and so disappointing..I was hoping it would be so different after seeing Fat, Sick and Nearky Dead, and reading all about other people's enlightening experiences on the internet. I can't ever outmy body or my mind through this agony again though, and I am relieved to hear I'm not alone. Thank you x
Kaecey says
Thank you for this! I'm having an awful reaction to a juice cleanse - nausea, chills, stomach pain... I'm fairly certain I can't handle the concentrated sugar. I've never liked juice and am a smoothie person, but I had surgery last month and after all the medicine etc it felt like a cleanse would be the right thing. Wrong! Your post made me feel less like a failure and more like a person for whom this just isn't working!
Katie Trant says
Juice cleanses definitely aren't for everyone! Some people love them, but personally, I've never felt worse!
Petra Sinhold says
I’m so glad I found your post - and all the comments - I too was very excited about this cleanse and invested the money. I suffered from horrible chills and upset stomach and was going to continue until I vomited my entire day of juices. I just wanted to reboot my system but obviously my body says no! So glad I’m not the only one! Thank you!
Katie Trant says
You're not alone!
Tara says
How long did it take you all to feel back to normal after quitting the juice fast? And how did you quit... Like did you eat saltines, or veggies, or soup? I just quit a few hours ago after all the flu symptoms, day 3 of the fast. Thanks for the honest post OMV, (I'm a bad throw-uper too)!
Mary says
I just found this thread because I was feeling nauseous after juicing mustard greens. I know, yuck. I think that juicing makes your body secrete a bunch of insulin, which therefore makes your blood sugar plummet, and when your blood sugar falls so quickly, you feel sick. I have better luck when I do a water fast because water doesn't stimulate insulin production the way juicing does. I can't juice on an empty stomach because it's just enough sugar to make my blood sugar shoot up, then plummet. That makes sense, but what doesn't make sense is when I still feel nauseous juicing after I eat. Maybe because mustard greens juice taste so bad I can barely drink it down, and then my poor stomach has to deal with it.
Maggie says
At 3am this morning I thought "B****r that, who needs it. I lasted one day and felt so bad. I averted the vomiting bit but the headache that had come on all day triggered a really bad migraine, I fell asleep on the sofa and then got very very dizzy and nauseous. It was actually quite scary. I eat very healthily, am active and have no major issues apart from the migraines. I guess my body just doesn't get the juice cleanse thing. I was hoping for a New Year reboot but I think I'll stick to my usual wholefood healthy eating. My husband and bank balance will thank me too!
eqazainal says
Hi. I felt so relived after reading this post. Last 2 days I had 2 red apples, 1 oranges and 1 carrot for juicing. It felt ok the first day. But on the second day, I had flu-like symptoms (dizziness, high temperature, shaking and even constipation). This is actually the second time I’ve tried juicing. The first time I had cucumber, pineapple and carrots. The next day ai had severe flu! Sigh. I guess juicing is just not for everyone. Dont think I would want to juice in the near future.
daisy says
so glad to read your story knowing im not the only one! i am just breaking my juice fast after 4 days {was planning on doing 5} i did not prep but eat mostly clean and am part time vegan {pescatarian with no dairy or other meat products} . i started out the juice cleanse feeling great and had high hopes day 2 was like i had ran a marathon! i was sooo tired and felt drained i usually take a brisk walk on my lunch breaks but was feeling like i needed to stop and take a break before i was even a quarter of the way! however i did sleep fantastic! probably due to being drained and tired all day. i was hit with migraines on and off every day, and then today the nausea started when i woke up. i still continued with the juice only to have more craziness added to the mix, on top of the headaches and tiredness feeling drained and i haven't been as regular as normal i cant seem to get my thoughts together, then sitting at my desk at work i feel like i just want to cry i feel like shit! and feel like im going to upchuck the last juice i drank! sooo im over it!
Patrice McCorkle says
This blog is great...glad to know i'm not the only one. I've done juice cleanses many times, even wrote a book about...Go figure and today I stand before you as a mess...I got the shakes, I had a splitting headache and even after eating I'm still not 100% recovered oh and I didn't mentioned this was only after less than 24 hours. I could do cleanses for days/weeks now....Idk what happened but thinking of it makes me sick. For the next few days I'll be vegan which I was successfully for 3 years but found the balance in my diet needed tweaking. In any event...thanks for this post. I QUIT TOO!
DeepCover says
I was trying a liver cleanse, so supplements and shakes were involved. I had a headache the end of the first day. The morning of the second day I was feeling so nauseous, after some water I vomited and continued to dry heave for a few hours later. I didn’t take the supplements as schedule that morning. Decided to eat some veggies to help my tummy. Cooked carrot, shredded beet, sliced cucumber, kidney beans. With just a little squeeze of lemon on top.
I suspect it’s the shake+supplements making me ill. High mineral content in multi vitamins has made me vomit in the past. This is taking it WITH food. I don’t take multivits anymore as I don’t think it’s necessary.
I’ll continue with the cleanse. I don’t think I’ve lost out on much. On this cleanse you don’t eat for the first two days but start eating on the 3rd day. I’ve basically just skipped to the 3rd day.
Christine says
Thank you so much for this post! It’s still relevant in 2020. I am a vegan of 4 years and had never tried a juice cleanse. I LOVE juices and smoothies and healthy tonics, so I thought I would be the perfect candidate for a cleanse. I ordered 3 days worth of juices from pressed juicery and started yesterday morning. I was loving life- the juices taste delicious, I followed instructions, I was full of optimism. I do drink coffee every day and was dealing with a hefty caffeine withdrawal headache around late afternoon. I then began to feel floated, gurgle, and nauseous. By my fifth juice of the day I told my husband I may have to throw in the towel because I felt OFF- and immediately after saying that I ran to the bathroom and threw up about $30 worth of juice. This gave me a good amount of relief, but I still felt bloated and had a hammering headache. I made 2 cups of organic veggie broth after a long soothing shower with peppermint oil. This morning I woke up and could tell I was severely dehydrated. I started my day with lots of water and a banana. I am feeling better by the moment... but I can’t stand to even look at the $75 worth of juice I have left in my fridge. Listen to your body and do what’s right for you!!!
No more juice please! says
Started a juice cleanse yesterday 1/2/2021 and the first day went well. I’m on the last of day two and suddenly my stomach felt weird. Had to run to the restroom bc I got the runs. I have stomach cramps and I feel nauseous. I don’t do well with nausea or vomit so I’m praying I feel better but I’m tapping out. I have abdominal cramping and I feel grossed out by juice. I don’t want to drink juice ever again. I still have tomorrow left but I can’t anymore.