7 Lbs in 7 Days: The Juice Master Diet Paperback – Illustrated, January 2, 2013

Just finished the plan. I thought people might want to hear about results from someone not necessarily looking to lose weight, but simply to see how I felt and the benefits I experienced.Preparation hints:1) Buy a good juicer, like a Beville. We originally started on an Omega masticating juicer, but it's simply too time consuming to juice 5-6 times a day with it. The Beville literally saves about 80% of the prep time for making a juice.2) As suggested, read the book first. It only takes a couple days, but helps with the mindset preparation.3) Be prepared to spend a lot of money on apples, pineapples, and avocados. There are other things as well, but you will really go three these things.The process:I am not a huge coffee drinker, but drink 1-2 cups a day. Giving this up left me with a headache by the end of day 1. But by day 2, it was gone. The first 2 days were the hardest hunger-wise, but not bad. The juices are fruity and appetizing, and the greener juicer don't show up until after the first couple of days. This is probably by design to make the program more palatable to a wider range of people. By day 5, I felt great and was slightly hungry but not bad.I worked out during the program every day. I ran 5 miles on two occasions and did calisthenics every day. I think this is important for men that aren't looking to lose too much muscle mass. Surprisingly, I felt great on my workouts and runs. Definitely lighter and fresher.Definitely start with the hot lemon water each morning, and I recommend ending with the "hon-n-spicy" each night, which is listed as optional. Especially if you are hungry, this hot apple juice helps satiate you until morning.Some of the drinks are decedent, with bananas and yogurt added. So you get pretty close to as full as eating a few times during the week.The results:I lost 8 lbs. Again, I wasn't looking to lose any necessarily, but of course expected to lose some. It seems to just flatten out your midsection, and I don't feel like I lost much muscle. I felt great when I finished. Another bonus is that I felt great giving up coffee, and haven't gone back to it. You really lose a lot of cravings during the week, and after a juice in the morning the harshness of coffee is no longer appealing. Likewise, I felt like eating light and healthy, and craved things like almonds, salads, and guacamole. I went back to my longer workouts in the gym, and feel great. I have kept with juicing at least twice a day, and plan to keep with it.Notes:I think wheat grass and spirulina are worth getting, which are suggested supplements. I also used the probiotic pills, but don't think those did much for me. My wife did it with me, and also lost exactly 8 pounds. She did about 20-30 minutes of aerobic-based workouts each day.Overall, I think this is a great program. Seven days seems long enough to get the full benefits and really transition your taste buds and alter your physique, but not so long as to be undoable.

This book was my first introduction to Jason Vale and a juice detox and I loved it. His enthusiasm for juicing, health and vitality really comes through in his writing and that enthusiasm is what ran through my mind during any of the low points within my 7 day detox and what carried me through without cheating. I also appreciate his no nonsense approach - you won't find any coddling in this book but in the same vein he does a great job of making you feel like he's right beside you cheering you on.I had been juicing for a good six months prior to reading Jason's book and own a few other juicing recipe books but I've found that Jason's recipes are by far my favorite (I now own two of his other books) and unlike the other reviewer I don't agree that they are too much fruit - they aren't so earthy that people who are new to juicing will hate them and they aren't so sweet that those of us who have been juicing longer and have adjusted to earthier juices will find them too sweet and even if that was the case you could simply decrease the amount of pineapple you juice in order to have an earthier juice. I think his recipes are a perfect balance of fruit and veggie and he uses a really great variety of veggies (watercress, dark leafy greens, zucchini, broccoli, etc as well).I was able to loose 7 lbs during the 7 days and I admittedly did not exercise even though I should have been. I wasn't starving on the plan and when I was hungry it was because I wasn't drinking enough water - that's really critical to the success of the plan - DRINK LOTS OF WATER. I think the biggest challenge for me was getting over the emotional part of not eating the meal I was serving to my family. I was still sitting with them at the table, drinking my juice and engaging in conversation but there was definitely an emotional pull to engage in the meal simply because they were - not because I actually wanted it. As far as the cost factor goes - well juicing can get expensive when you're buying organic fruits and veggies or when you're juicing for a family of 4 like I do. I did not add any supplements to my juice so that wasn't an added expense for me. In terms of time, this partly has to do with what type of juicer you have. I have an Omega and it's slower, the chute is smaller and it takes more time to stuff greens down that tiny chute. I switched to a Breville for the time savings factor and I can juice faster then my husband can make cereal for the kids and himself - juicing is not time consuming.I felt fantastic when I finished and the board flat stomach I was left with was a nice side effect (I didn't have a lot of weight to loose). I will also add that most of the weight I lost did not come but I also eat a plant based diet (and no oil) so I imagine those results would vary depending upon what your diet is normally like. Since my first juice detox I've engaged in Jason's worldwide juice detoxes twice and will be participating again in his upcoming Spring Clean in April - I really look forward to them!

Read it in one afternoonSo easy to read and ready to start tomorrow can't waitLoved the book! B

Great program- love the juicey life

I must say, I'm only on day 2 of the plan so I don't know if I'm eligible to write a review yet but I'm feeling super and had to share this! Yesterday, I followed the plan to the letter and didn't feel hungry at all. The juices were amazing and I particularly liked the warm apple and cinnamon nightcap (tasted of McDonald's apple pie!) I woke up this morning after 5 and a half hours feeling wide awake, refreshed and full of energy. I'm a convert. My stomach also looks flatter and my skin looks clearer already. The book itself contains a lot of info which probably isn't necessary but it's the plan that makes it wonderful. It's pretty expensive initially but in my opinion, well worth it.***UPDATE*** It is now several years since my original review, and I have completed this plan numerous times. I'm currently on day 5 of the 7 days. A couple of things I have noticed though: I don't know how anyone does it whilst going to work, for me it would have been impossible so I've taken the week off, and thank goodness! You can't stray too far from a loo either, which isn't particularly nice, but an excuse to be a bit of a home body for a week. I eat A LOT generally and was eating a lot of rubbish prior to this plan, but honestly, after day 2, my cravings were a thing of the past and I am actually dreading going to my friend's for dinner in a few days as I really don't want to eat anything unhealthy. The plan not only alters your taste buds but it really has an effect on your relationship with food. My relationship with food was very poor before, I overate for comfort and companionship, when I was happy, sad, or 'just because'. Now I feel more conscious of what I eat and am already thinking ahead to after the plan about the choices I'll make. Yes, it is a lot of hassle and a lot of effort, admittedly, but I also feel like it's worth it in terms of what you get back. I won't be weighing myself until after day 7 but I am already reaping the benefits (a stranged yesterday stopped to tell me how glowing my skin was!) Without realising it, this plan will really alter how you feel about food. I maintain my initial 5 stars!

The information was good.I guess for me I found that one had to read through a lot of stuff before one got to the actual diet plan. I do understand that one must first understand the background info. I guess for me it was a bit too much. I would find difficulty with doing this program as described. There are different drinks to make for the different meals. My busy schedule would not allow me to prepare the different drinks. If it was just one batch of drink for the entire day, I would be able to divide it for my various meals. However, with that said. I think if one has the time I certainly believe one will get great results. But for me at this time it is not doable.

This book was disappointing and boring to read - I preferred his other ones. I love his juice recipes though and have lost weight already after one week