The Juice Detox Diet 3-Book Collection

There are many examples of how the human body survives, often baffling the medical profession. One such example will help reenforce a few of my points. If the medical profession thought my living on nothing but juice for three months was crazy, then it’s positively sane compared with …

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The David Blaine Diet (#)

A few years ago the illusionist David Blaine went for 44 days on nothing but water while living in a glass box hoisted above Tower Bridge in London. Many people don’t believe he actually did this and that somehow it was all an illusion. However, as well as being a remarkable illusionist, David Blaine is also able to demonstrate the most amazing examples of what human beings are capable of. He will push himself over and over again simply to test human endurance. As well as living on nothing but water for 44 days, he has also buried himself alive for 7 days, lived in a block of ice for 3 days, and stood on top of an 80 ft (24 m) pole for 34 hours before leaping down onto some cardboard boxes. The pole business may not sound like much to everyone, but it is not something that could be achieved in a day. Blaine practiced and practiced for over a year before getting on that pole. He first stood on a 20 ft (6 m) high pole and learned from some of the top Hollywood stuntmen how to fall without injury. When he was comfortable with that he went up to 40 ft (12 m) and worked his way to 80 ft (24 m), never once using a safety net. He also climbed mountains daily on a bike in order to make sure that his legs had the strength to stand in one position for 34 hours. He learned how to fast for long periods and had no food or water for the entire time he was on the pole. So why did he do it? He was afraid of heights and wanted to release himself from that fear. David Blaine is a truly amazing example of what’s possible when you fully prepare and are fully focused.

But what does any of this have to do with this 7 lbs in 7 Days Juice Master program? Well, it’s to provide a little perspective and to once again question the advice of many dieticians, nutritionists, and doctors. If this man can go for 44 days stuck in a box with just water, come out alive, and return to a normal weight in no time afterward, then we really do have to ask how any doctor, dietician, or nutritionist can possibly say that living on freshly extracted juice for just 7 days is in any way bad for the average overweight and lethargic person. You have to question it even more once you consider that as well as the freshly extracted juice and good-quality supplements, the program contains plenty of nature’s most wholesome food—avocado. We also have to ask, if David Blaine can do something as extreme as that for 44 days, how hard can it possibly be to live on the finest-quality freshly extracted juice and smoothies for a week?

IT’S EASY PEASYLEMON AND CARROT SQUEEZY

Think about it. If David Blaine declared to the world that he was going to live on nothing but freshly extracted juices for one week, do you think for one second it would make the papers? Do you think a documentary would be made about it? Would people say things like “Of course he can go for 7 days on juice only. The man’s an illusionist and it’s a trick?” Umm, methinks not. Why? Because people would say, “What’s so special about that—anyone can do it.“ And it’s true—anyone can do it! But what people can do and what they will do are often two very different things. Most people can exercise daily, but most do not. Most people can eat well daily, but most do not. Most people can take their lives to the next level, but most do not. Most people can do small things each day that will move them to a more rewarding and compelling life, but most do not. Most people can tell the people close to them every day that they love them, but most do not. In reality, most people can actually do anything they put their minds to, but the sad reality is most do not.

What people can do and what they will do are often many worlds apart. The simple truth is you can do this 7-day program, you can find the time, you can stay focused, you can lose at least 7 lbs in 7 days, you can tap into an energy you haven’t felt for ages, you can give your body an amazing clean for a week, and you can easily do Phases 2 and 3. The question is not whether you can, but will you? Will you find the time? Will you do what it takes? Will you cut out the endless list of excuses people use not to move forward in life? Or will you do what most people do when it comes to truly changing this part of their life—simply talk about it but never do it?

Are You a Thinker or a Doer?

So many people are great at talking about a better lifestyle, better health, and a slim, sexy, energy-driven body. They are also good at spending copious amounts of time “reading” tabloid magazines that pan celebs who happen not to be 100% perfect. They sit around day after day, night after night telling people about the things they are going to do, but very few are actively doing anything. Yes, we’re all good at starting different “life-changing” programs, but so few of us see them through or get to the stage where we begin to see, feel, and live the results.

I know many people who have read just about every weight-loss/health/nutrition book on the planet yet are still overweight and incredibly unhealthy. That’s because all of the self-help books, apps, downloads, CDs, DVDs, and the like mean absolutely nothing without YOU taking action. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary’s definition of “action” is “the accomplishment of a thing usually over a period of time”—not the process of thinking about doing something, but the process of actually accomplishing something.

One of the top people from Toyota Motor Corporation was giving a presentation in which he appeared to be giving away some critical information. The audience was amazed at how freely he was willing to share so much information with so many. When asked about his willingness to be so candid, he replied: “Everyone can listen, but few will act.”

A truer statement has never been made.

There is a great line in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean where the Commodore says to the character played by Johnny Depp, Jack Sparrow, “You are without question the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of,” to which Jack Sparrow replies, “Yes, but you have heard of me.”

Like him or loathe him, the fact is that we have only heard of David Blaine because of his ability to act, his ability to go from just thinking to actually doing. Your ability to act on this program (or not to act) will be the difference between this book being a few pieces of paper with ink on them and it being a life- and body-changing experience.

Acting and seeing something through is one of the most rewarding things you can do in life. It gives you a sense of fulfillment, achievement, and success, and this is one of the most common pieces of feedback I get from those who do this program. People feel amazing not only because they have cleaned the system, lost weight, and have more energy, but because they made a decision and for once actually followed through on it no matter what.

What Distinguishesa Successful Personfrom OthersIs Not Their Strength,Not Their Knowledge,But Rather Their Will

The “Will you or won’t you do whatever it takes to do the program and make this a catalyst for life?” question pretty much comes down to just one thing.

I can honestly say that after being in this business for many years and seeing hundreds of thousands of people from all parts of the globe on this subject, I have concluded that there is just one thing, or one condition if you will, more than any other that prevents people from doing a program of this nature. It’s a condition that seems to be spreading faster than any other and it’s one that creates more illness, obesity, and unfulfillment than anything else. You may not have heard of its official term but you will know plenty of people with it and you will have suffered from it many times yourself in the past. It is the condition known as …

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CBBS (Can’t Be Bothered Syndrome!) (#)

And that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? Can you do the program is a clear “yes.” Can you be bothered is another question altogether.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES

Can’t Be Bothered Syndrome is the antithesis of the ability to take action. It’s what thinkers suffer from most of the time. It’s the one thing—more than anything else—that prevents people from getting from where they are to where they would LOVE to be.

CBBS is a mental attitude and is without question the most destructive mental attitude a person can have. It causes more feelings of failure and unfulfillment than any other.

If you can’t be bothered then you won’t be reading this sentence. If you can’t be bothered and really don’t want to do something about your situation, there is no way you would have gotten this far into the book. In fact, over 90% of people who buy a book of this sort don’t even read past the first two chapters. They may have gone from thinking about buying a book to actually buying it, but that isn’t real action. Anyone can buy a book—you don’t even have to leave your house these days to accomplish that. In fact, you don’t even have to leave your bed with e-books. So many people think that by the simple act of buying a self-help book they have helped themselves. But it’s called a self-help book because you have to help yourself. The bottom line is that it’s up to you. I know any number of people who have heaps of books, DVDs, CDs, and downloaded courses on their iPads, tablets, and fancy desktops that have barely been looked at, let alone acted upon—but, hey, they give the impression you are at least thinking about life change. You can lead a horse to water and all that. The ability to take action is the key, and as long as you suffer from CBBS you will never take action and never have the body and health you crave.

This is why I know that you personally can be bothered. You have not only gotten hold of a copy of this book but you are actually reading it. And that is way, way further than most people get. However, the reason I’m sitting here banging away on my keyboard is not just to get you to read the book; it’s to get you to take massive action on it so you get the life-changing results that millions of others around the world have experienced. Many people buy a book of this sort, but few actually read it and even fewer act on it from the start and then finish.

We are all increasingly health conscious these days and we constantly hear people spouting off about how “health is the most important thing” and “if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything.” That’s all fine and dandy but nine times out of ten they are saying it just before they shove yet another sweet roll down their gullet!

Talking good health and doing good health are two completely different things. What we “think” we are doing is often a far cry from what we are actually doing. Talking about doing this program and actually doing this program are also two very different things. I know I keep repeating this point, but bizarre as it may sound I actually care about the results you have and you will only achieve results if you take action: MASSIVE action. This is because I have witnessed such truly incredible changes to people’s bodies, health, and confidence that I will do and say anything to get you to actually follow through on this plan. And you will only take action if you kick the CBBS and decide once and for all …

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No More Excuses! (#)

Over the years I think I’ve heard them all. In my books I refer to this the “But Syndrome.” But I can’t because I don’t have the time; But I can’t because I have children; But I can’t because I’m too old; But I can’t because it’s different for me, etc., etc. I pointed out at the time:

The More Buts You Havethe Bigger Butt You Will Have

I think it’s safe to say that many people reading this book will want to change their butt, as well as their health and energy levels. However, the only way to change your butt is if you change your but. What I mean by that is changing from your almost automatic “but I can’t because …” set of excuses. These are the excuses we use in an attempt to try and justify what is essentially a clear dose of Can’t Be Bothered Syndrome.

Everybody can, if they choose, come up with a “but I can’t because …” for just about anything and easily convince themselves and others that it’s a perfectly reasonable “but.” And if you’re from the nicer side of town don’t think the word “however” gets you off the hook either: as we learned in that wonderful episode of Friends, “‘However’ is just a fancy ‘but’!”

Instead of automatically saying, “But I can’t because …,” you should immediately change it to, “But if I could what would I need to do in order to make it happen?” By asking yourself a question like that your brain automatically assumes that it is actually possible and just needs to spend a short while thinking about it to find an answer. The change of “but” will then inevitably have a follow-on effect that changes your “butt.” Conversely, if you say, “But I can’t because …” there is simply no way your mind will even attempt to look for a solution and your “butt” will remain the same.

Most people come up with a set of “buts” in order not to do a program of this nature at all. Others will start, but at the first sign of their having to make any degree of effort out comes the “But I can’t because …” set of excuses.

When testing this program on a focus group, I asked a few of my friends to try it at the same time. I gave some of them some simple mental preparation (which you will be getting in the next chapter) and two friends no mental preparation whatsoever. All the two friends had were a few letter-size sheets of paper with the step-by-step program on it. I knew that without at least some amount of mental preparation a few “buts” would rear their ugly heads and that my friends might find it a bit harder than the others, but I didn’t realize to what extent.

Although they started well—as in “Yes, we are going to do this” and making all the right noises and getting all the right stuff—it didn’t take long before the “buts” kicked in.

One of them, Martin, only got to day 2 before his particular “but” caused him to cave in. It turned out he didn’t just have one “but”—he had a bucket full of them. “But it wasn’t the right time,” “But I had too much going on,” “But I was just so hungry”—and this was on just DAY 2! None of these excuses held any water. He said, “But I had too much going on and it wasn’t the right time.” You tell me who doesn’t have a lot going on? And at the same time you tell me about any 7-day period where “stuff” doesn’t happen, where it appears that “this is the wrong time to be doing this”? Life has a habit of challenging us, and this is good: it’s the very stuff that tests our strength of character and makes us grow as people. However, most people see a challenge as a time to sabotage, a time to “but” their way to yet another failure. Martin also used the “But I was just so hungry” excuse and said, “I just HAD to eat something.” Again I must stress he was only on day 2! Or, to put it another way, he had gone just one night without solid food. He wasn’t physically hungry at all—he can’t have been—he was, after all, getting more genuine nutrition than he had been getting for months. The reality was he had a mental hunger, not a physical one, for refined sugar and refined fat. He was feeling mentally deprived and had a bit of an internal mental tantrum that resulted in the inevitable string of “buts.”

The same thing happened with the other friend who “attempted” the program. His “buts” were different, but the reason or “excuses” and the end result were inevitably the same. He lasted one more day than Martin, but that’s still only a little over two days—hardly stretching yourself, I’m sure you’ll agree. Now this friend would never, ever like to admit he has failed at anything. He is a strong person who when he sets his mind to something usually achieves it. So his “but” wasn’t “But I was too busy” or “But I had too much going on” as he knew that wouldn’t wash with me. I have already explained how sometimes doctors and dieticians question the program in terms of nutrition. Unfortunately, we now live in a world where we have such fears about not getting enough of this or that in our diet that it’s all too easy to use this as a “but” excuse.

The man in question exercises a lot and decided during the program to do some calculations. He had worked out that most days his calorie intake on the program was 1,000 calories. I don’t know how he worked that out, especially when one small avocado alone contains 275 calories, but, hey, let’s go with it anyway. He figured he was exercising daily to the point where he was burning off 400 calories a day. He did the math and came to the conclusion that he was only having 600 calories a day and therefore it was unhealthy—so he caved in.

The reality was that he caved in not because of any genuine lack of calories he was or wasn’t having, but for the same reason as Martin—mental deprivation. He knew he could have increased his intake of juices and smoothies to meet whatever calorie deficit he perceived he required. I even encourage this as you should always get nutrition if you are genuinely hungry. So why didn’t he? Because he had a “forget it” moment, suffered from an instant attack of CBBS, and came up with a suitable “but” to justify his action not only to other people (namely me!) but also to himself. That sounds harsh, but most people skirt around the issue, which makes me immediately think of the famous line from the movie A Few Good Men:

Do you want the truth?“You can’t handle the truth.”

The fact is that most people can’t handle the truth. Especially when the truth is that most people try to justify their CBBS excuses as genuine reasons.

The reality is that there are more than enough calories on this program to sustain the average person, so even with some high-impact exercising every day, you won’t collapse. I know this personally because when I did the 7-day program I ran a half marathon on day 5 as well as working out for at least an hour a day on the other 6 days.

I’m not saying this to impress you but to impress upon you that you are not about to waste away on this program. I see this all the time at my retreats—people initially freak out at the suggestion that they will be doing an average of 4–5 hours of exercise a day and consuming just 4–5 juices but then calming down when they find they aren’t collapsing all over the place. The biggest revelation people have on the retreats is just how much the human body can do on what appears to be so little fuel. In fact, we do an hour run/walk, a mini-trampolining session, and Astanga yoga all before our first juice! The “dip” in energy that my friend felt was simply due to the withdrawal from druglike foods and drinks such as white refined sugar and caffeine. It was not caused by a calorie deficiency. In fact, most of the time the symptoms of physical withdrawal people think they get from coming off certain “foods” and “drinks” are often extremely mild. Nine times out of ten they aren’t actually physically deflated but mentally deflated. They are once again feeling mentally deprived and so the tantrum rears its head—and once again the set of “buts” arrives on the scene. Once again though this illustrates that the sugar in fruits and vegetables is not the same as in a doughnut! Martin and my other friend didn’t simply think to eat a load of fruit or a large plate of veggies or an additional avocado-based veggie smoothie, NO, they tucked into the white bread and sweets Why? BECAUSE THE SUGAR IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IS NOT THE SAME AS THE STUFF PEOPLE ARE ADDICTED TO! You don’t get withdrawal from apples but you do from doughnuts!

I’m far from the only one who has managed to exercise to a high intensity during this juice-only program. I know a girl who also ran a half marathon on day 6, another person who did the backbreaking work of “mucking out” horses for 2 hours a day and doing 45 minutes of mini-trampolining, and many, many, many more who did a lot of yoga, weight-training, swimming, walking, and so on. Most of the juices have celery, cucumber, and apple in them, all of which add up to nature’s finest balance of sodium and potassium—minerals that we lose when working out. These juices not only replenish our stores but also help with any aches, pains, and cramps usually associated with exercise. So the whole “But I’m not getting enough calories” excuse really is flawed. In fact, since the first copies of this book rolled off the press, I have completed the New York and London marathons, plus five half marathons, all on nothing but freshly extracted juice—no “carb loading” necessary.

What is a Calorie Anyway?

We hear about calories all the time, but ask most people what a calorie actually is and you will see a blank face. A calorie is the amount of energy (heat) needed to raise one gram of water by one degree centigrade. Confused? Me too.