I've been trying to get fit my entire life.
I have witnessed the progress and evolution of fitness and nutrition. I remember "they" tried to tell everyone fat was bad, especially saturated fats. Then it was carbs. Then it was sugar. Now "they'" are saying you can't drink juice......
That's ridiculous.
You can drink juice. It's not going to kill you. Is juice terrible for you?
Maybe. It depends, but it's not complicated.
The question shouldn't be, "Is juice bad for me?"
If you are overweight, you probably shouldn't be drinking juice. If you are fit and especially "glycogen-depleted," you can have juice once in a while. It is going to go straight to your muscles in the form of muscle glycogen.
I'll explain.
When you are fat, you already have a ton of stored energy in your body. That is what fat is, "stored energy." Juice is pure sugar or energy. When you are overweight, not only are you fat, but your muscle glycogen is always topped off.
Muscle Glycogen is the Nectar of the Gods
Muscle glycogen is energy stored as fluid in the muscle.
Let's say you are fit, lean, and healthy. You are following a low-carb diet (or not; you can still be lean and fit while eating carbs) and haven't had over 50 grams of carbs or "juice" in over 2 weeks.
Your muscle glycogen is likely depleted or empty.
Losing fat is much easier when you are glycogen-depleted. That's why the keto and carnivore diets are so popular. It's just the fastest way into ketosis or prime fat-burning mode.
Think of your muscles as reserve tanks or, better yet, as deflated balloons. You are, at this time, glycogen-depleted. Many people who start a diet will be ecstatic to see they lost 8-10 pounds or more in the first week of dieting.
Unfortunately, for them, this is typically just water weight due to glycogen depletion and dehydration in general due to dieting.
Suppose you drink juice or have any other type of carbohydrate (especially simple carbohydrates) while depleted of all muscle glycogen.
In that case, it is going to be instantly converted into muscle glycogen, not fat.
Now, depending on how many glasses of juice you have, or other carbohydrates in general, that deflated balloon, or "reserve tank," fills and gets a little bit fuller. The sugar gets converted into glycogen and stored in the muscle, not fat.
The amount of muscle glycogen that can be stored in the muscle will depend on the person, size, shape, etc. Once your muscle glycogen is at max capacity, or the balloon is maxed out, any excess juice (or any other carbohydrate) is going to be converted into fat.
Essentially, once you have topped off the muscle, "balloon," or "reserve tank," and there is no more "room," your body has no other choice but to store that sugar as fat or "adipose tissue."
This explains two things.
A) Why bodybuilders will get an extreme pump after "carb-loading" or filling their "balloons." Or when fighters weigh in before a fight and then gain about 20 pounds overnight. I think Alex Pereira gains around 25 pounds overnight after weighing in.
B) People who begin a new weight loss plan often experience losing 10-15 pounds in the initial week of dieting. This is primarily due to losing muscle glycogen and general water weight as an effect of dieting.
New dieters will often be so happy and excited that they lose 10-15 pounds in the first week of a diet. They are telling everyone because they are excited and just don't know any better. These people will also be disappointed and dejected when the same thing does not happen in week 2, or they may even have gained a pound or two.
Further, these people will think they are "hitting a plateau," when in reality, they just experienced a glycogen dump during the initial week of their new fitness journey and don't understand that the fat-burning process just got real.
When the glycogen is fully depleted, that's when the real hard work starts in losing fat. Losing 1-2 pounds a week is typical for the average Joe!
If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
I drink juice and eat fruit all the time. It works for me. I will typically avoid juice, fruit, or carbs in general for 1-2 weeks before I allow myself to "refill" my muscle.
If You Need to Lose Fat, Pass on the OJ
If you need to lose a few pounds and you have a carton of Florida's Orange Juice in your fridge, you need to grab it, walk to the front door, open it, and kick it outside against the neighbor's house.
There shouldn't be any juice in your fridge if you are trying to get fit.
You need to drain that muscle glycogen! Then you really start burning fat.
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