Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Tonight we watched this film on Netflix. It can also be seen free at the website fatsickandnearlydead.com It spirals up to a point and then unexpectedly takes a mortal leap into the truly moving and inspirational. The film follows Joe, a successful but overweight Aussie with a chronic skin condition, as he embarks across American, film crew in hand, while on a thirty day fruit and vegetable juice fast (wisely under the guidance of a nutritionally-oriented physician). Things take a drastic turn after Joe returns home and gets a call from Phil, a 420+ pound trucker with the same skin problem, that he had met along the way. Phil reaches out to Joe for help and the ensuing process is the real heart and soul of the movie.
Who would benefit by a program like this, and what changes might be recommended? There are many people who could be dramatically transformed following this kind of a program. Obesity, auto-immune conditions such as arthritis, metabolic issues of high blood sugar, high lipids, skin problems, all could benefit by a program of this nature. My one recommendation would be that after five to ten days, depending on the individual and their condition, adding some form of more concentrated protein to the juice, such as hemp, rice or even whey protein, would force the body to burn fat while tending to spare muscle, which otherwise the body will also consume to meet its metabolic needs. Muscle is very important to energy, metabolism and overall health, as Stephen Cherniske explains in the Metabolic Makeover. Joe lost a hundred pounds, but 30 pounds of that was muscle. In my view, it would be simple and wise to increase that ratio significantly.
Of course, don’t undertake a mission like this without the supervision of a naturopathic physician or sympathetic medical doctor. By the way, I also do online consultations.
I did some research on the Australian built Breville Juicers that are used in the movie and they look pretty terrific and reasonable. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus or the Breville Juice Fountain Elite both look like great choices for anyone excited to go this way.
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