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Comment by staktrace | Hacker News Reader

I'm curious about this: do you mean you drank only organic vegetable juice for 14 days?

Yes -- I bought a juicer and stared out making it myself, but this quickly became a PITA so instead I went to Whole Foods and stocked up on Bolthouse Farms "The Vedge," which is like V8 only organic (and pretty good).

After about day 3, when all the sugar burns out of your system, you aren't really hungry anymore. Psychologically you may feel the urge to eat because you're used to doing it so often, but you don't really experience the "hunger pangs" like when you miss lunch. This is because "hunger," as most of us experience it, has more to do with your brain craving sugar than it is you being truly hungry.

Did you do this under a doctor's supervision or just on your own?

I hope people aren't reading this and thinking about doing this crazy diet especially with all this misinformation.

Hunger is not just your "brain craving sugar". I get hungry every single day and I eat virtually no sugar.

Yes, insulin response has been known to cause some cravings, but that isn't the only factor in hunger.

Fat and protein also satiate you more than carbohydrates which means you shouldn't experience as much hunger.

"Know the difference between hunger and appetite. According to Chalmers and Campbell, few people understand the difference between real hunger and appetite. "Hunger is more physiological, whereas appetite is more psychological," they state. The authors advise that it may take some time to distinguish one from the other, but eventually, it can be done. So the next time you experience a "craving," remember to ask yourself whether it is hunger talking, or your brain only imagining it needs food. Also, it is important to check your blood glucose (sugar) when you experience these feelings to make sure you’re not low" (Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School - http://www.joslin.harvard.edu/info/food_cravings_and_diabete...).

I've also found that sometimes drinking something is enough. If I'm eating lunch, for example, and I've run out of water, I find that sometimes I can end up eating more than I need because I'm actually thirsty, but somehow it registers as more hunger. It's weird.

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