In short: Yes, you lose weight with a juice cleanse. Our customers report 1 to 3 kg on average, depending on whether the cleanse lasts 3, 5 or 7 days. At first it's mostly water; on longer cleanses your body increasingly draws on fat reserves. Whether the weight stays off is decided mainly by the time after the cleanse. As of: October 2026.
We hear the question “Can I lose weight with a juice cleanse?” a lot. Here you'll find out how much weight is realistic, what happens in your body and how to keep your goal weight afterwards.
Can you lose weight with a juice cleanse?
First things first: yes, you will most likely lose weight during your juice cleanse!
Depending on how long your juice cleanse lasts, you'll also notice changes on your scales. With our different juice fasting options of 3, 5 or 7 days, the effect will be correspondingly bigger. You can find out more about the length of your cleanse and which juice cleanse length is right for you here.
But what makes the kilos drop, and how can you keep your reduced weight in the long run?
How much weight do you lose on a juice cleanse? 3, 5 and 7 days compared
There are no one-size-fits-all numbers, but there is a good guide. Across all cleanse lengths, our customers report losing 1 to 3 kg on average. How much it will be for you depends on your starting weight, activity and the length of the cleanse.
| Duration | What happens on the scales |
|---|---|
| 3 day juice cleanse | Mostly water and gut contents. A gentle start, where fat loss is usually only just beginning. |
| 5 day juice cleanse | Your metabolism increasingly switches to fat reserves, so you lose water and some first body fat. |
| 7 day juice cleanse | The biggest effect: besides water, you noticeably lose body fat, especially if you already know our juices. |
You'll find more on which length suits you in our article on the duration of fasting. All options are in the juice cleanse collection.
The benefits of a juice cleanse beyond weight loss
During a juice cleanse you fast. You can read exactly what fasting means here. Your frank. juice cleanse can bring a whole range of positive effects, as long as you do it properly! Losing weight is only one reason to build fasting into your everyday life regularly. Here come the reasons!
During a juice cleanse the liquid food takes the load off your gastrointestinal tract. This may ease digestive discomfort and may also help lower markers of inflammation. That can show on your skin and may lead to a more refined complexion. Especially interested in what a juice cleanse can do for your skin? Then we recommend our article: “Finally getting clear skin - what a juice cleanse does.”
In addition, fasting particularly stimulates cell renewal processes, so-called autophagy. Because of the large calorie deficit, old, damaged and no longer functioning cells or cell components are sorted out, broken down and used as energy. Put in pictures, you can imagine it as your body's own recycling programme, or a “spring clean” for your body. You can find more on autophagy here.
On top of that, fasting may also improve your blood lipid levels and your insulin response to food.
Last but not least, fasting as part of your juice cleanse can also serve as the starting signal for a change in your diet. You step back from your previous eating habits, break stuck routines and treat yourself to high-quality fruit and vegetable juices. That way you can start motivated into an improved way of eating after your fasting cleanse. A lot begins in the head: once you start eating your meals consciously and choosing snacks with care, you'll automatically make decisions that serve your wellbeing and a positive feeling for life!
As you can see, a juice cleanse can bring both physical and mental benefits. So think of fasting as a holistic cleanse for body and mind! If you'd like to read more about the benefits of your juice cleanse, we recommend our post: “What does a juice cleanse do for me?”.
How does losing weight with a juice cleanse work?
What do you have to do to reduce weight with a juice cleanse and keep your goal weight in the long run? You'll find out here!
As mentioned, during your juice cleanse you have a big calorie deficit, which means you use more energy during the day than you take in as food.
Besides the effects already mentioned, this leads to weight reduction: at first it comes from losing water that was previously bound to carbohydrates and salt. As your cleanse goes on, stored fat is increasingly used as an energy reserve. This is how you lose the often stubborn fat mass!
Potatoes, wholegrain products and pulses are good sources of complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are our body's best source of energy in everyday life. If we eat more carbohydrates than our body needs, the excess is stored by our body in the form of glycogen. When needed, your body can convert glycogen very quickly into glucose, a simple sugar. When glycogen is stored, water is stored in the tissue at the same time. As a rule of thumb, at least 3 g of water are stored per gram of glycogen.
Besides carbohydrates, it's mainly a high salt intake that leads to more water retention in the body. Just 8 grams of salt can bind around a whole litre of water in the body. That makes your scales show 1 kg more.
During your fasting cleanse you take in less food energy, especially fewer carbohydrates and less salt. That is exactly why a fasting cleanse can have a draining effect, which reduces water retention and, in turn, lowers your total body weight. That is also the reason why your bladder makes itself known more often during your juice cleanse.
But: as soon as you go back to a diet richer in carbohydrates and salt, the water you lost during your fasting cleanse binds to your body again and the lost kilos quickly reappear on your scales. That is why it's important to follow certain rules after the cleanse! If you want to lose even more weight, you have to keep up a calorie deficit. You can do that by eating fewer calories than before in your everyday life, or by using more energy through more exercise. Wondering whether carbohydrates have a place in a healthy diet at all? Then we recommend our article: “Are carbohydrates good or bad?”
Do you already know our frank. app? Download it from the App Store onto your smartphone and benefit from all the guides, packed with valuable information on fasting and nutrition!
Do you lose fat or only water on a juice cleanse?
To lose fat as well as water while fasting, a three day juice cleanse is usually not enough. Before your metabolism switches from carbohydrate metabolism to fat-based metabolism, the fasting period is mostly over and your body has enough carbohydrates available again for energy.
This is where shorter and longer fasting phases differ, such as the 5 day juice cleanse and the 7 day juice cleanse. If your stored glycogen isn't enough, your body has to fall back on proteins and fats to get energy. Since breaking down protein is relatively complex, your metabolism will quickly switch to your fat reserves. That's the moment when, besides water, you can also reduce your body fat percentage. That's why, especially if you already know our juices, we recommend the 5 or 7 day cleanse!
We can't predict exactly how much weight you'll end up losing during a juice cleanse. Many factors play a role here: your starting point including body weight and height, your activity level during the cleanse and the type of juice cleanse you choose. On average, our customers report a weight loss of 1 kg to 3 kg.
Curious now? Then take a look at our juice cleanse!
Discover the juice cleanse now
How you notice the weight loss
As described, at the start of your juice cleanse you lose stored water. If you suffer from water retention, you may notice it as your ankles getting slimmer. You'll also have to go to the loo more often at first. As your cleanse continues, your body starts the cell renewal processes, which mainly use protein as an energy source. After a short time, fat oxidation begins and your energy comes from your fatty tissue. The longer you fast, the more fatty tissue is broken down.
Keeping the weight off: why the days after the juice cleanse count
Breaking the fast refers to the phase after your juice cleanse. With your first solid food you break your fasting state. What your first meal after your fasting cleanse contains matters, and so does the amount.
First and foremost, it's important to reach for easily digestible, light and low-fat foods straight after fasting. Soups, steamed vegetables and porridge are particularly good on these build-up days. The reason is that after the fruit and vegetable juices, your body first has to get used to solid food again. As a rough guide, plan 1 to 3 of these so-called build-up days, depending on the length of your juice cleanse. After a 3 day juice cleanse just 1 day is enough. If you do a 7 day juice cleanse, we recommend at least 3 days. Think of a crunchy apple for breakfast, and blended vegetable soups for lunch and dinner. While eating, make sure you chew consciously and don't wolf everything down!
When you decide on a juice cleanse, you automatically start to engage with your diet. And that is exactly the first step! What hasn't gone so well so far? Where could you improve your diet a little? What do you want to eat more of, and what maybe less? Defining concrete goals here greatly increases your chances of weight loss success.
It can happen that after the cleanse your eyes are hungrier than your stomach, so watch out! Pay attention to your hunger and fullness signals and only eat when you're really hungry.
After the cleanse, your weight may creep up a little again because you're eating salty meals and your digestive tract is full. That's completely normal! Feel free to weigh yourself regularly to track your progress.
Need inspiration for tasty, simple dishes? Then check out our guides!
Changing your diet after the juice cleanse to lose weight
For the many reasons mentioned above, it makes sense to do a multi-day fasting cleanse, such as a juice cleanse, before changing your diet.
It can give you an ideal start into a sustainable, successful change of diet, because after the fasting cleanse it's easier to let go of your less-than-ideal habits.
You'll see that a healthy diet doesn't have to be difficult, time-consuming or boring! Right after the juice cleanse you can begin your new everyday way of eating, favouring easily digestible food on the build-up days. It's important that you become aware of ingrained behaviour patterns and eating habits and try to change them step by step. You'll find a workbook full of tips and tricks in our “Reset / Refocus / Rebalance” guide!
Who is a juice cleanse for weight loss suitable for?
For healthy adults who want a conscious fresh start and adjust their diet afterwards. A juice cleanse is not suitable during pregnancy and breastfeeding, if you are underweight or have an eating disorder, or for children and teenagers. If you have diabetes, a pre-existing condition or regularly take medication, please talk to your doctor first.
Good preparation makes the difference: how to start is covered in Juice cleanse preparation, and how to keep eating well afterwards in Breaking the fast. If you prefer to lose weight slowly, compare juice cleanse and 5:2 intermittent fasting.
Verdict on losing weight with a juice cleanse
As you've seen, a juice cleanse is not the way to lose weight fast and drop as much as possible within a few days or a week. A juice cleanse is better suited to making you consciously engage with your diet, giving your body and mind a break and preparing you for a change in your eating habits.
We recommend that before and during your juice cleanse you focus less on your weight and practise mindfulness instead. Notice how your body reacts to the change and how you rediscover your relationship with food after your juice cleanse. With your new, conscious mindset it will surely be easier to set goals and pick up new habits for a healthier lifestyle.
Do you already know our 5:2 intermittent fasting programme? Here you fast 2 days a week over several weeks. That makes losing weight easier if you don't want a one-off fasting experience but want to practise mindfulness throughout your weight loss journey.
Discover the 5:2 intermittent fasting programme
Frequently asked questions about losing weight with a juice cleanse
Can you lose weight with a juice cleanse?
Yes. Thanks to the large calorie deficit, you lose weight during a juice cleanse. Our customers report 1 to 3 kg on average. At first it's mostly water; on longer cleanses body fat comes into play too.
How much weight do you lose on a 3 day juice cleanse?
With three days you'll land at the lower end of the range. The weight loss is mostly water and gut contents, because in this time your metabolism usually hasn't fully switched to fat burning yet.
How much weight do you lose on a 7 day juice cleanse?
With seven days the effect is bigger, because your body draws on fat reserves for longer. Exactly how much depends on your starting weight, exercise and diet before and after the cleanse.
Does the weight stay off after a juice cleanse?
The water comes back as soon as you eat more salt and carbohydrates again. What stays off for good is the fat you lost, as long as you keep eating consciously after the cleanse. Plan 1 to 3 light build-up days and change your diet.
Is a juice cleanse for weight loss healthy?
For healthy adults, a multi-day juice cleanse is generally very doable if you drink enough and listen to your body. If you are pregnant or have an eating disorder, diabetes or a pre-existing condition, talk to your doctor first.
