With every new summer comes new promises, but the one that arises every summer is the promise to start exercising and eating healthy.

This last summer, that was me. Except this time, it was for real — no more empty promises. It wasn’t a matter of looking better, but a matter of feeling better. I buckled down and lost 25 pounds.

I heard about a diet called “The Juice Fast” that entailed eating only fruits and vegetables for one week. No meats, no breads, no sweets, nothing. I loved the idea of this fruits and veggies diet. What’s better than eating the sweet nectars of the Gods all day, every day?

Every morning, I’d wake up and fix myself a shake. Strawberries, bananas, kiwis and whatever else I could find laying around the fridge — I took them all, dumped them into my blender, juiced those bad boys up and was energized for the rest of the day.

It was difficult at first, but I got used to the lighter foods and so did my body. Exercise is the other half of this diet. The key to this diet, and any diet, is to expend more calories than you consume on a daily basis.

I ran three miles a day, for about a month straight, but didn’t notice any changes until weeks later.

I lost 12 pounds in one week on this regimen.

After the diet is over, switch to a modified version of it. Instead of a fruit-only shake, add milk or juice and some ice cream. Instead of having the dry Greek salad, add cheese and dressing.

After the initial 12 pounds of weight loss, I continued to lose weight. I tried it again three weeks later and lost an additional seven pounds, less because my body was used to the new diet and there was less excess fat to lose.

Sophomore criminal justice major Jarett Haggmark, a trained mixed-martial artist, also tried the diet, but a modified version instead. During the second optional week, he juiced his fruits and veggies, living off of liquids only for a week.

“I lost 22 pounds during the two-week span, and that was coupled with exercise,” Haggmark said.

Although the diet worked for some, many had problems with the diet itself, as well as the concept.

Sophomore criminal justice major Jeff Levasseur tried the diet, but decided it wasn’t for him.

“It didn’t satisfy my needs and I was always hungry and fatigued,” Levasseur said. “I couldn’t concentrate in class, but I’d willing to try a more lenient diet.”Roberto Quintana, professor of kinesiology at Sac State, found a few flaws in the diet, as well.

“You need some fat in your diet and you’re not getting that fat, or protein, when you eat only fruits and vegetables,” Quintana said. “‘Diet’ is a bad word because it means ‘temporary;’ if you eat healthy all the time, you won’t have to worry.”

Wendy Cunningham, a family and consumer sciences professor at Sac State, echoed Quintana’s thoughts.

“On this diet, you will get malnourished and your body will begin to break down muscle tissue because of the lack of protein,” Cunningham said. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Different strokes for different folks, but whatever it is, it worked for me.