Liquid Diet for Weight Loss : Good or Bad?

Myths About Weight Loss and Diet Busted

Myth 1: Avoid eating after 8 in the evening.

Fact: Calories don’t look at the clock. Just as the body uses and digests the calories in the morning and noon, similarly, it digests the calories at night also. The calories would only sit if you eat and lie down. But if you make movements, it is sure to burn.

Myth 2: Have small and frequent portions of meals to boost metabolism.

Fact: The intake of food comes with a minor impact on metabolism. No doubt, some ingredients having caffeine would slightly increase the metabolism levels, but its impact on weight loss is quite negligible.

Myth 3: Pasta will add to your weight.

Fact: Pasta contains carbohydrates. Carbohydrates don’t add to your weight but additional calories do that. Carbohydrates are an essential part of a healthy diet. Hence, eating pasta in moderate quantity makes no harm to your healthy diet.

Myth 4: Liquid diet is the safest and quickest way to work on that unwanted weight.

Fact: Liquid diets would quickly cut down the weight but as it lacks minerals, macronutrients, and vitamins, it can be a little risky to continue with it for the long term. Additionally, it also slows down the metabolism.

Liquid Diet and Weight Loss – The Most Deliberated Topic!

Exercises, Yoga, Meditation, Crash diets… Have you also tried all these but failed to achieve desired results for weight loss?

Weight loss has become one of the common goals for 8 out of 10 people. Whether it is to improve their appearance or health, everyone today is in search of an ideal diet chart or weight loss program that would help them get into their desired shape. And liquid diet is an upcoming trend for weight loss desirers.

For many, the liquid diet is nothing but replacing the meals and eateries with shakes, soups or juices. But is the concept limited to only liquids? Does it actually help in reducing weight in a healthy way?

Let’s turn all the pages regarding the concept today.

What is Liquid Diet?

In simple terms, a liquid diet means taking liquids in place of solid meals. The diet is basically carried by getting most of the calories from various liquid drinks. The liquids can be limited to particular juices made from fruits and veggies or even shake. Such liquids replace all your solid food meals which are taken around 3 to 4 times throughout the day. Most of the people go for such diets on their own, however, it is often recommended to take the advice of medical supervision or dietitian before starting with it. On the other hand, another kind of liquid diet means simply replacing either 1 or 2 heavy meals, mostly breakfast and lunch with drinks, while dinners include something light and healthy. Some of the dietitians also help with snacks adjusted in the plans.

What are the Types of Liquid Diet?

A liquid diet is nothing but liquid programs that carry nutrition in different ways and provide the body with the required calories. The types of liquid diets can be categorized ideally in three different types.

1. Replacement of Meals

The diets which include replacement of meals to shakes or liquid are included in this category. There are various companies in the market who are selling such shakes that help in reducing weight. The meals are replaced with such shakes that are quite low in calories you might consume through meals. They are used for replacing either one or various meals of the day. The shakes contain all the required nutrients your body would require for proper functioning including various micronutrients and macronutrients. Consuming such shakes for particular months helps in getting desired results for weight loss and management.

2. Cleansing Through Detox Diets

Detox is yet another way of cleaning the body from inside and looking over your weight. There are liquid diets like drinks or juices that work to remove all the toxic elements from the body. Detox diets like long-term water fasting, juice programs, and Master Cleanse are some of the things the meals are replaced with. However, the juices come with a particular portion of fruits and veggies, hence, it is not similar to the shakes. Such juices are henceforth taken with limited solid meals to maintain proper balance in the body and eliminate unwanted elements.

3. Prescribed Liquid Diets

Complete liquid diets and clear liquid diets are categorized in this group of liquid diet. The liquid or drinks in this group are basically prescribed by the doctors or the dietitians. The diet includes the intake of clear liquids like apple juice, water, tea, sports drinks, or even broths. Such liquid diets are very much prescribed at the time of surgeries or while having digestive issues. The full or complete liquid diets are also suggested for the same health issues; however, they are limited compared to the clear liquid diets. Such liquid diets also allow particular beverages like shakes, puddings, popsicles, syrups, and even Jell-O at room temperature.

No matter whatever liquid diet you begin with, they either eliminate some or entire food portions with drinks.

Does Liquid Diet Really Help in Weight Loss?

A liquid diet is basically reducing the intake of calories in a different way. If the intake of your calories is less than what you are burning, you are sure to succeed in reducing weight. However, not all liquid diets would help with long-term results. Once after you have achieved your goal, if you start over with calories again, you are sure to gain weight again. Again, reducing the calorie intake also reduces your metabolism that can have a great impact on your energy levels. Hence, it is essential to keep a watch over the calories after reducing weight and getting back to your normal diet.

Again, there are certain liquid diets that provide long-term benefits compared to another diet. For some of the people who are overweight, working with both liquid diet and solid food helps in controlling the calories and maintain a healthy weight. Some of the liquid diets work for cleaning the body from inside in the form of a detoxifying the liver, which is yet another way of reducing weight.

Why Should You Try Liquid Diet?

Thinking when there are different ways of losing weight, why should you experiment with a liquid diet? There are three basic reasons one selects to go on a liquid diet like for medical reasons, weight loss, and detox.

1. For Medical Reasons

There are people who are advised to go for liquid diets for short terms. The reason behind it is some medical conditions like intestinal issues, swallowing issues, chronic stress, heartburn, etc. Among all these, the primary reason is the treatment of intestinal bacteria. The intestinal bacteria are something that increases rapidly and is one of the common conditions that is widespread. However, not everyone should follow the liquid diet without consulting the doctors as proper supervision of the health is required along with professional care. Again, for many other health issues, a liquid diet for a few days or months is the best to go with.

2. Weight Loss and Detox

The other reasons in the list of reasons are weight loss and detox. Replacing the meals with liquid is among the convenient ways to look for weight loss. All you need to do is just shake the bottle and you are done. Additionally, the portion of the nutrients and calories are well-controlled through the liquid diet. Hence, it is easier to stay within the goals of calories you need to have for losing weight. Some of the juices are helpful in cleaning the body from within. It also detoxes the body and also provides the body with essential nutrients like antioxidants, minerals, and Vitamins, which is also another way of losing weight as well as maintain it.

Hence, whether you are looking for losing some additional weight or merely maintaining your health, a liquid diet is one of the best solutions to go with.

What are the Benefits of Liquid Diet?

Apart from weight loss, here are some of the other benefits of a liquid diet.

1. Liquid Diet Boosts Metabolism

Surprised with this benefit? No doubt, by reducing the intake of calories, the metabolism also slows down. But this comes with long-term benefits too. As soon as you finish up with your diet period, the metabolism of your body would boost up and this would help you burn additional calories quickly. This is helpful for the people who are looking to keep their body in proper shape.

2. It Helps Release Toxins

The liquid diet contains various juices or drinks that help in eliminating the toxins from the body. Be it the bladder, liver, or even the kidney, the liquid diet is capable of cleaning all the organs of the body for improving the health.

3. Gives You Sufficient Nutrition

The liquid diet includes smoothies, juices, shakes, etc. All such diets are made with a combination of a particular vegetables or fruit. Hence, even though you skip the solid meals, you are sure to get the required nutrition levels on a daily basis through the juices, or other liquid diets you are preferring. Hence, the chances of facing the lack of nutrients or weakness reduce to a great extent.

4. Healthy for Weight Loss

Most popular among all, weight loss is a reason most of the people might start a liquid diet for. By making sudden and effective changes in the intake of calories, your body lacks the required level of calories. This means you would be consuming more calories than your intake. And this is the base to weight loss easily. On average, an individual can lose up to around 1 pound of the weight in a day if strictly follows the liquid diet.

Hence, whether you are looking to reduce some weight or simply maintain the current and healthy weight, a liquid diet for weight loss is surely the key to the right path.

What are the Side Effects of Liquid Diet?

Not every diet is meant for everyone. There are certain limitations to every diet, and similar datum applies to the liquid diet also. There are certain juices, beverages or even teas that are included in the liquid diet. However, if you are looking for weight loss through the diet, such liquids can be harmful to the long-term. The solid food comes with certain required nutrients that recommended on a daily basis. And the liquid diets may skip them which can lead to a lack of the nutrients in the body if the diet is continued for the long-term.

Some of the possible risks noted while moving to the liquid diet include:

• Feeling dizzy
• Reduced calorie levels
• Lack of essential nutrients
• Not sustainable for a long time
• Lack of satiety

If the liquid diet is prescribed due to medical reasons, make sure you avoid it after a particular time period or ask the doctor the time to discontinue it. Similarly, the detox or cleansing liquids are consumed only for certain days or weeks as this can result in temporary weight loss, and not fat loss.

Again, a liquid diet is not good advice for the foodies looking for weight loss as once they are back to solid food, they would overheat, resulting in weight gain. Only taking juices or other liquid items can also lead to conditions like mild to severe headache, diarrhea, overwhelming hunger, etc. Also, the people looking for detox liquid diets can suffer from conditions like low sugar levels as the intake of calories reduces as well as no stool. So, before looking for any kind of liquid diet, better see your doctor and ask for a proper piece of advice.

Diet Chart of Liquid Diet

There are certain aspects you need to be clear before starting with the diet chart of a liquid diet. Hence, it is essential to see a doctor while you plan the diet and provide them with all your medical history and reasons for going on a liquid diet for a tailored diet chart.

Here is a general diet chart for a liquid diet that might help you achieve your goals.

1. Breakfast – The first meal

Breakfast is an essential part of the day. No doubt, on normal days you might look for something nutritious for breakfast, but with a liquid diet, things change a little. So, start your day with some fruit juice, but make sure you ignore the pulp portion. Other drinks you can look for to add some protein and calories to your body include nutritional drinks, coffee, and tea without cream and milk, etc. However, for the people who are on a full liquid diet, they can look for cooked cereals with milk according to the dietitian. Other liquid nutritional items and even milk are recommended. Some smoothies included in the list are yogurt, skin and seedless fruits, honey, maple syrup, etc.

2. Lunch and Dinner

For both lunch and dinner, you can look at some liquid items like clear consommé or broth, clear gelatin, plain ice pops, sports drinks, etc. Similarly, for the people looking for full liquid diet plans, pureed soup is the best to go with. Look for homemade soups with no chunks in it. To add some protein to the soup, add some milk powder or protein powder to the liquid. Have your soup with some milk, vegetable soup, and tea also.

3. Snacks and Desserts

Of course, having too many glasses at a time is not possible. Hence, having snacks along with meals is quite essential if you are not following a liquid diet for losing weight. So, in the mid, look for healthy snacks like pudding, milkshakes, ice-cream without add-ins, gelatin including whipped cream, sherbet, yogurt in custard-style, and bars of fruit juice. Having some healthy diet snacks is also good.

Hence, in this way, by making proper modifications in your meals, you can surely reap the possible benefits of a liquid diet for weight loss. Look for different ingredients every day to taste something new as this would help you boost your diet.

Frequently Asked Questions About Liquid Diet for Weight Loss

1. What is a Clear Liquid Diet?

Ans: A clear liquid diet is a diet that includes clear liquids like broth, plain gelatin, and water. All these ingredients are quite easy to digest and leave zero undigested elements in the intestine. Along with these, the clear liquids help in the maintenance of hydration and also serve the body with essential electrolytes like potassium and sodium that give the body some energy.

2. What Food Items are Included in a Clear Liquid Diet?

Ans: Plain water, fruit juice like grape juice, cranberry juice, apple juice, etc. without pulps, lemonade (strained), fruit punch, broth (fat-free), clear soda, plain gelatin, honey, ice pops without fruit pulp or pieces, coffee and tea without cream, granulated sugar, and milk, etc. are allowed while going on clear liquid diet.

3. What is the Full Liquid Diet?

Ans: A full liquid diet includes any kind of food item that is in liquid form. Some of the examples of full liquid diet include ice creams, plus cream soups, milk, ensure instant breakfast, and much more.

4. Can Anything Else Except Water be Included in the Liquid Diet?

Ans:  Yes, there are various other liquid items that can be included in a liquid diet that would help in reducing the chances of suffering from dehydration and nausea. Hence, except water, you can have other liquid ingredients like white grape juice, apple juice, citrus juices, ginger ale, Gatorade, 7-up, Kool-aid, clear broth, honey, popsicles, etc. that don’t include any kind of pulp or added colors.

5. Why Should One Avoid Liquid in Purple or Red While Going on a Clear Liquid Diet?

Ans: Consuming purple or red can lead to staining of the colon or can also appear in the form of small blood amounts. Hence, such liquids should be avoided while practicing a clear liquid diet.

6. What are the Risks Associated With a Liquid Diet?

Ans: Some of the risks associated with liquid diet include feeling dizzy, light-headed, reduced-calorie levels, lack of essential nutrients, reduced satiety, and much more.

7. Can a Liquid Diet be Started on Your Own?

Ans: Definitely not! A liquid diets can be dangerous for various people like pregnant women, individuals on particular medicines, or even people having issues with the digestive systems or intestinal issues. Hence, make sure you see your physician or dietitian before starting with a liquid diet.

8. What are the Types of Liquid Diets?

Ans: There are three different types of liquid diets like meal replacements, detox diets, and liquid diets prescribed by doctors.

9. What are the Deficiencies of the Liquid Diet?

Ans: The primary deficiency of a liquid diet is that it can help you with essentials like carbohydrates, vitamins, and phytonutrients. But it lacks other important elements like fatty acids and protein that are helpful for the brain and muscle support.

10. What is the Safest Way of Starting with a Liquid Diet?

Ans: The first thing to do while thinking to start a liquid diet is to see a doctor and check whether doing so would be helpful for you. Know what you can drink and what to avoid while on diet. Make sure you are on a liquid diet that serves you with required nutrition and calories to keep you healthy while you achieve your goals.

Conclusion

No doubt, going on a liquid diet would be much helpful for those who are looking for quick results on weight loss. It should still be understood that a liquid diet is not designed for everyone. There are some who find it easy while for some, it is difficult as they need solid food too. This would help in maintaining the calorie levels in the body which would help in weight loss in a healthy way. Again, while checking out with the doctor, make sure you discuss with them your health conditions like diabetes, kidney issues, high blood pressure, heart issues, swallowing issues, and much more if any.

So, are you thinking of going for a liquid diet for some weight loss? Book an appointment with your doctor for losing some weight with the necessary precautions.