Can You Lose Weight Fast With A Liquid Diet? Things To Know!
Eating is a natural method to give required nutrients and energy to the body. If someone follows a regulated way of eating food to decrease, increase, or maintain body weight, it is known as dieting. With proper dieting, one can reduce body weight without any deterioration in health.
How To Lose Weight Fast With A Liquid Diet?
Let us know more about usual dieting and liquid dieting in detail.
What is dieting?
Dieting does not mean that you cut down a half portion of food intake. Instead, you will follow a regulated method of eating food at regular intervals. You can either lose or gain weight with dieting.
In general, dieting involves adding more nutritious vegetables and fruits to the food. In some cases, patients with diabetes and obesity will follow diet plans to keep themselves healthy.
How does a clear liquid diet work?
The clear liquid diet allows you to take clear fluids as well as thick ones, like dairy, fruit and vegetable juice, shakes, and creamy smoothies. In addition, you can add other food items recommended by your physician. Until there are no solid pieces or lumps present in your diet, you can eat it.
You have to consult a qualified dietitian and make sure you intake all essential nutrients needed for a day. If you fail to follow the doctor’s prescription, you will develop negative side effects on your body.
A clear liquid diet will lead to food allergies and low blood pressure if you have a weak immune system. Therefore, you have to consult a registered nutritionist for the earliest treatment, if you notice any allergies or any other effects
Types of dieting:
Based on your requirements, you can choose the best dieting plan. In this section, we will discuss a few popular dieting types around the world.
- Ketogenic diet
It is a popular dieting method suitable for treating epilepsy in children. Ketogenic or Keto diet is a high-fat, protein, and low carbohydrate diet. However, it can be harmful in some rare cases. A Keto diet can potentially cause low blood pressure, constipation, and kidney stones.
- Vegan diet
You might have definitely heard of this diet. People often confuse themselves with a vegan diet and a vegetarian diet.
A vegan diet includes only plant and plant-based foods like vegetables, grains, nuts, and fruits. Someone who pursues this diet is known as a vegan. They don’t eat any food that comes from animals like meat, egg, and dairy.
- Vegetarian diet
In a vegetarian diet, you have to eat only plant foods. It includes vegetables, grains, seeds, fruits, and nuts. In this diet, you will not gain more protein and required fat levels in the body.
- Raw food diet
As the name suggests, you include raw food in this diet. Eating raw food will not cause any health issues over a short period. But, it can possibly result in health risks if followed for the long term.
- Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean is said to be the healthiest diet among others. In this diet, you will include the traditional cuisines of Italy, Greece, and other nations on the border of the Mediterranean sea. It involves herbs, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, spices, and whole grains.
- The Zone diet
Zone diets are helpful to reduce inflammation and maintain proper insulin levels. It contains high protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The diet may be too much higher in protein level if you have any kidney-related problems. However, it is not a suitable diet type for weight-loss functions.
Can you lose weight fast with a liquid diet?
Before going deep, what is a liquid diet? It is a diet that involves only liquid foods like water and broth. These foods will get easily dissolved and do not leave an undigested residue. A liquid diet will help to maintain sufficient hydration and provide necessary electrolytes, such as Potassium and Sodium. In addition, you will gain the required energy from the liquid intake.
Researches show that a liquid diet can be effective for weight loss over a short period. For instance, a low-calorie (1,200–1,500 calories per day) and extremely low-calorie (500 calories per day) diet using a liquid diet proves to be effective.
What do you eat on a liquid diet to lose weight?
A liquid diet does not only include water and broth. It will also contain fruits, coffee, gelatin, and smoothies. Here is the list of the liquid foods you can include in your weight loss diet.
- Water– You can drink plain water, carbonated or flavored water
- Fruit juice- It involves fruit juices without pulp. Example: white grape juice and apple juice.
- Fruit-flavored beverages like lemonade
- Gelatin
- Carbonated drinks like cola
- Vegetable juice
- Tea, Caffeine without milk
Types Of Liquid Diets For Weight Loss
If you are a beginner, switching to a liquid diet might be tricky. Here are the three types of liquid diets, and you can choose the best alternative that is convenient for you.
Detox/Cleansing Liquid Diet
Detox/cleansing liquid diets have earned popularity in recent times. The main goal of this diet is to detoxify the body from the inside. You have to follow a detox liquid diet at least once a week to notice visible results.
You can drink only vegetable or fruit juices filled with herbs. Once you start a detox diet, you will feel refreshed within your body.
Meal Replacement Liquid Diet
Researchers prove that meal replacement liquid diets can help with weight loss. Doctors say that a meal replacement diet is effective for quick weight loss without harmful effects.
These liquid meal replacement shakes are high in protein & fiber and low in fat. You will not develop any ache in the stomach even without solid foods. It replaces the high carbohydrate solid food intake with a low carbohydrate liquid shake.
Medical Liquid Diet
It is a usual dieting method to follow before any surgery or treatment. Doctors will recommend you to pursue this diet for the preparation and recovery from surgery. The major purpose of this diet is to ease digestion.
What is a full liquid diet?
If a diet involves only liquid food shakes instead of solid food items, it is known as a full liquid diet. In addition, it may contain soft solid foods that can dissolve at normal room temperature.
These liquid foods provide mixed flavors and higher nutritional values. If you want to eat any food item, you can grind them into a puree and add it to this diet.
Why is it beneficial?
Clear liquids provide calories, electrolytes, and water that can help nourish the body and boost hydration. It is safe for short-term use with the proper guidance of a medic. A general clear liquid diet may differ from one other based on the doctor’s suggestions.
Potential risks Of The Liquid Diet:
Following such liquid diets also have some negative impacts too. Here are some health risks of being on a liquid diet for too long.
- Liquid diets can weaken your immunity system
- Sometimes you might feel light-headed and dizzy too.
- You will feel light-headed and dizzy.
- Your cravings for food may rise and can lead to overeating.
- It can cause muscle loss and weak bones.
- It causes nausea and vomiting.
- It may prevent proper brain functioning.
- Liquid diets can provoke mood swings and illogical thoughts.
- You will be prone to cold and cough.
Most of these health risks occur with the long-term intake of liquid diets. Eating only a liquid diet can provide you with enough energy, fat, and protein. But, you might not get all the necessary vitamins and minerals for the body. Therefore, your physician may suggest that you take some additional supplements and vitamins in your diet.
Does a liquid diet shrink your stomach?
When you consume liquid shakes regularly, your stomach starts to feel almost full. Once the water gets separated, it quickly shrinks the stomach and makes you feel hungry frequently.
If you drink water while eating a solid meal, your stomach will feel less filled than usual. The foremost thing your brain focuses on while eating is to make the stomach completely full in size.
Can you survive on a liquid diet?
Most people follow liquid diets to reduce belly fat and lose bodyweight. Everyone has a different body type and different health conditions. So, it is essential to consult a qualified physician before starting a diet. It is because there is a possibility that your health may get damaged with improper diet plans.
When it comes to a liquid diet, you have to be extra careful with its side effects. If you already have weak immune and body conditions, it is good to avoid liquid diets.
Question your dietitian whether you can incorporate these solid foods in your liquid diet.
- Cooked rice, refined cereals, oatmeal, grits, or cream of Wheat (Grinded)
- Adding mashed or pureed potatoes into a broth or soup
- Strained meats
Disadvantages of full liquid diet:
- Some people might lack the enzymes that are essential to convert synthetic nutrients.
- One common side effect of a liquid diet is constipation, as it contains low fiber content.
- Studies show that consuming an increased amount of liquid calories may be harmful to body health.
- Your body will not get the essential nutrients that are available only in solid food items.
- If you are pursuing any liquid diet, you have to consult the dietician regularly for monitoring your health.
- The urge to eat will increase.
Comparison of Liquid diet and normal diet
In this section, we will talk about the comparison of liquid diet and normal diet.
A clear liquid diet is moreover similar to a solid diet. In both types, you incorporate food items that are present in a liquid state. Sometimes, the food will turn into liquid when kept under room temperature.
When compared to solid food diets, the nutritional value of a liquid diet is lesser. Research shows that the people who follow a solid food diet have a more healthy body than those who follow a liquid food diet.
The amount of energy available in a solid food diet is more than the amount of energy present in a liquid food diet. If you follow a clear liquid diet, you might feel dizzy sometimes. The cost of a full liquid diet is comparatively higher than the cost of the usual diet.
Comparatively, full liquid diets have more health risks than solid food diets. You might develop constipation, low blood pressure, weak bones, etc.
How long should you do a liquid diet to lose weight?
There are proofs that confirm the effective results of a clear liquid diet for someone. In most cases, people will see visible results over a short period of time. Usually, it will take a minimum of five days to two weeks.
You can gain a calorie value of 800 to 1200 each day. It is less than the usual calorie value present in our daily solid food. Thus, it boosts weight loss and burns cholesterol. According to a clinical review by Journal Nutrition Bulletin conducted in September 2014, a clear liquid diet will help to reduce two to four pounds a week.
Things to keep in mind while taking a liquid diet
The liquid diet has both benefits and drawbacks. You need to have patience, consistency, and determination to follow a liquid diet. So, there are a few things you have to keep in mind while taking a liquid diet.
- Sometimes you might feel done and want to quit dieting. In such situations, you might fail to control hunger and start to eat something solid. But, you have to be ready and well prepared for taking up a diet plan at the beginning itself.
- You need to take liquid diets only if the situation demands it. The medics won’t allow anyone so easily to follow such diet practices. These clear liquid diet structures are only for obese people. In addition, it is also suitable for patients who undergo medical surgery or recovering from surgery.
- If you sense any pain in the body, you have to consult your doctor immediately for further steps. On the other hand, you should clarify all the doubts with your medic and follow only his suggestions.
- This full-liquid diet will include the additional intake of vitamins and supplements that are necessary to provide you with the daily nutrients.
- The expenses of liquid diets are comparatively high in cost. You have to spend more on preventing yourself from the dark side of a liquid diet.
Final Thoughts about dieting:
Dieting is completely a person’s personal choice, and no one has the right to force them from going on a diet. If anyone wants to lose, gain weight, or have an attractive structure, they can follow a suitable diet.
As a result, they will attain a body in which they will feel more healthy and confident. Therefore, dieting is normal until it does not cause any harm to the body’s health.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Here are a few points that describe the dos and don’ts while dieting.
Do not skip meals any time.
Obey the instructions of your doctor.
Exercise or involve yourself in any other physical activity
Eat well-balanced and nutritious food.
Follow only the suitable diet prescribed by a dietician.
You may include these items in your liquid diet. It incorporates foods like plain water, fruit and vegetable juices, butter, cream, pudding, plain ice cream, yogurt, fruit popsicles, honey, soup broth, and custard.
In general, liquid diets contain a low-calorie value that ranges from 1200-1500 calories per day. Research shows that a liquid diet can be effective for weight loss over a short period. For instance, a low-calorie (1,200–1,500 calories per day) and extremely low-calorie (500 calories per day) diet using a liquid diet proves to be effective.
When you consume liquid shakes regularly, your stomach starts to feel almost full. Once the water gets separated, it quickly shrinks the stomach and makes you feel hungry frequently.
Dieting can cause unhealthy changes in your body composition like hormonal changes, reduced bone density, weak immune system, improper menstrual cycle, and lower energy levels. If you already have any health risks, it is good to stay away from dieting.
Water will be a helpful ingredient in a weight loss diet. It contains zero calories and helps you reduce unnecessary fat. It also keeps the body hydrated and maintains the metabolism of the body.
