Going On a Liquid Diet for Weight Loss

Going on a liquid diet may sound bizarre and maybe sightly crazy, but it has been proven to work to help people lose weight.

Being on a liquid diet works because you do not have to worry about counting anything such as calories or carbs, and you do not have to worry about fixing balanced meals.

A liquid diet is ideal for anyone that has a busy lifestyle, has problems with portion control, does not know what to cook, or just genuinely hates to cook.

All Liquid Diet

There are essentially two types of all liquid diets. One that you go on on your own, and one that is prescribed to you by your doctor.

You can choose to go on an all liquid diet on your own, but you should thoroughly research and know what you are getting yourself into.

If you are on a prescribed all liquid diet, you will be monitored by your doctor and usually either given the liquid to drink at each meal and snack, or told what to get for yourself.

An all liquid diet usually focuses on serious calorie control. In order to lose weight on an all liquid diet you would need to severely lower the amount of calories you are taking in each day, usually to 1,000 calories a day or lower.

This diet is best for anyone that only has a small amount of weight to lose, such as 20 pounds or less.

If you have more than 20 pounds to lose, it may be best to go on a prescribed all liquid diet by your doctor so you can be more closely monitored since you would need to be on the diet for longer.

If you want to go on an all liquid diet you will need a juicer or a blender. You can not drink water all day, you still have to have calories in your system in order for you to function.

Various fruits and vegetables can be very filling when they are juiced as well as taste delicious.

You could buy and drink pre-packaged juices and liquid drinks, but generally these contain extra sugars and calories, so it is better to juice fresh fruits and vegetables yourself for the most low-calorie and healthy liquid options.

Energy Boost Juice Recipe

Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 medium red beet
• 3 large carrots
• 1 large fuji apple, cored
• 1 extra large ruby red grapefruit, skin removed
• 2 stalks celery
• 1-2 tangerines, peeled
• 1-inch piece of ginger

Directions:

Turn on the juicer and juice the ingredients as they are listed above. Stir well. Serve immediately, as is or on ice.

Some great fruits and vegetables to juice that taste great and are filling include:

• Carrots
• Peaches
• Bananas
• Cranberries
• Tomatoes
• Avocados
• Zucchini

Maybe some of these do not sound that appetizing, but you can combine fruits with vegetables to get a little sweetness with the ones that are not that great tasting.

The awesome thing about juicing is that while you are on your all liquid diet you are still able to get some of the key nutrients you need in your diet. You should still take a multi-vitamin to make up for the nutrients you will not be getting such as fats and protein.

An all liquid diet should last no more than three weeks at a time with at least a month in between.

Meal Replacement Liquid Diets

A meal replacement diet is for anyone that is interested in a liquid diet for weight loss, but that is not quite brave enough or ready to take the plunge into all liquid.

A meal replacement liquid diet is excellent because you are still able to significantly lower your calories and take in more liquid than food if you wish. Meal replacement simply includes replacing as many meals or snacks as you wish with a liquid drink of your choice. There are even meal replacement shakes that you could purchase from virtually any health food store or supermarket.

While on a meal replacement liquid diet weight loss plan, you should aim for as little calories as possible to lose as much weight as you need. This type of diet is fine for anyone that needs to lose any level of weight, as it is easy to make up for lost nutrients through eating them with your meals and can be done for longer than an all liquid diet.

You can be on a meal replacement liquid diet for essentially as long as you need. You may need to take a multivitamin, especially if you feel like you are not getting the right amounts of nutrients you need each day.

The Beauty of Green Drinks

Fresh Green Mint (above)
Yield: 1 serving approx 10 oz 1 pear

• 1 lime, peeled
• 10 stems fresh mint
• 1 large collard leaf
• 3/4 large long English cucumber or 1 small
• garnish with mint sprig

Method
Run all ingredients thru juicer, stir, test for flavour, enjoy.
Garnish and make look pretty!

Make Your Own Green Juice

Clear Liquid Diet

The clear liquid diet has been approved by doctors to be safe and effective at helping you lose weight. It has been used to help people lose weight as well as recover from an illness.

If you are not feeling too well you can partake in the clear liquid diet for a few days until you are feeling back up to par.

On the clear liquid diet you will still have meals and snacks, but they must be a part of the clear liquid diet. Your options include:

• Water
• Tea
• Black coffee
• Broth – any variety
• Clear sodas
• Fruit punch
• Fruit juices – pulp free
• Lemonade
• Sports drinks
• Popsicle
• Gelatin – plain, any flavor
• Honey

You can have as much or as little of each as you want and can have them at any time of the day.

The clear liquid diet helps you to lose weight by cleansing out your system pretty quickly. It is only intended to be used as a short-term diet and you should never use it for a long time.

Ideally you could go on the diet for up to a week, then take a week or two off. Anyone that needs to lose any amount of weight can go on the clear liquid diet as long as they do not have any serious medical conditions.

Alternating Liquid Diets

Sometimes it is not practical to be able to go on a liquid diet of any type for more than a few days at a time, and especially not for a week or more. That is why some people choose to alternate on and off of a liquid diet. This helps keep their bodies feeling clean, light, and healthy.

You could choose to be on-liquid for a select few days during the week, or you could choose to be on-liquid for a few days straight during the week, and off during the rest of the week.

During the days that you are on a liquid diet, you should limit your exercise and activities.

Since you are consuming such few calories anyways, it is best to conserve your energy to keep from falling ill and only do light exercise and activity such as having a 5-minute walk or doing housework.

Long-Term Results and Warnings

The bad news is that majority of people that go on liquid diets of any type gain their weight right back again.

It is not because the liquid diet failed, it is because they did not learn healthy eating and exercise habits that they could put into place when they were done with the liquid diet for weight loss.

Because of this, while you are on your liquid diet you should be learning all you can about healthy eating, exercise, and weight loss. Research and know ahead of time which type of diet you would like to go on after your liquid diet.

Being on a liquid diet is not necessarily healthy, so you could experience some negative side effects from the diet. Some side effects include:

• Abnormal heart rate
• Hair loss
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Feeling cold all the time
• Abnormal menstrual cycle

You should not go on a liquid diet if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have any type of medical condition.