Liquid Diet Weight Loss

Liquid diet weight loss is becoming a big interest among those who are looking for a fast way to lose weight. And there are many different types of liquid diet weight loss programs out there. It's important to make sure that you have the right information before you make any decisions about starting a liquid diet.

Benefits of Liquid Diets

One of the biggest benefits that people find with liquid diets is that weight loss can be very fast initially. So, people who are looking to quickly drop a few pounds find this to be an ideal option.

Also, many people enjoy the sweet tasting drinks and filling meal replacement shakes. These are often packed with nutrients, and can leave you feeling satisfied and energized without feeling weighted down like you would after a heavy meal.

Following a liquid diet weight loss plan also takes away a lot of the effort involved in planning meals. You don't have to worry about what to shop for or what to cook, or try to motivate yourself to spend an extra 30 minutes in the kitchen to prepare a healthy meal.

Risks and Dangers of Liquid Diets

Actually, a lot of those things that you might consider benefits could also, in the long run, hurt you. Fast weight loss is not only risky, it is also not very easy to maintain. Even if you do shed pounds quickly on a liquid diet, be prepared to gain most of it back once you start eating normally again. Most of the weight you lose will simply be water weight, not fat.

Maintaining that amount of rapid weight loss for the long term could be dangerous. If you want to lose more than a few pounds, plan to do it slowly and safely.

And while liquid diets are certainly easy in terms of planning, this doesn't help you to change your overall eating habits or lifestyle. An important component of weight loss is changing your lifestyle. You need to learn how to plan healthy meals, avoid giving in to cravings for fast food or high calorie snacks, and exercise on a regular basis. These habits are essential to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, and you won't learn them from a liquid diet.

In addition, going from your normal eating habits to an all-liquid diet is an extreme jump which most people will find very difficult. People who set unrealistic goals for themselves are setting themselves up for failure. For many people, it would be a better idea to start incorporating meal-replacement shakes or a glass of fresh fruit and vegetable juice into their regular eating habits before going on any sort of liquid diet weight loss program.

Before beginning any diet plan, it's important to consult a physician. This is especially true if you are starting an extreme diet plan, such as a liquid diet.

In general, you shouldn't go on a liquid diet if you:
are pregnant or nursing
are recovering from or about to undergo a surgery
are diabetic
are underweight
have a chronic illness or condition
are taking prescription medication


The Master Cleanse

The Lemonade Diet, or Master Cleanse, is one of the most famous, and most extreme, programs for liquid diet weight loss. If you follow the plan, you must go 10 days drinking only a lemonade mixture consisting of:
lemon juice
maple syrup
cayenne pepper
water


In order to get the most benefit from the diet, you are instructed to use only fresh, organic ingredients.

The diet also calls for a caffeine free laxative tea, and a salt water flush every morning.

It's been popularized by Hollywood stars who have used it to quickly lose weight. But it can be dangerous, and often causes headaches, fainting, and nutritional deficiencies. Also, the detox theory sounds reasonable, but the body, when functioning under normal conditions, is very effective at detox. There aren't any conclusive studies that special detox diets are necessary or helpful.

Juice Diet

In a juice diet, or juice fast, you are allowed to consume only freshly-made fuit and vegetable juices, water, and herbal teas. This is sometimes combined with the Master Cleanse Detox or a salt water flush cleanse.

One important point of this diet is that you are not simply drinking blended juices. You need a special piece of equipment called a juicer. This doesn't just liquefy fruits and vegetables. Instead, it removes the fiber, giving you pure and fresh juice.

Drinking fresh juices is important, because packaged juices contain preservatives to make them shelf stable. And once you've tasted completely pure and 100% fresh juice, you'll have little desire for the packaged stuff, anyway.

People use this as a cleansing diet, or a detox. And it's true that drinking only juices gives your body a high daily dose of important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that most people don't get enough of in their normal diet. Some people claim that extended juice fasts have helped them achieve not only weight loss goals, but also spiritual goals as well.

While a very short (one day) juice diet is generally considered safe for most people, if you are considering anything longer, you should talk to a physician. This is a very extreme form of dieting, and takes a lot of preparation, knowledge, and will power. Juice fasts, if done right, can be helpful for cleansing and weight loss, but there are a number of side effects and deficiencies that you should talk to a doctor about.

Meal-Replacement Shakes

There are lots of meal replacements shakes on the market. Some of the more famous ones are from Medifast, Slimfast, and Optifast.

Since these shakes contain important vitamins and minerals, and are also high in protein and calcium, and low in simple sugars. This makes them a more balanced option than pure juice or other liquid diet drinks.

For people who don't get enough nutrition on a daily basis, who are looking to curb hunger and reduce temptations for high calorie snacks, or who are looking for cost effective and healthy meals on the go, these can be a good addition to a healthy diet.

Some, such as Medifast and Optifast, are complete nutrition plans which involve consuming only their shakes.  However, in order to go on a liquid diet program like this, you have to plan carefully, and generally need to be under the supervision of a doctor or nutritionist.

Generally, these shakes don't provide complete nutrition, and so it's not recommended to go on a liquid diet consuming only these shakes, unless you have the guidance of a health care professional. Instead, they should be used as part of a balanced diet, to provide extra nutrition between meals, or to occasionally replace or supplement a meal.


Liquid diet weight loss is an increasingly popular trend. And for short term, using a liquid diet to lose weight fast can be effective—but dangerous. You should always talk to a physician, and be aware that most of the weight you lose will quickly be gained back when you start eating normally again.

A much better strategy is to focus on a diet plan that involves eating healthy, well-balanced meals, and exercising regularly. Then you can benefit from incorporating fresh juice,meal replacement shakes, and also liquid vitamins and minerals, into your diet.