Liquid diets consist of shakes, smoothies, puddings and soups which are designed to replace high calorie meals and snacks. The purpose of these plans is to control calories, control portion sizes and to provide structure for the daily nutrition of dieters. Liquid diets help dieters lose weight quickly and are utilized by medical professionals before and after bariatric weight-loss surgery. The long-term success of these or any diet plan depends on the individual's ability to change to positive eating habits once the liquid diet has ended.
Medifast
Medifast is a customizable liquid diet consisting of shakes, soups and puddings. The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan lets dieters choose five prepackaged meals each day. Dieters also prepare one "Lean and Green" meal at any point during the day. Medifast created 5 & 1 plans for women, men, diabetics and vegetarians. The Medifast website offers support through the MyMedifast online community and dieters can enroll in the Take Shape for Life program, which provides free personal health coaches for Medifast customers.
Slim-Fast
The backbone of the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 program is its weight loss shakes, even though the overall diet plan does include solid foods. Dieters are permitted 1200 calories each day, which includes two calorie controlled shakes during the day, each containing approximately 200 calories. The shakes come in a variety of flavors and can be purchased as prepackaged shakes or in mixes, which must be combined with skim milk. In addition to the shakes, Slim-Fast users are allotted three small 100-calorie snacks and one balanced meal.
New Lifestyle Diet
The New Lifestyle Diet is a weight loss program that consists primarily of shakes and puddings and includes one lean meal per day. This diet plan is designed to provide 1080 calories per day. Each day the dieter is allotted seven high-protein, prepackaged shakes or puddings. In addition to the liquid items, one nutrition bar and one lean meal may be eaten. Once dieters achieve their weight loss goal, the New Lifestyle Diet website provides lesson plans for healthy eating in order to prevent rebound weight gain.
Optifast
Unlike other liquid diet options, Optifast is a strictly medically supervised weight loss program, only offered through physicians' offices. The complete plan includes diet foods, medical exams and blood work, medical monitoring, psychological support and nutritional counseling. The general meal plan focuses on an 800 calorie per day meal plan. This is considered to be a Very Low Calorie Diet, which is why medical monitoring is so vital.
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