Liquid diets represent one of the more extreme weight loss strategies. If you decide to follow a liquid diet, in most cases you'll lose weight very quickly since you'll be ingesting few calories every day. However, liquid diets also pose some threats to your health, and you never should start one without checking with your doctor. Most very low-calorie diets should only be done under medical supervision.
Significance
Although physicians prescribe liquid diets for a few patients who can't eat solid food, in most cases you'll follow one to lose weight, according to Vanderbilt University. If you're planning to have gastric bypass surgery, your surgeon may have told you that you need to try a liquid diet before the operation to bring down your weight some, which can decrease your surgery risks. In that case, you need to follow the diet guidelines precisely, or your physician may decline your request for surgery.
Features
Most pure liquid diets involve high-protein shakes that you mix with water, juice or milk, according to Vanderbilt University. These shakes contain little fat and only a few grams of carbohydrates, but they do contain added vitamins and other nutritional supplements. If you're a woman, you'll probably drink about 64 oz. of shake during a day, while men will drink about 80 oz., according to the University of Missouri Health Care System.
Features
When you consume multiple shakes every day as part of your liquid diet, they supply about 400 to 800 calories in total, according to Vanderbilt University.. At the low end of the calorie range, you potentially could lose more than 1 lb. of weight every other day, while at the upper end you'll still wind up losing around 2 lbs. or more every week.
Effects
Liquid diets work by eliminating sources of temptation, according to Vanderbilt University. However, they work better if you also have a source of encouragement, such as a counselor or a support group. To get the most from your liquid diet, consider joining a support group or getting some weight management counseling from a health care professional.
Considerations
Liquid diets don't provide all your needed nutrients, and so you'll need to follow your doctor's advice on which supplements to add while you're following the diet, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. In addition, too-rapid weight loss can lead to other health problems, such as liver damage, so heed medical advice about any additional health testing you may need while you're following a liquid diet. Never start a liquid diet without advice from your physician.
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