There are valid, liquid diet plans that are doctor supervised. They actually don't have a really good success rate over the long term though. Optifast is probably one of the most popular and the one that Oprah did way back when. Even Medifast calls for one regular meal per day with whatever shakes you drink during the day.
The shakes in a liquid only diet are formulated in such a way to give you all the nutrients that you require. Commercial shakes on the market aren't really designed to do that.
I also personally believe that it is hard to get all the right nutrients and antioxidants and good stuff if you are drinking a shake of some sort for multiple meals. I used to do a shake here and there for snacks or breakfast but real food is my focus.
There are definitely legitimate liquid diets that are doctor-supervised... but most are for pre-surgery.
Jen - I TOTALLY get this. Guys, Jen doesn't think that is a "fix-all", she knows that she will still have to deal with the food issues. It's about getting started and seeing some success and hoping that the success will help you stick to your food plan when you go off the liquid. It's about turning off all the cravings, turning off the choices and just going on auto-pilot for a while until she thinks she can handle making real choices.
Jen, I have thought about doing this a million times. But then I always think, man, if I can't stick to 1800 calories, then what makes me think I can/will stick to a liquid diet. Plus, for me, I have to do something that is forever. I personally need to make changes that I can/will stick to every day for the rest of my life. What is going to keep me going is the determination to do this.
Good Luck, hon. Let us know how it's going.
sunflowergirl68 - Not cool.
And it's not safe to do a month or two of a liquid diet. What's not cool is risking your health to lose weight.
Medically supervised, low calorie liquid diets, with proper monitoring by your physician, composed of drinks with very specific and carefully balanced combinations of macro and micronutrients, are generally safe for otherwise healthy people who are obese or superobese. They do run a risk for a slightly higher risk of gallstone formation, but seem to provide very rapid control of blood sugar for people who are obese with comorbid diabetes (faster than dietary changes alone).
The key parts are Doctor Supervised and Carefully Balanced. Any doctor who prescribes a liquid diet should also be doing the appropriate follow up (and you should check them out carefully...if they're offering human growth hormone or other injections, run! Run far away!), and an all-Slimfast diet isn't going to do it (they are formulated assuming you will eat some real food in the day, not only the shakes). BUT, if you have a reputable physician supervising you in a liquid diet that is formulated as a total-diet replacement, and you and your doctor agree that the risks of gallstone formation and metabolism effect that exist are outweighed by the potential benefits of quick weight loss, liquid diets are a viable approach.
Now, maintenance is an issue. A lot of the commercial programs out there include a transition phase to learn to eat real foods again, so if you are going to move forward with this, you may want to check on your options with that. And, I really can't stress this enough, doctor-supervised is a MUST. If you're going to meet the nutritional needs of the body on a very low calorie liquid diet, it needs to be recommended and monitored by your doctor.
I've certainly considered it, even done it for a while, although not under proper supervision, it was in the olden days, even before Slimfast. Can't remember what it was called, and when I taste protein powder shakes these days, the taste seems exactly the same. I felt full and great and I'm sure I must have lost weight but it's the old 'and keeping it off' problem. Also, and there's no delicate way to put this, it gave me terrific constipation. tmi?
A couple of years ago, I knew someone who did the Cambridge diet, which was entirely liquid to start with. Don't think it was medically supervised as such but she had to join a support group and attend classes to look at the emotional side of things too. They gradually weaned her off it and on to real food but she was the best part of a year with only gloppy things. She lost a lot, last time I saw her she'd regained a little but was maintaining at that. So: clearly doable but not for me, my insides can't cope.
As to the issue of 'safety' and not getting enough nutrients via a liquid diet...
For me, if I were to go with a liquid protein shake type thing, it most certainly would be more nutritionally sound and safe than the diet of complete crap I have been eating for the past decade. If eating cake for breakfast, hot dogs, chips and Coke for lunch, and a Big mac Meal for dinner (punctuated by Little Debbie cakes all day long) for ten years didn't kill me, I doubt a protein drink with vitamins would. Somehow, I'd think that *has* to be better than what some of us *used* to eat.
Going back to what a couple of people said about feeling not supportive, I don't think that at all what I do think is that people don't actually completely read my posts. They skim through, don't digest what I am saying and then throw up a reply. I know I've probably done my fair share of that as well but there have been many times that I've typed something and then not posted it. I get frustrated reading posts that clearly illustrate the posters really didn't read my post.
Thanks to the people who have been supportive, who have completely read what I posted and understand what I am getting at. I really do understand people's concerns and no one has brought up any topics that I haven't already thought of.
I think a lot of people automatically think of Oprah when they think of liquid diet and believe me I don't want to lose a bunch of weight and gain it back. That would be far worse in so many ways than not having lost the weight to begin with! I think liquid diets are a weight loss tool, the same as any other weight loss method and the success depends on how well the tool is utilized. Obviously I am going to gain all the weight back if I can't figure out how to eat properly, I am doing this to break myself of all my bad habits. Probably I will discover more bad habits as I go along. I know that mindless eating is one, I'm certain there are others that will rear their ugly heads and it will be a lightbulb moment for me.
Anyway I am starting this all tomorrow and I think I will start a blog, if you are interested to see how I am doing you can check out my blog here on 3FC.
what I do think is that people don't actually completely read my posts. They skim through, don't digest what I am saying and then throw up a reply. I know I've probably done my fair share of that as well but there have been many times that I've typed something and then not posted it. I get frustrated reading posts that clearly illustrate the posters really didn't read my post.
Amen to THIS!
Your blog is going to be amazing and I'm sure alot of us will be reading it...
We were designed for a lot of things and sadly obesity seems to be one of them if we don't exercise our brain properly. I'm using a diet tool to help reset my brain and my stomach and if I have to leave off chewing for awhile it'll be worth it. BTW I think I chew way to fast to even appreciate what I am eating so maybe taking a break from chewing will help me to appreciate the whole dining experience. Also when I did the master cleanse I went 10 days without chewing and it didn't make a difference as far as my hunger was concerned. I drank my lemonade drink and water and when my belly was full I wasn't hungry anymore.
i dont know about the medical implications, but i think its important to do a plan that you can stick to for a lifetime...even when i did jenny craig i lost all the weight really fast, but i was hungry all the time...my wife says i would come in slam the door... open the refrigerator, slam it...open the microwave, slam it...i was always just waiting for the next meal...i know i wasnt learning anything from that...even though we want to climb that mountain as fast as we can, i think the reality is that we need to do it in a slow manageable manner with the big picture in mind
David I couldn't agree with you more! That has been the main reason I have not done a lot of popular diets and things like Jenny Craig because I knew they were not something I could stick to for more than 1 day. This is meant to be a temporary thing only and I am going to transition myself to regular healthy food at the end of it, designing a way of eating that I can stick to for the rest of my life.
