CommunityBrowse groupsBlogEtiquetteInvite Your friendsSuccess Stories

Lounge
Community 


Only liquids for a few days?

Has anyone tried this liquid lifestyle for a weekend or whatever? Let me know because I want to do it, and I want to see what is good and not good :)


Fri. Jun 2, 8:44am

Add comment  
Drawbacks of Low Calorie Liquid Diets/Meal Replacement Plans
Low calorie liquid diets (500-800 calories a day) usually offer too little fiber and lack important antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This can lower resistance to disease.

In addition, due to the low calorie content, these liquid diets are unsafe unless medically prescribed and supervised. Finally, studies have shown that weight loss achieved while following a low calorie liquid diet plan is rarely sustained. Dieters can expect to regain as much as 75% of weight lost, within 3 years.

The Big Weight Loss Issue
However, the big drawback remains the issue of eating habits. These diets may help you to lose weight in the short term but they can't teach you to eat right in the long term.Without such diet-modification, long term weight loss is not possible.

Verdict
If you are looking for long term weight loss, these liquid diets/meal replacement plans are not to be recommended. Successful weight loss is all about training yourself to eat properly.

Link

Friday, June 02, 2006, 9:00 AM

Add comment
I think the OP means just for a weekend to 'unstuff' themselves.

I am interested to hear of any short term liquid "diets" (not so much for losing weight as cleansing the system).



Friday, June 02, 2006, 9:45 AM

Add comment
Juice fasting

There are a lot of people that juice fast for 2-4 days to give their bodies a chance to get rid fo a lot of the stuff that is causing cravings, hit the reset so to speak. When I juice fast, I drink good quality organic juices (fruit and vegetable) diluted with water and lots of plain clean water. Sometimes you feel tired, but I usually feel energized about day two, as you don't realize how much energy you use thinking about, preparing, eating and digesting food. That's all freed up to use! Also, before you start, have an exit strategy in place. Don't hit the pizza place because you just got too hungry!

Friday, June 02, 2006, 11:22 AM

Add comment
There is *no* scientific proof whatsoever that drinking liquids only or doing a juice fast "cleanses the system" or "removes toxins". This is total marketing bullshit for gullible people. Your liver and kidneys are responsible for cleansing and detoxing -- juice fasts don't do anything to help them. If anything they may be hindering your normal kidney and liver function by starving your body and depriving it of the nutrients it needs to function optimally.

Friday, June 02, 2006, 11:41 AM

Add comment
uh, drinking juice isn't going to deprive the body of nutrients it needs. most people who spend the time and energy to do a juice fast use pure juices, and veggie and fruit juices. I guarantee you that there is more nutrition in those juices than in a spaghetti dinner, and probably any pre-made frozen meal that many dieters eat.

Seeing as once upon a time food wasn't as abundant or available as it currently is, eating a little, and mostly drinking for a few days ISN'T a terrible thing (unless prego or having certain other conditions, in which case dr. supervision is recommended).

When you juice fast, you give your body a chance to purge some of the garbage in it (like stuff in your intestines), while still getting nutrients. For 2-3 days, it's not going to kill you.

Friday, June 02, 2006, 1:15 PM

Add comment
Actually, my doctor says it is more detrimental to people's health to eat "healthy" junk that comes out of a box. How is it marketing to eat and drink real food (that isn't processed with added chemicals from a lab) coming from fruits and vegetables, along with lots of water? You don't need anything special to work on that yourself for a few days. Compare that with South Beach bars, high protein bars, weight watchers meals etc, etc, etc. There are things on those labels not found in nature! However, they can be tools for people to learn new habits, which is what a juice fast is really about. Getting in touch with your body in a way that furthers your goals towards good health.

Friday, June 02, 2006, 3:12 PM

Add comment
well seeing as yourliver and kidney don't need to cleanse or detox from fruit juice, as it's ALL natural, not synthetic frankenfood, don't you think maybe giving your kidneys a rest from all the polluted food most people eat (both knowingly and unknowingly) would do them good?

Many peoples livers, kidneys, intestines, pancreases etc., are already working overtime digesting and filtering the crap that is ingested. For three days, giving your body easy to digest pollutant free food isn't going to harm it.

Friday, June 02, 2006, 4:06 PM

Add comment
No proof that "detoxing" diets work

11:41am poster here.

Again, there is ZERO evidence at all that doing a juice fast will let "your body purge some of the garbage in it (like stuff in your intestines)". The only thing you can do to forcefully clean your intestines is colonic irrigation - where they pump fluid through your gut - and that is similarly disputed by medics, who claim it is unnecessary since things do not "build up" in your colon (if they do, then you're constipated, so switch to a high-fibre diet with plenty of wheat bran), and the colon sheds it's lining on a regular basis naturally anyway.

To the 3:12pm and 1:15pm posters - I was not comparing juice fasting with meal replacement bars or any of the items you mention. I was comparing it with eating a balanced healthy diet. Nor was I saying it would kill you - the human body is very resilient - I just wanted to point out that there are absolutely no proven cleansing results. That claim is just marketing.

No need to take my word for it - below is a link to one of the gazillion articles out there, reporting scientific and medical research on "detoxing".

And if it turns into a habit, I dispute the suggestion that juice fasting would be healthy. Even pure fruit juice is said to be less healthy than eating the fruit itself, since juicing it gets rid of a lot of the fibre and vitamins. And which natural pure juice is going to give you omega-3 fatty acids or calcium or sufficient protein? Another medically reviewed article tells us: "The basic misconception of detox diets, is that fruits and vegetables are low in toxins while meat and fish lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in the body. In fact, the opposite is often true; vegetables such as cabbage and onions are high in naturally occurring toxins, while meat and fish often have low levels. The greatest irony is that the liver, the body's detoxification organ, can most effectively breakdown and eliminate toxins on a high-protein diet such as one rich in meat and fish."

The only benefits of juice fasting I can think of are mental ones (in the same way that any fasting, or abstinence from anything for that matter, could be mentally beneficial if undertaken with the right mindest). I suspect, however, that in the weightloss context, it is more likely to lead to binge and purge habits, rather than development of a healthy everyday diet.

Best of luck...

Link

Friday, June 02, 2006, 4:32 PM

Add comment
Another link, on detoxing...

Link

Friday, June 02, 2006, 4:33 PM

Add comment
Well, it doesn't do any detoxification, but drinking only liquids for a weekend won't hurt you, either. Many religions require short fasts, with no dire consequences. I know it's a big psychological boost for some people to start off a program with the feeling of having made even just a symbolic "clean break," and if you lose a couple of pounds straight off it gives you a little momentum.

Friday, June 02, 2006, 11:34 PM

Add comment
Hey OP Here...

Yeah I didn't mean it in terms of detox, I just mean giving solid foods a break because I over did it for a few days ( to the point of pain) and for nothing else, shrinking my stomach back down. Thanks to everyone who posted!

Saturday, June 03, 2006, 11:03 AM

Add comment
Only liquids for a few days?

I've read the Prescription for Nutritional Healing book's recommendations for juice fasts, did a 1 day, 2 day, 3 day, 5 day fast. Felt worse at first as described, by day 3 felt GREAT, hunger dissipated (not having sugar, white flour foods), my skin became softer, and I had the 'tongue coating' they describe as part of detoxifying. You do really enjoy the healthier foods later.

I looked and felt great, things looked more vivid to me, by day 5 I had mental clarity that was unexpected. This wasn't anything 'marketed' to me, I was buying organic fruits and vegetables and juicing them. Some of the benefits may be due to removing common food allergens/intolerances. A 3 day fast can help you identify problem foods if you re-introduce them step by step after the juice fast. At one point I went 8 days and didn't want to return to eating as I knew I'd feel crappy again (with my Dr. insisting I was in fine health). I later had an ELISA/ACT allergy test and was told to stay away from cottonseed oil, sodium benzoate, corn syrup (that limits the prepared foods!!), an inactive ingredient in most pills/tablets, and even a couple of foods which are healthy for most. When trying to figure out what I was eating that made me feel crappy l, I didn't think of some specific ingredients. They make a difference in my feeling tired, achy, etc. Even though I avoid those, I'm doing a juice fast right now to feel better, it's helped clear up allergic symptoms and sinus congestion before. It's recommended to have a Dr. supervise a juice fast over 3 days, or for anyone w/ certain medical conditions. Read, research before you do.

Sunday, April 13, 2008, 12:17 AM

Add comment
PP I love it when companies list physical symptoms of what their selling you as a sign it is working. I'm happy you were so happy to see your coated tongue. Lovely imagery! Its like diet pills that say dizziness is a good indicator the pills are working. Congratulations?

OP, I don't recommend it. You have been eating solids and liquids your whole life. It will be a shock to your system to end that, of course you'll feel different as a result and you may or may not enjoy that, but it will also be a shock to your system when you inevitably have to go back to eating solid foods again. Its a waste of time and money because the change can only be temporary at best, and your putting a lot at risk. I've had friends suffer a brutal headache an entire weekend, lose four pounds, but then gain it back by Wednesday. So why didn't you attend the family outings, why were you lying in bed as though you were sick, friend? For what?

Be smart, lose weight the healthy way.

Monday, April 14, 2008, 1:14 PM

Add comment
I dont know any facts but frankly all-liquid bits are probably not healthy
it would be hard to get everything you need, vitamins, energy/protein, ....

you can pretty much assume that any quick-fix diet is either bogus or dangerous, plus they will not teach you to stop gaining weight after

Monday, April 14, 2008, 10:18 PM

Add comment
i frequently do all liquids for a few days at a time. i don't drink juice though it's too hard on my fragile digestive system. i drink water, tea, flavored fizzy waters and G2 (lower calorie gatorade). it's a huge help to my sensitive stomach, to give it a break from all the solid foods. i do not do it for detox nor quick fix diet. i do it when my body tells me too much food! even on 1200 calories a day, my stomach gets angry with me.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 12:35 PM

Add comment








Related Content:

How To Lose Weight- The Basics
Weight Watchers Points System
The Fat Smash Diet
The Eat To Live Diet
The Beck Diet Solution
How To Get The Motivation To Lose Weight

 

How To Be Successful Using PEERtrainer

How To Burn Fat
Online Weight Loss Support- How It Works
Does Green Tea Help You Lose Weight?
Tips On Using PEERtrainer
Visit The PEERtrainer Community
Diet and Fitness Resources

Fitness

Weight Watchers Meetings
Learning To Inspire Others: You Already Are
Writing Down Your Daily Workouts
Spending Money On A Personal Trainer?
How I Became A Marathon Runner

 

Preventive Health

How To Prevent Injuries During Your Workout
Flu Season: Should You Take The Flu Shot?
Are You Really Ready To Start PEERtrainer?
Super Foods That Can Boost Your Energy
Reversing Disease Through Nutrition

New Diet and Fitness Articles:

Weight Watchers Points Plus
How To Adjust Your Body To Exercise
New: Weight Watchers Momentum Program
New: PEERtrainer Blog Archive
Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program
 

Weight Loss Motivation by Joshua Wayne:

Why Simple Goal Setting Is Not Enough
How To Delay Short Term Gratification
How To Stay Motivated
How To Exercise With A Busy Schedule

Real World Nutrition and Fitness Questions

Can Weight Lifting Help You Lose Weight?
Are Protein Drinks Safe?
Nutrition As Medicine?
 

Everyday Weight Loss Tips

How To Eat Healthy At A Party
How To Eat Out And Still Lose Weight
The Three Bite Rule
Tips On How To Stop A Binge