New Fad: Do liquid diets really work?
When it comes to losing weight, some of us are willing to try just about anything.
If there were a way to instantly lose weight with minimal effort, the whole world would be hearing about it. Unsurprisingly, many celebrities swear by the liquid diet. This includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyoncé, Oprah, and most notably, the Cinderella actress Lily James, who claimed going on a liquid diet helped her squeeze into the tight corset she wore in the live-action film. We aim to uncover the facts about the potential of this particular diet craze.
What is the liquid diet?
The liquid diet is a fairly extreme form of dieting that requires strict discipline. As the name implies, the diet controls your calorie intake by restricting what you eat to purely liquids, or mostly liquids. Fruit or vegetable juices, smoothies, soups and the like are taken three to four times a day, acting as meal substitutes.
While you can make your own homemade liquids at home, there are commercialised protein and meal replacement shakes that aim to maintain your nutritional needs while you lose weight.
Is it effective?
Liquid diets can be extremely effective in helping you lose weight because they provide you with a fraction of the calories needed each day. The average person needs around 2000 calories a day to maintain body weight. Going on a liquid diet will cause a large deficit in the amount of energy you put into your body, resulting in rapid weight loss. Some people have reported losing up to 3 kilograms in just 48 hours.
However, the effects of the diet may not last. By drastically cutting calories, you risk slowing your metabolism, making it likely that you will regain the weight you lose after you stop the diet.
How safe is it?
As with any diet, it is not a good idea to stick to one for extended periods – doing so might become dangerous in the long run. A diet of mostly fluids may result in your body lacking essential nutrients. This may lead to malnutrition and electrolyte imbalances.
It is important that, while on the liquid diet, you maintain your levels of fibre and protein. There are plenty of meal replacement shakes that you can purchase over the counter that are fortified with much-needed nutrients – it is just a matter of finding one that works for your body.
Angela Goh
