All Liquid diet - SAFE?

[dvdsgirl817]

I need to lose 120 pounds and want to know if going on an all liquid diet is safe?  I want to "Pretend" that I had the lap band and just drink the nutritional shakes.  I cannot afford the surgery.

[jandd]

I have the band and am currently all liquids.  As long as you create healthy protein shakes, drink milk (1% or skim), orange juice, thin soup (tomato) and take a GOOD multivitamin and 1200mg calcuim a day, you will be fine.  Good luck!

[james721]

Well, liquid diets are VERY different, even if they are ALL oriented around drinking your calories..:-) For example, the cabbage soup diet.The problem with many liquid diets is that they DO work, but ONLY for a very short time as they aren't healthy beyond 5-7 days.

[Paxiled]

Personally don't believe in Atkins.  It hasn't proved to work long-term, because it's unhealthy to eat too much protein long-term.  The vegetables loaded with antioxidants and minerals are much more valuable as nutrition.  So you might lose weight in the short term, but gain it back.  What's most valuable is a lifetime diet, well balanced between protein and vegetables and whole grains, and regular exercise.

[JonGalt]

Atkins Diet.  Read the book.  Induction all the way to re-introduction of Carbs. It is as simple as that.   If done correct it is safe, and enjoyable.  

[Paxiled]

Well, yes, cut down on the bad fats, but you must continue to take in the good fats, otherwise you can't lose weight because you won't have any energy or enough cholesterol to manufacture your hormones.  So yeah, cut down on beef fat, but go up on cold water fish fat or flax seed oil, the good fats.  Not all fat is equal.

[daredevil525]

well ibeleive excercise is the best thing for losing pounds with taking minimal intake of fatty foods.make sure uhave minimum protein diet.ucan start with some of the vigoruous excercises like swimming ,tennis,hopping,cycling.if ur on white sugar and white flour stuff cut down infact stop taking it.basic rule the more u spend energy than u intake the more ubecome fit.ofcourse u lose ur excess fat.have more soy products .cut beefy stuff.

[Paxiled]

Nutritional shakes aren't usually very nutritious, if you're buying the pre-prepared ones.  If you have a juicer you can juice anything, so you can have a very nutritious liquid diet that way.  However, since you won't be staying on a liquid diet, when you go back to a solid one, you'll probably gain the weight back.  What you need is a permanent change in your diet, cutting back on the simple sugars such as white flour and sweets and such and the bad fats such as fatty cuts of beef, and increasing calorie burning.  That's the only long-term method of losing weight.