Do you lose weight on a liquid diet

Eliminating chunks of food—and, therefore, food particles—can also help reduce complications if you have undergone dental work or had an injury involving your jaw. You may have open wounds in your mouth from incisions or missing teeth. Sticking to a liquid diet until the pockets have closed will allow your mouth to heal and prevent food bits from getting stuck in openings and causing infection. If your digestive system is slow or damaged from illness, disease, or surgery, being on a liquid diet while you heal can help manage pain and prevent complications, like a blockage in your intestines bowel obstruction.

When preparing to have a test or imaging procedure to see inside your stomach and intestines you may need to be on a liquid diet for a day or two before. This will help make sure no undigested food is left in your gastrointestinal tract, which could affect the results. You may also need to be on a liquid diet to prepare for other medical procedures.

Having only clear liquids before surgery , for example, is usually required to reduce the risk of aspiration. The full liquid diet allows you to have clear fluids as well as thicker ones, such as milk, fruit juice, shakes, and smoothies. If you have a medical condition that's influenced by what you eat and drink, you may have additional dietary restrictions.

These options will be your only ones while on a full liquid diet. This can make it difficult to get enough nutrients and calories each day. In addition to sticking with diet-compliant foods and beverages, you will need to follow your doctor's instructions closely to ensure adequate nutrition. A registered dietitian or nutritionist can also be a helpful resource. The full liquid diet is generally only prescribed for a few days to help you transition back to your normal diet. Exceptions may be people who are preparing for bariatric surgery, recovering from a fractured jaw, or who use the diet to manage acute flares of certain medical conditions.

Due to its restrictive nature, you should be closely monitored by your doctor when on a full liquid diet for more than a few days. With the right tools, you can also make many solid foods diet-friendly.

You tend to lose "water weight."

Juices : Fruit and vegetable juice is allowed on a full liquid diet as long as it has been strained to remove any solids like pulp. You may need to avoid any high-fiber juice such as prune juice altogether. Making your own juice with a high-speed blender or juicer allows you to control the consistency. Or, pour the juice through a mesh sieve or tea strainer to remove residue.

Vegetables : Mashed potatoes and other types of vegetable mash are generally not approved but can be if they are sufficiently thinned. You can blend them with butter, gravy, or sauces, season to taste, and thin with water or broth. They should be no thicker than a smoothie when you're done. Grains : Cooked cereals can be thinned with water or milk, then strained.

Farina and rice cereal are also easy to make less viscous. Milk : Milk or lactose-free alternatives are approved. Powdered milk is a versatile option that can be added to cereals, soups, and eggs. You can boost the protein of regular milk by mixing it with dry skim milk before using it to create liquid meals.

Types of Diets

Yogurt and cottage cheese : Regular yogurt works well as a base for sweeter-tasting liquid meals, and Greek yogurt can be a good base for more savory recipes. Cottage cheese is easy to blend into a liquid meal and most shredded cheese will melt easily with a little heat. Mix meat with potato flakes and milk before or after cooking to give it the right consistency for a liquid diet. Nut butter : Nut butter is a good source of healthy fats and protein that can be easily added to shakes or smoothies.

Eggs : Eggs, egg whites, or egg substitutes can be prepared soft and blended into a liquid meal.

Dessert : Ice cream, frozen yogurt, and ice pops that melt at room temperature are approved on a liquid diet as long as they do not contain nuts, candy, or other hard pieces. Gelatin cups are allowed as-is. Puddings and custards can be thinned to a liquid consistency. If you need to add calories, try topping ice cream, pudding, malts, or milkshakes with fruit thoroughly blended with whipped cream.

You can use milk, half-and-half, and non-dairy creamer to add calories to coffee or tea. Other hot beverages like cider, chai, and milk-based espresso drinks are also approved as long as they do not contain solid pieces such as chocolate flakes or mulling spices. As a general rule, have enough to feel satisfied. That said, if you have certain digestive disorders or are recovering from illness or surgery, it's not uncommon to feel full quickly.

The discomfort may set in before you've taken in enough calories to be adequately nourished. Start by drinking as much as you comfortably can every 15 minutes. Try taking sips from a small glass rather than trying to drink larger amounts in one sitting. You may need to plan your liquid meals as frequently as six to eight times a day.

The easiest way to thin soft food to make it suitable for a full liquid diet is to add water. If food doesn't become a liquid at room or body temperature, as ice pops would, apply a little extra heat. Chocolate can be melted in a saucepan on the stovetop. What if you're just trying to "detox" or "cleanse" your body?

After all, that's how a lot of liquid diets are marketed. Good news: Your body does an amazing job of detoxing itself, Crupain said. Your liver, kidneys, lungs, and lymphatic system among other parts of your body all work hard to remove toxins and impurities from your body and keep you healthy.

Avoiding solid foods and opting for a liquid diet won't "wash out" your digestive system, either. Depending on the content of your liquid diet, you may actually be a little more backed up. However, some of the premade mixes, shakes, and teas that are marketed as detoxes can contain laxatives and diuretics that can be very dehydrating, Crupain pointed out. So make sure to read the label and use caution when trying any of these.

There's another reason why ultra-restrictive, low-calorie liquid diets are not a great idea: They can actually do harm to your mental health and relationship with food, according to the experts. Losing weight shouldn't be about depriving yourself of food and nutrition," Crupain said. In most cases, going on a longer-term liquid diet will be pretty miserable. You'll probably feel hungry, and hangry, all the time , and like you're missing out on the experience of eating. This can cause psychological and emotional, even social issues," Langer said. If you have a desire to go on a low-calorie liquid diet for a very long time, or repeatedly go on these restrictive diets, Langer said that this may be a sign that you should talk to a professional.

According to the experts, if you have a history of eating disorders or you are concerned about your attitudes toward eating and your physical or mental health, you should definitely avoid liquid diets and all fad diets in general. If you are healthy and don't have any underlying conditions such as type 1 or type 2 diabetes , and you really want to drink juice for a day or so, knock yourself out.

It probably won't do harm, but know that it won't provide much benefit, either — and you'll gain any water weight back pretty soon after. If you do like to replace your meals with beverages occasionally, just make sure you're still getting enough calories and nutrients through that straw. Contact Caroline Kee at caroline. Got a confidential tip? Submit it here. Want to see more stories like this? Become a BuzzFeed News member. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

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