Liquid diets are gaining in popularity lately, especially with endorsements from celebrities like Oprah. As consumers become more health-conscious, many people are turning to liquid diets in order to lose weight or detox. However, it is still important to get everything your body needs while on such a strict regiment. It's important to know how many calories you should get while on a liquid diet.
Overview of Types of Liquid Diets
The basic structure of a liquid diet is exactly as it sounds: all you eat are liquids. However, within the category of liquid diets are several variations. Many of the distinctions have to do with why you are trying the diet to begin with and how long you intend to stay on it. The two most common liquid diets are shake fasting for weight loss and juice fasting for detox.
Shake Fasting for Weight Loss
Shake fasting is recommended for people who have a significant amount of weight to lose (no less than 40 pounds). During the program, which generally lasts three to four months, you consume high protein shakes several times a day in place of regular meals. Because these diets remove you from the temptation of food entirely they are extremely efficient. In addition, shake programs tend to include education on healthy eating and lifestyle choices, exercise programs and frequent meetings for support.
Juice Fasting
Juice fasting is generally accepted as a good way to detox the body of toxins and digestion build-up. The rules of juice fasting vary. Gentler, longer-term fasting usually replaces one or two meals a day with some combination of vegetable and fruit juices. Shorter, more intense fasts replace all regular meals with combinations of vegetable and fruit juices. In addition, if you are doing either of these diets, supplements and some form of laxative are usually included. While these fasts are usually not focused on weight loss, some may occur. Juice fasts contain none of the protein, fiber, or emotional support that shake diets usually do and are not recommended for the novice faster.
Calorie Recommendations for Shake Fasting
Shake diets tend to restrict calorie intake to anywhere from 400 to 800 per day. This is an extreme calorie restriction. Generally speaking women need around 2,000 calories per day and men need 2,500. However, one of the most effective ways to achieve significant weight loss is to greatly reduce calorie intake. As long as you check with your physician before beginning any extreme diet, get all the nutrients, minerals and fiber necessary to stay healthy during the diet and continue to check in with the doctor if anything feels wrong, then the daily intake of 400 to 800 calories is probably sufficient.
Calorie Recommendations for Juice Fasting
If you are trying the longer, gentler juice fast by replacing one or two meals a day with juice, then your calorie intake may be the same as when you eat normally. Often, juice fasters consume between 1400 and 2500 calories per day, depending on your size, gender and daily activity level. Because the juice fast is about detox and not weight loss, you should eat when you are hungry, regardless of how many calories you consume. However, if you decide to do the more intensive, entirely liquid juice fast, then it may be hard to consume the normal amount of calories. Juice fasts generally provide between 500 and 1400 calories per day. Because of this, you may feel low on energy or distracted and should restrict your daily activity level. However, juice fasts generally only last three or four days and for this reason restricted calorie intake is probably safe.
Final Words
Most shake fasts provide from 300 to 800 calories per day. Gentle juice fasts provide from 1400 to 2500 and strict fasts from 500 to 1400. However, these numbers are just broad recommendations; your calorie intake differs with individual weight, activity level and age. The most important thing is to consult a doctor before beginning any weight loss or detox regiment.
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