A liquid diet weight loss method sounds an attractive way to get slim, because of its speed and convenience. This system can take various forms, such as juice fast or meal replacement. These methods vary in their effectiveness, and also vary in terms of how safe they are.

The main types of liquid diet weight loss methods include:

• Juice Fast:this involves replacing every meal with fruit juice or vegetable juice. These drinks ideally should consist of solid fruits and vegetables put through a juicer, rather than buying juices in the store.
• Low Calorie Liquid Diets: These diets provide 400-800 calories per day, usually in the form of protein powder mixed with water.
• Meal replacements: These drinks replace either all meals, or two meals per day, and claim to contain a full range of nutrients.

Advantages Of Liquid Diets

The reasons why many people go for these diets include:

•  They usually result in rapid weight reduction of at least 3-4 pounds per week.
•  Juice drinks provide plenty of vitamins and minerals, plus phytochemicals which combat cancer.
•  The body burns a lot of fat in a short time, which causes people on the diets to feel full of exhilaration and energy.

 Disadvantages Of The Diets

Along with the benefits, liquid diet weight loss methods also have disadvantages:

• A juice fast, despite its richness in vitamins and minerals, is nutritionally deficient, providing virtually no protein or essential fats. It also contains little fiber, and can therefore cause constipation.
• Protein deficiency can cause muscle loss, which cannot quickly be restored.
• Low calorie diets (less than 1000 calories per day) make the metabolism slow down to conserve energy. The diets are not sustainable as a long term option, and when you come off the diet, the slow metabolism means the weight goes back on very quickly.

Points To Watch

The liquid diet weight loss method can be a possible option for people who are seriously obese, but there are two things you need to watch out for:

• This type of regime should only be followed under the supervision of a medical practitioner or a qualified dietician,
• Some liquid meal replacements contain a balance of nutrients, but not all. You need to check the nutrient content before starting.

Surgery

As well as liquid diet weight loss systems, there are other extreme weight loss methods that are often adopted. This description usually refers to painful or unnatural regimes that people undergo for the sake of fast fat reduction, many involving surgery or drugs. Surgical methods include liposuction and gastric bypass. Liposuction which is known as the fastest, but most traumatic, way to lose pounds, consists of vacuuming the fat out of your body. It is often used for cosmetic reasons, whereas a gastric bypass is really only for those who are morbidly obese. In this procedure, the stomach is stapled to form a small pouch that holds not more than an ounce of food.

Drug Solutions

Other drastic weight loss methods involve drugs, which are usually appetite suppressants. Examples of these are Phentromine and Bontril, which are amphetamine drugs available only on prescription. They are highly addictive and can also have severe side effects, including fast heart rate and high blood pressure.

One drug which has become popular is the Benetol weight loss pill, an over the counter supplement. Its active ingredients include cinnamon bark, peppermint leaf extract, and green tea leaf extract, and it is claimed to work by acting on fat cells to increase their metabolism. Very few clinical trials have been done on this product, and reviews of its effectiveness are mixed. You can find out more in other articles on this site.

Other Ideas

One device which is used by many for fat reduction is the weight loss belt. This seems a very attractive method as it is marketed as a quick and easy way to get rid of excess fat without exercise or dieting. The belts are wired with electrical contacts which are supposed to stimulate the muscles to contract and relax, thus toning them and reducing the fat. However, spot fat reduction in this way is not possible, and fat can only be burned all over the body through exercise.

A treatment for fat reduction that has become very popular in Europe, and now in the USA and Canada, is weight loss shots or mesotherapy. This is a series of injections aimed at breaking down fat cells and cellulite. The injections contain vitamins and other medications to dissolve fatty tissues, especially on fleshy areas of the body. There is more information in other articles on this site.

Dangers Of Rapid Reduction

All of these regimes, including liquid diet weight loss methods, are adopted by people because of their desire for super fast weight loss. However, shedding pounds very rapidly is never a good thing and can in fact be dangerous.

Reasons why it should be avoided include:

• Rapid change in body weight can affect the heart. Very fast weight reduction involves loss of muscle mass as well as loss of fat. This can result in severe malnutrition and can be very difficult to reverse.
• These methods are not sustainable and when normal eating is resumed, there will be rapid weight gain because of a slowed down metabolism.

No Quick Fix

In an emergency, some of these solutions do have a place and can be useful for people who need to lose weight for medical reasons. However, ultimately burning fat and keeping it off can only be achieved by healthy eating and regular exercise. Liquid diet weight loss methods or any other so-called quick fix solutions are no substitute for a healthy and balanced lifestyle.