The number of people who are medically defined as obese (weighing more than 20% over their ideal weight) is near 34 million (Source:
www.med.Stanford.edu). The number of people who are currently on, have recently completed, have given up on or are about to kick off a diet of any kind is 20 million at any given time, and they spend around one billion dollars every year on fitness and nutrition plans, pills, supplements and equipment (Source:
www.thriveonline.com )
During their diet plans, these dieters will try the no-carb, low-carb and slow-carb food plans. They will try to avoid all fats, only to find that they are failing miserably. They will try high-protein or even extreme high-protein diets and fail at these as well. In the end, they will turn to skipping meals and not eating at all or will try using liquid diet plans. These are not usually successful.
- The body needs food to survive, in the right amounts and the right types. This includes all three of the macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
- A liquid diet is difficult to sustain for the long-term and may be more harmful than beneficial. An all-liquid diet, for instance, increases the risk of gall stones by as much as 25%. (Source
www.colombianet.isource/winter95/diet.html )
- Skipping meals can cause your body to gain weight because of its effect on the metabolism and thermogenesis.
- Balancing all of the nutrients in the correct proportion is more important than not eating at all.
- It is important to know what your needs are before starting a plan of any kind and to discuss that plan with a doctor, a registered dietician or a nutritionist.
The Importance of Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats
The body uses all three of the macronutrients for different purposes. Fat and carbohydrates are burned by the body for energy and other uses. Protein can also be used for energy but has many, many other tasks to complete within the body as a vital component of every single cell in the body. Protein's functions include:
- Building and repairing cells, including those that make up RNA and DNA, the building blocks of life itself.
- Making enzymes which are used to digest food and make new cells.
- Making other chemicals that are used to make neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are used by the body to serve nerve-related messages around the body.
- Helping to create and maintain connective tissue.
- Building cell membranes.
- Contributing to the cell matrix.
- Maintaining the fluid balance in the body (since too much fluid can lead to edema or may cause heart disturbances, while too little can cause dehydration.)
- Regulating the acid/base (pH) balance of the blood.
- Working in the formation of hormones and enzymes (with the exception of eight amino acids that must be received from food sources every day.)
- Contributing to the immune system (since antibodies are proteins.)
- Helping the hormones and enzymes created by protein in the body to work to regulate sleep, digestion and ovulation.
(Source: Nelson 2009)
A Liquid Diet for the Long Term?
Will you lose weight on an all-liquid diet? It depends on a number of factors. First, if you are consuming enough calories of the right kinds, it is possible that you will lose some weight; however, after a brief period of success, your body will overrule your intentions, and you will begin to eat (possibly gorge on) solid foods once again. At this point, you are likely not only to gain everything that you had lost, but to gain additional weight as well. Liquid diets are difficult to manage in the long term but can serve as a great way to kick off or jumpstart a healthier eating plan. There are a number of problems with an all-liquid diet, which include:
- Slowed or stalled metabolism. Your body will become convinced that it is starving and will hold onto all foods instead of burning them for energy.
- Amenorrhea. This is a secondary cessation of menstrual cycles not related to pregnancy.
- Constipation. It may seem strange that you would be constipated in an all liquid diet, however, there is no food for the body to push through the system, which can lead to waste materials backing up.
- High-protein, liquid diets can lead to serious electrolyte imbalances that can affect the beating and rhythm of the heart.
- 25% or more of those on long-term liquid diets develop gall stones, especially who are prone to them.
Skipping Meals and Weight Gain
When you start skipping meals or reduce your calories below what is right for your body and activity level, your body goes into panic mode and holds onto all food. Your body is programmed with a number of signals. When it is hungry, it sends out the signal using the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and most people will respond by eating. When the body thinks that it is full, it will send out the satiety hormone, leptin. (Some people are deficient in leptin, which is why they eat far more than they need but still feel hungry.) When the body sends out ghrelin but no food is delivered, it will send out a secondary signal for the body to burn some of the reserves for energy. However, the body will start getting the feeling that no food is ever going to be delivered and will start slowing down what it considers to be non-essential activities, including the metabolism. Everything that is eaten will be stored immediately, leading to further weight gain.
A diet that increases protein slightly and decreases fat without changing the carbohydrate amount has been shown to lead to decreased calorie intake and significant weight loss. The higher levels of protein are said to be more satisfying but do not have any effect on either the hunger hormone, ghrelin, or the satiety hormone, leptin. For weight loss, the diet should be 30% protein, 20% fat and 50% complex carbohydrates (Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)
Lydia is always hungry. As much as she would like to lose weight and as much as she knows that she needs to lose weight, she just can't seem to make it. She started a diet that had her eating far less than what her body needed, and her metabolism shut down on her. She tried an all-liquid diet, which lasted two weeks. During that time, she lost five pounds, mostly water, and was sick and dizzy most of the time. Feeling poorly one day, she went to the doctor and discovered that she had gall stones, a typical side effect of the all-liquid diet. When she returned to eating, she regained the five pounds and then fifteen more, increasing her weight by another twenty pounds.
Her nutritionist suggested that she eat micro-meals, going no longer than two hours during her waking hours without eating. Her small meals will keep her body fueled and her blood sugar level evened out instead of being all over the place. Because of her weight, Lydia is at risk for heart disease, obesity, hypertension and a number of cancers.
Although she is afraid that she is eating too much, Lydia does try what the nutritionist suggests: she eats a breakfast that is larger than she normally eats, a blend of protein and carbohydrates. Midmorning, she uses Profect, a protein supplement that gives her 25 grams of protein but has only 100 calories. She has a second of the liquid protein shots in the mid-afternoon after she comes back from her half-hour walk. Lydia is finally losing weight in a slow and steady way, feeling better and, best of all, is not starving herself to do it.
More Information:
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures
Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein bullets for diabetic patients. You can learn more at
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