No solid meals!!

eleesJourney
eleesJourney Posts: 42 Member
edited December 1 in Food and Nutrition
I'm on my second day of replacing ALL solid meals for my shakes and fruit/veggie juice. However, my snacks Are solids. And I'm feeling pretty damn good! Yessss!!! I only plan on doing this til Saturday morning then I'll alternate a solid meal in the day again. I am no professional but just a believer in Allowing my body the rest it should have from processing my intake. I'm feeling good and excited for results. I don't believe I'll gain any lost weight back once I start having solid meals again because the meals will be gradually brought back into my diet and healthy! Nonetheless I'll continue to workout. I'm so excited!!!! AND I like to try different things so I don't get bored in my weight loss journey :-)
What's your experience?
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Replies

  • Ashtoretet
    Ashtoretet Posts: 378 Member
    The only time I've done the "no solid foods" diet is when I was recovering from surgery. I lost about 10 pounds and gained 20 back.

    If you can plan a sustainable diet for when you're done with your liquid diet you'll be OK, but it's going to be difficult.
  • eleesJourney
    eleesJourney Posts: 42 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Your body doesn't need a rest from digestion, seeing is that is what it is designed to do. And you likely will gain some water weight back. My experience? I like to eat real food and not fall victim to the juice/meal replacement shake fad. These do nothing to teach you sustainable habits.

    Thanks for your comment, I suspected this post wouldn't sit well with some. But at the end of the day, as I mentioned, I like to jump into different diets for fun. I don't feed into pills or rapid weight loss solutions .. Weight loss is hard work and a great accomplishment. I know the "trick" is to eat well and exercise and that is exactly what I do when I'm not trying something different to spice my journey up a bit. You are absolutely right, our body is meant to break down food/digest, BUT I also feel it's not meant to take in the red meats that I sometime enjoy.. Along with other items that our bodies take a loooong time to digest.
  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
    Do it and see what happens!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited April 2016
    How do you know how long your body needs to digest particular foods? :o

    Oh, and why would speed of digestion matter?
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited April 2016
    You'll probably have better success if you just start eating the way you plan to be eating for the rest of your life right now rather than go through a liquid phase.

    There's no need to give your body rest from digesting food, as the wise waffle already pointed out the only step of processing your intake that you're skipping is the chewing part. You still have to digest the liquid.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    eleesJourney wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Your body doesn't need a rest from digestion, seeing is that is what it is designed to do. And you likely will gain some water weight back. My experience? I like to eat real food and not fall victim to the juice/meal replacement shake fad. These do nothing to teach you sustainable habits.

    Thanks for your comment, I suspected this post wouldn't sit well with some. But at the end of the day, as I mentioned, I like to jump into different diets for fun. I don't feed into pills or rapid weight loss solutions .. Weight loss is hard work and a great accomplishment. I know the "trick" is to eat well and exercise and that is exactly what I do when I'm not trying something different to spice my journey up a bit. You are absolutely right, our body is meant to break down food/digest, BUT I also feel it's not meant to take in the red meats that I sometime enjoy.. Along with other items that our bodies take a loooong time to digest.

    You mean stuff like chewing gum?
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,186 Member
    eleesJourney wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Your body doesn't need a rest from digestion, seeing is that is what it is designed to do. And you likely will gain some water weight back. My experience? I like to eat real food and not fall victim to the juice/meal replacement shake fad. These do nothing to teach you sustainable habits.

    Thanks for your comment, I suspected this post wouldn't sit well with some. But at the end of the day, as I mentioned, I like to jump into different diets for fun. I don't feed into pills or rapid weight loss solutions .. Weight loss is hard work and a great accomplishment. I know the "trick" is to eat well and exercise and that is exactly what I do when I'm not trying something different to spice my journey up a bit. You are absolutely right, our body is meant to break down food/digest, BUT I also feel it's not meant to take in the red meats that I sometime enjoy.. Along with other items that our bodies take a loooong time to digest.

    You don't have to go on a liquid diet to quit eating meat. And personally I don't think that weight loss has to be hard work. You just have to be persistent at staying at your calorie goal. I realize that sometimes that is harder than other times, but you don't have to go on crazy diets in order to lose weight. You just have to eat at a calorie deficit and to be healthy you need to make sure that you are getting all your nutrients (I get a lot of protien from meat) and exercise some.
  • hludwig980
    hludwig980 Posts: 102 Member
    Back in high school I spent a summer on a liquid diet because I had my mouth wired shut due to surgery. It was the worst experience of my life and would not do it again if you paid me.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    eleesJourney wrote: »
    I'm on my second day of replacing ALL solid meals for my shakes and fruit/veggie juice. However, my snacks Are solids. And I'm feeling pretty damn good! Yessss!!! I only plan on doing this til Saturday morning then I'll alternate a solid meal in the day again. I am no professional but just a believer in Allowing my body the rest it should have from processing my intake. I'm feeling good and excited for results. I don't believe I'll gain any lost weight back once I start having solid meals again because the meals will be gradually brought back into my diet and healthy! Nonetheless I'll continue to workout. I'm so excited!!!! AND I like to try different things so I don't get bored in my weight loss journey :-)
    What's your experience?

    Actually, resting it from processing your intake...ie digesting your food actually lowers your metabolism...there's this thing called TEF (Thermic Effect of Food)...it is the calories you burn breaking down and digesting food...certain foods have a higher TEF than others...fibrous foods and protein are the hardest to break down and have the highest TEF. By only drinking your food, you're actually decreasing TEF and essentially slowing your metabolism to some extent.

    Personally I like eating solid food that is well prepared and delicious as well as nutritious.

    Drat, you beat me to this. This is the first thing I thought of when reading the OP.
  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
    To show my solidarity with the OP, I'm going to indulge in a liquid diet as soon as I get home.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris wrote: »
    To show my solidarity with the OP, I'm going to indulge in a liquid diet as soon as I get home.

    A barley pop?
  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
    One or two :blush:
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    eleesJourney wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Your body doesn't need a rest from digestion, seeing is that is what it is designed to do. And you likely will gain some water weight back. My experience? I like to eat real food and not fall victim to the juice/meal replacement shake fad. These do nothing to teach you sustainable habits.

    Thanks for your comment, I suspected this post wouldn't sit well with some. But at the end of the day, as I mentioned, I like to jump into different diets for fun. I don't feed into pills or rapid weight loss solutions .. Weight loss is hard work and a great accomplishment. I know the "trick" is to eat well and exercise and that is exactly what I do when I'm not trying something different to spice my journey up a bit. You are absolutely right, our body is meant to break down food/digest, BUT I also feel it's not meant to take in the red meats that I sometime enjoy.. Along with other items that our bodies take a loooong time to digest.

    I too am picking up words like "trick" or "I don't think I'll gain it back" or "I just get bored" --What? Weight loss is not playing around with this or that, it's a mature plan that will take you through life and into a healthy old age. You are too attracted to fad gimicks. I don't care, but there are lurkers out there that need to realize that this type of weight loss is not successful long term.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    You're just skipping the chewing part, which to be honest is the best part of eating. Your stomach/body can't tell if your teeth chew it up or a blender does. Makes no difference.

    This was my thought. You are still digesting, just giving the mouth a rest, I guess.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris wrote: »
    To show my solidarity with the OP, I'm going to indulge in a liquid diet as soon as I get home.

    I'm thinking some barley and hops, fermented and with the purest spring water, might be exactly what my digestion needs to give itself a break and spice up my journey.

    I might do something fruit-based instead, though - organic grapes are good for me too, right? I heard fruit sugar doesn't count.
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
    This sounds awful. I love the chewing and swallowing part of eating.
  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
    To eleesJourney,

    I'm glad you're here and feeling great and I'm really glad to see you so excited about your diet.

    As you move forward, make sure to pay attention to your body, learn all you can about what you're doing, and be honest with yourself. Sometimes our plans don't work like we thought they would. That's all right. It's ok to modify your plan. We're all learning and figuring things out!

    I wish you the best of luck :)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    eleesJourney wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Your body doesn't need a rest from digestion, seeing is that is what it is designed to do. And you likely will gain some water weight back. My experience? I like to eat real food and not fall victim to the juice/meal replacement shake fad. These do nothing to teach you sustainable habits.

    Thanks for your comment, I suspected this post wouldn't sit well with some. But at the end of the day, as I mentioned, I like to jump into different diets for fun. I don't feed into pills or rapid weight loss solutions .. Weight loss is hard work and a great accomplishment. I know the "trick" is to eat well and exercise and that is exactly what I do when I'm not trying something different to spice my journey up a bit. You are absolutely right, our body is meant to break down food/digest, BUT I also feel it's not meant to take in the red meats that I sometime enjoy.. Along with other items that our bodies take a loooong time to digest.

    I too am picking up words like "trick" or "I don't think I'll gain it back" or "I just get bored" --What? Weight loss is not playing around with this or that, it's a mature plan that will take you through life and into a healthy old age. You are too attracted to fad gimicks. I don't care, but there are lurkers out there that need to realize that this type of weight loss is not successful long term.

    "I just get bored"

    Maintenance will be portion control and watching your weight FOREVER. What happens when that gets boring?

    Find something long-term and you will have a much better chance for success.
  • eleesJourney
    eleesJourney Posts: 42 Member
    I appreciate everyone's input/opinions/comments.
    Wish you All an amazing weight loss journey!
  • eleesJourney
    eleesJourney Posts: 42 Member
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris wrote: »
    One or two :blush:

    Maybe 3?
  • eleesJourney
    eleesJourney Posts: 42 Member
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris wrote: »
    To eleesJourney,

    I'm glad you're here and feeling great and I'm really glad to see you so excited about your diet.

    As you move forward, make sure to pay attention to your body, learn all you can about what you're doing, and be honest with yourself. Sometimes our plans don't work like we thought they would. That's all right. It's ok to modify your plan. We're all learning and figuring things out!

    I wish you the best of luck :)

    Thank you!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited April 2016
    i don't agree with "you must eat all whole foods" in this video, but she provides some really good information on not only why eating blended/smoothies/etc. is not better than whole foods, but also the reason why it's NOT recommended.

    I suggest you watch it, it's pretty eye opening. She is addressing the RawTil4 lifestyle, but her points address the way you're eating. ;)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDLNstgQcBk&t=5m44s

    And if you don't want to watch it let me go ahead and sum it up for you.

    Essentially when you are eating whole foods in their natural form they are combined with fiber and micronutrients. When you are masticating your food it releases enzymes to break down the food you are eating. This food is meant to be broken down over a long period of time in your stomach and the fiber is meant to slow the absorption of carbohydrates into your blood stream. In addition, the more you chew, the slower you are eating, and the sooner you will feel "full".

    Our hunger is triggered by a hormone called "ghrelin" which is produced stomache/duodenum. This hormone says "I'M HUNGRY FEED ME!" when the stomach is empty. When the stomach is stretched it reduces the hormone to say "okay, i'm full, i don't need to eat anymore".

    When you are drinking juices or smoothies with a high water content they pass through the digestive system in a very short amount of time. This means that you will feel hungry again in a short period of time because the stomach is not being stretched (which triggers that hormone to stop producing). Whereas with the slow digestion of whole foods they would take up more space in your stomach causing you to feel fuller longer.

    In addition, because eating foods in their whole form takes a longer time and requires a lot of chewing you will feel full sooner. For example, if you tried to sit down and eat all of these veggies/fruits you would find it a struggle, whereas you can drink them in a smoothie/shake/juice in 5 minutes no big deal. Where's the problem with this? If you were to eat them in whole form you may get a few hundred calories in before you're full... you can drink a 1,200 calories date-o-rade and be hungry an hour later.

    Also, something that needs to be addressed is the idea that our digestion "needs a break". This could not be farther from the truth. In our body we have both voluntary and involuntary muscles and actions within the body. Our body has evolved to work this way.

    For example, when you want to move your arm, your leg, blink your eyes, etc. These are all voluntary muscle contractions.

    HOWEVER, involuntary muscle contractions happen without us even having to think about it. For example, your body is breathing and respirating right now. Your body is using energy right now. Your heart is pumping blood right now. And guess what... Smooth muscles found in the internal walls of the stomach, intestines, uterus, and blood vessels are working all the time whether you like it or not. In other words, even if you consumed nothing but water, or heck, nothing at all they are working ALL THE TIME.


    So, consuming food this way is not only bad for regulating calories, digestion, and hormonal regulation....there's just no scientific backing to eating in this manner. There's no "giving your body a break". If there were... you might very well be dead. :open_mouth:
  • eleesJourney
    eleesJourney Posts: 42 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    i don't agree with "you must eat all whole foods" in this video, but she provides some really good information on not only why eating blended/smoothies/etc. is not better than whole foods, but also the reason why it's NOT recommended.

    I suggest you watch it, it's pretty eye opening. She is addressing the RawTil4 lifestyle, but her points address the way you're eating. ;)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDLNstgQcBk&t=5m44s

    And if you don't want to watch it let me go ahead and sum it up for you.

    Essentially when you are eating whole foods in their natural form they are combined with fiber and micronutrients. When you are masticating your food it releases enzymes to break down the food you are eating. This food is meant to be broken down over a long period of time in your stomach and the fiber is meant to slow the absorption of carbohydrates into your blood stream. In addition, the more you chew, the slower you are eating, and the sooner you will feel "full".

    Our hunger is triggered by a hormone called "ghrelin" which is produced stomache/duodenum. This hormone says "I'M HUNGRY FEED ME!" when the stomach is empty. When the stomach is stretched it reduces the hormone to say "okay, i'm full, i don't need to eat anymore".

    When you are drinking juices or smoothies with a high water content they pass through the digestive system in a very short amount of time. This means that you will feel hungry again in a short period of time because the stomach is not being stretched (which triggers that hormone to stop producing). Whereas with the slow digestion of whole foods they would take up more space in your stomach causing you to feel fuller longer.

    In addition, because eating foods in their whole form takes a longer time and requires a lot of chewing you will feel full sooner. For example, if you tried to sit down and eat all of these veggies/fruits you would find it a struggle, whereas you can drink them in a smoothie/shake/juice in 5 minutes no big deal. Where's the problem with this? If you were to eat them in whole form you may get a few hundred calories in before you're full... you can drink a 1,200 calories date-o-rade and be hungry an hour later.

    Also, something that needs to be addressed is the idea that our digestion "needs a break". This could not be farther from the truth. In our body we have both voluntary and involuntary muscles and actions within the body. Our body has evolved to work this way.

    For example, when you want to move your arm, your leg, blink your eyes, etc. These are all voluntary muscle contractions.

    HOWEVER, involuntary muscle contractions happen without us even having to think about it. For example, your body is breathing and respirating right now. Your body is using energy right now. Your heart is pumping blood right now. And guess what... Smooth muscles found in the internal walls of the stomach, intestines, uterus, and blood vessels are working all the time whether you like it or not. In other words, even if you consumed nothing but water, or heck, nothing at all they are working ALL THE TIME.


    So, consuming food this way is not only bad for regulating calories, digestion, and hormonal regulation....there's just no scientific backing to eating in this manner. There's no "giving your body a break". If there were... you might very well be dead. :open_mouth:

    Very informative
  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
    I advise trying different things. If you're fired up about giving your solid-free diet a go, then try it out.
    Take note of how your body responds, especially how you feel. If you start feeling like crud it might be time to adjust. You'll probably have a good idea what's what by Sunday.
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