Can you survive only eating liquids? (2023)

Can a person survive a liquid diet only?

Your health care provider may prescribe a clear liquid diet before or after some medical procedures or if you have digestive problems such as vomiting or diarrhea. A clear liquid diet can't give you all the calories and nutrients you need. So it generally shouldn't be continued for more than a few days.

Liquid Diet Risks

Missing out on essential nutrients can lead to side effects such as fatigue, dizziness, hair loss, gallstones, and heart damage. Also, if you don't get enough fiber, because you're not eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables, you can get constipated.

As a result of discontinuing eating, patients can die in as early as a few days. For most people, this period without food usually lasts about 10 days, but in rare instances, it can last several weeks.

Experts believe it is possible for the human body to survive without food for up to two months. It's not the first example of humans subsisting on next to nothing for long periods of time.

If you go on a prolonged liquid diet, you run the risk of getting insufficient nutrition and calories, which can affect your health. This can have consequences ranging from muscle loss to malnutrition. Consult with your doctor or a nutritionist before attempting a liquid diet, especially for such an extended time.

It's also not uncommon to have frequent, loose stools on a full liquid diet simply because you are not consuming solids. As you begin to return to a solid food diet, your bowel movements should adjust accordingly. It is possible to lose weight on a liquid diet.

Although water fasting may have some health benefits, it comes with many risks and dangers. For example, water fasting could make you prone to muscle loss, dehydration, blood pressure changes, and a variety of other health conditions.

Research shows that when you go on a liquid diet, you are literally starving the body, as metabolism slows down to save energy. And whenever there is a change in diet by eating solid food, the weight lost during the programme is lost quickly.

Low blood sugar causes people to feel irritable, confused and fatigued. The body begins to increase production of cortisol, leaving us stressed and hangry. Skipping meals can also cause your metabolism to slow down, which can cause weight gain or make it harder to lose weight.

How long can an obese person live without food?

Your body can meet the majority of your calorie requirements from stored fat, but total starvation is fatal in 8-12 weeks, regardless of initial body weight.

After two or three days, your body starts to break down fatty tissue. Your muscles use the fatty acids created during this process as their main source of fuel. Fatty acids are also used to form ketones in the liver. Ketones are another substance the body can use for energy.

Many liquid diet plans start out at only 400 to 800 calories a day. Replacing meals with high protein shakes eliminates excess calories and fat from your diet and leads to weight loss. When you reduce calories and remove the option of food, you can expect to lose three to four pounds a week.

Milk Group

Milk may be used in beverages such as eggnog*, milkshakes, malted milk, high protein milk and in cream soups. Eggs and Cheese * Do not use raw eggs, use custard, soft custard, or a commercial egg mixture that is pasteurized. Eggs* in eggnog or custard. Cottage cheese pureed to liquid and diluted with milk.

"Long-term, liquid-only diets do not provide sustainable weight loss because when a person drastically reduces their calories, it tends to also slow down their metabolism." So, when you stop the liquid diet, weight gain typically happens.

Information about life expectancy is based on real world contexts, such as hunger strikes and serious medical conditions. With no food and no water, the maximum time the body can survive is thought to be about one week . With water only, but no food, survival time may extend up to 2 to 3 months.