When you start eating healthy whole foods…
…something incredible happens a few weeks in.
I’m sure you’re with me on this one…
You start to actually like it.
Craving dates and almond butter instead of a candy bar feels like victory.
Finally… you’ve effectively trained your body to ask for what it needs.
However, it doesn’t solve all of your problems. Sticking to healthy foods doesn’t make you any less busy.
So what’s the solution?
Take for instance, those days where you have five minutes to get something in?
Sometimes a pack of crackers or a piece of toast is the best you feel you can do.
This was the story for me as I settled into motherhood, and later, a new career. I didn’t have time to prep fruits and veggies for every single meal.
Eventually…
I got a handle on healthy eating for weight loss in all situations.
The answer?
The big secret is simple – smoothies.
So today, we’re looking at how smoothies can work in any healthy diet plan to help your weight loss naturally.
Don’t stop reading now…
It gets better…
Diets That Don’t Work
If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking to lose weight.
Maybe you’ve tried a lot of plans you couldn’t stick with. Or, maybe you’re looking for an easy way to start.
Before I explain why smoothies in particular can help with weight loss, I want to caution you against these diets.
Let me break this down for you…
Smoothies for weight loss are meant to be combined with a whole foods diet… not one of the following.
1. Crash Dieting
A lot of diets don’t advertise themselves as specifically as crash diets, when they really are.
There may come a point during a diet plan where there’s a “fast”, “cleanse”, or “detox”.
They ask you to abstain from food, maybe only drinking some lemon water or apple cider vinegar.
Far from being cleansing, not eating for days on end can have pretty serious health impacts.
Among these, the risk of cardiac arrest and dehydration increases.
And as it pertains to weight loss, crash diets can actually cause you to gain weight easier in the future.
They upset the function of your metabolism and immune system, two telltale signs of a hormonal imbalance.
2. Diets That Feature One or Two Foods Only
Look, I’m not above a good mono meal.
I might eat half of a pineapple for breakfast, and that’s okay.
Some diets have you eating just one to four foods for days or weeks at a time.
Take the Cabbage Soup Diet, for example.
The trouble with diets like this is that you’re not just eliminating calories. You’re eliminating many other essential vitamins and minerals that keep you healthy.
It also isn’t sustainable.
As soon as you decide to eat something other than cabbage soup (and who could blame you?), weight comes back.
3. The Military Diet
I actually know many people who have at least flirted with the Military Diet. This diet claims it’s three days on, four days off.
On its face, this doesn’t sound too bad… does it?
During the three days you’re dieting, you’re eating a low amount of calories. The calories you do eat, you get from things like hard boiled eggs and hot dogs.
Your diet dinner might be tuna, half of a banana, and ice cream.
Ice cream!
Sound good?
Carcinogenic processed meats, sugary desserts, and serious calorie deficits are not a healthy, lasting way to lose weight.
And during the four days you aren’t dieting?
No snacks, and no more than 1,500 calories.
Seriously… how long can you really keep that up?
4. Low Fat Diets
So it turns out that people who try to cut out fat end up resorting to carbs and empty calories.
On one hand, if you’re cutting out dairy and eating carb-rich fruits, it may not be so bad.
But leaving out this important macronutrient altogether has consequences.
As you cut out that fat, you’ll be hungrier, as fat is satisfying.
Slowly, you’ll find yourself filling that void with carbs that aren’t optimal for weight loss, like bread and pasta.
This is exactly why doctors and nutritionists find that low-fat diets can end up, well, making you fat.
Eating fat isn’t the biggest risk in becoming overweight by a long shot – we all need it.
Why Smoothies Work for Weight Loss
Among those who don’t think smoothies will do the trick, there’s a certain viewpoint I usually come across.
It’s that smoothies are often high in calories, leading to weight gain. This is a generalization that’s easily flipped on its head with a few considerations.
Let me break this down for you…
First, the ingredients.
Some smoothie shops will load you up on fruit, which is typically higher in calories and sugar than vegetables.
They also often use fruit juice, too, which is high in added sugar. In fact, so are regular peanut butters!
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Added sugar is always, always, a diet killer.
Whole fruits and vegetables are not.
Smoothies for weight loss either include an equal amount of vegetables, or more.
The liquid is water, coconut water, or nut milks, which are high in nutrients and lower in calories than dairy.
Furthermore, when some of us load up on calories purely from fruit sugar, the effects are not the same.
When we blend fruit, the sugar within is set free, so the energy boost isn’t the same.
It can resemble more of a spike than a sustained sense of well being.
But when you add in veggies, you get a more diverse set of nutrients that adds up to optimal nutrition.
It’s key to remember…
…that fruit sugar, and by extension, smoothies, are healthier than other sweet things because of fiber.
Yes, fiber is the one factor which make smoothies, even ones that include fruit, excellent for weight loss.
In particular, it may be viscous fiber that so effectively supports our weight loss efforts.
Viscous fiber is soluble fiber, and you can only find it in fruits and vegetables.
We call it viscous because it creates a gel with other substances, and this slows digestion.
As a result, you process food thoroughly, reaping more nutrients and feeling much fuller while you do.
Also, we have timing.
Smoothies with nut butters, avocado and other higher calorie ingredients are best to replace breakfast or lunch.
Other smoothies are simply a snack between meals.
Having that lighter smoothie as a snack keeps you from picking packaged snacks that are too easy to grab.
The Awesome Recipes
Important Tip:
The goal is to drink these smoothies to lose weight naturally and healthfully, even during the busiest of days.
To ensure that you’re ready to blend one up at a moment’s notice, I recommend some prep.
Every Sunday, or whichever day is best for you, portion out your smoothie ingredients into bags.
Pop them in the freezer, and they’ll be ready when you are, without chopping or measuring on the spot.
Just chunk them in your blender and you are done. Do you need a good blender? Shop now at Amazon.com
1. The Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mousse Smoothie
The name of this smoothie reminds me of those weight loss shakes we would drink years ago.
But there’s nothing fake here; it’s a wholesome, delicious way to fill up.
Ingredients you’ll need:
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Blend all of these together, adding in a little boost from flax or chia if you like. This smoothie is a meal replacement, and I’ll show you when to drink it in a little bit.
2. The Booster Shot Green Smoothie
Next, this smoothie is perfect for those times when you want something uplifting that refreshes you.
Personally… I drink this when I know I have to work out later, but am feeling less than up to it.
To prepare, you’ll need:
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Here, I like to blend the celery, spinach and herbs with the water to really break them down.
Then I add the cucumber, fruit, and a little more water. Minty and citrusy, it’s a great way to pep yourself up without coffee or sugary snacks.
3. The Fiber-Fueled Protein Smoothie
It might look green and light, but you can get at least 15% of your protein from this substantial smoothie.
You’ll include:
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If you didn’t freeze beforehand, you may like to add a few ice cubes as well.
This is both a great breakfast and a perfect pre- or post-workout drink for toning up. Though, this next one may be best for hardcore workouts.
4. The Ocean Rocket Fuel Smoothie
Are you always hungry?
Are you also so busy that grazing throughout the day is the only way to stay awake?
Here’s your tonic.
To make it, you’ll get:
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Blend this up and enjoy the rich, teal color.
Just be forewarned that everyone will ask you what in the world you’re drinking. The berries and banana make it taste anything but grassy.
5. The Creamy, Dreamy Kale Smoothie
“Creamy” and “kale” don’t sound like they go together, do they?
Well, guess again, as this smoothie uses avocado and Greek yogurt to make something worthy of the name.
This smoothie contains:
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Again, I like to blend the liquid and tough greens together first. With very high-speed, powerful blenders, this makes it even smoother.
Extra bonus recipe… see our lutein zeaxanthin smoothiehere.
Start to Slim Down with Smoothies in Just 14 Days
I know what you’re thinking…
So, if you’re drinking smoothies for weight loss, you just drink smoothies, right?
No!
You don’t want to throw off your usual digestion by switching to a blended diet only. Furthermore, we still need that diverse array of foods in our diet.
Here’s how you can incorporate smoothies into a weight loss diet in two weeks.
The First Three Days.
For days 1-3, smoothies will be your snack. You can choose mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
Breakfast will be oatmeal or plain Greek yogurt with berries.
Lunch can be a large salad or salad wrap.
Eat dinner as you normally would. In between, have either the Booster Shot Green Smoothie, or the Ocean Rocket Fuel.
If you need another snack in between, go for roasted chickpeas or apples with almond butter.
Days 4-7.
At this point, you’re ready to start replacing a meal with one of the more satisfying smoothies.
Make breakfast from smoothies 1,3, or 5.
For lunch, get even more fiber with a dish like a spicy black bean burrito, minus any cheese.
Eat a dinner of your choice, and snack on raw almonds and cashews in between.
Days 8-11.
For these four days, it’s simple: two smoothies, two meals. Here, you get to practice not snacking, as one of the smoothies serves as a snack.
Breakfast, choose smoothie 1,3, or 5.
Lunch, have something high in protein but typically lower in calories, like white bean and kale soup.
And for dinner, choose a recipe that’s Whole30-approved. Smoothie 2 or 4 can be your morning or afternoon snack.
Days 12-14.
Now we’re moving to two smoothies and one meal.
However, no one is encouraging you to go hungry.
If you experience any type of headache or weakness, have a healthy snack.
Breakfast and lunch will be smoothies 1,3, or 5.
Dinner should be a whole foods affair. I recommend this broccoli salad or some veggie zoodles.
If you feel hungry in between, eat an apple as a snack. If you need more energy, munch on baby carrots and hummus.
After this, you can start the smoothie routine all over again, or replace a daily meal and snack with smoothies.
Okay, that’s enough health nutrition secrets for today.
Final Word: Smoothies, Weight Loss
Unlike juices, smoothies retain fiber, which many regard as a magic bullet for weight loss.
When made right, they’re also chocked full of fruits and veggies that support a healthier, lighter lifestyle.
And yet… not all smoothies are healthy. Here are some guidelines to follow:
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Above all else, don’t crash diet.
The weight always comes back, and it stresses your body out.
Listen to your body and eat when you must – just be more mindful of what you choose.
I’m excited to get your take on this article.
What’s the craziest diet you’ve ever tried?
Do you have a smoothie recipe to share?
Let us know below, and I’ll catch up with you again soon.