The Risks of Very Low Calorie Diets
Some diets promise extraordinarily fast weight loss - achieved by cutting calorie intake to (dangerously) low levels. If you're ever tempted to follow a Very Low Calorie diet, make sure you know the facts first.
What is a Very Low Calorie diet?
A Very Low Calorie (VLC) diet is one designed to promote rapid weight-loss at the start of a long-term dieting program. People on the diet consume below 800 calories per day.
Some well-known plans which are cut calories to VLC diet levels are:
- The Cambridge Diet
- The Cabbage Soup Diet
- Lighter Life
When can you go on a VLC diet?
If a patient has a BMI of over 30 (putting them into the "obese" rather than just "overweight" category), their doctor may put them on a VLC diet. However, this is only done when the risks of remaining obese outweigh the health risks posed by the diet.
The article What is a Very Low Calorie Diet? explains:
[VLC diets] are intended for patients whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is greater than 30 with significant comorbidities (illnesses or diseases related to morbid obesity, such as diabetes or high blood pressure). VLC diets are not normally used for patients with a BMI between 27 and 30 unless they have medical conditions related to their weight.
You should never attempt to follow a VLC diet without medical supervision, as mentioned in Very Low Calorie Diets: Good or Bad?
What if you're dieting for a special occasion?
There might well be times where you're tempted to cut calories right down in order to lose weight that bit faster - especially if you've been dieting for a special occasion. Try not to regularly drop below 1100 calories per day. If you don't do any exercise, it won't damage your health to occasionally eat only 800 - 1000 calories, but this certainly should never be for more than a few days at a time.
Do you really want to reach that special occasion feeling exhausted, ill and stressed because you've been starving yourself for days?
Surely the faster I lose weight, the better?
It can be frustrating to only lose a pound each week, but slower weight loss is much more likely to be permanent.
Following a VLC diet can often have a "yo yo" effect on your weight; you lose weight rapidly for a few weeks whilst on the diet, but when you start eating "normally" again, your metabolism has slowed to cope with the lack of food - and you pile the pounds back on.
Eating so little can have a number of side effects such as extreme tiredness, constipation, diarrhoea and nausea. If you are severely overweight when you start rapidly losing weight on a VLC, you also put yourself at more risk of developing gallstones.
What's best for long-term weight loss?
When you lose weight fast, you often change your eating patterns radically. The three diets mentioned above all involve replacing meals:
- The Cabbage Soup diet: no prizes for guessing what you eat a lot of here ;-)
- The Cambridge Diet and Lighter Life both involve meal replacements - bars, shakes and soups - which are designed to include the nutrients you need whilst remaining low calorie.
The problem with these plans is that you won't be re-educating yourself to change your "normal" eating habits. If you go straight back to what you were eating before the diet ... you'll inevitably put on all the weight you lost.
If you want to keep the weight off for good, follow the common sense advice given by nutritionists down the years and increase the amount of exercise you do. Maybe it'll take you a few months longer to reach your goal - but isn't that worth it, if you stay slim and healthy for the rest of your life?
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I can't offer any real studies, because I think the metabolism slowing is not too far from an urban legend.
My opinion is that humans evolved through a feast or famine existence and our "metabolism" has adapted to those origins.
ReplyAre you kidding me? Ask any body builder who has done contest preparation.
The metabolism slows as your body fat level drops, and you have to either cut calories further or increase the amount of cardio that you're doing in order to keep fat loss continuing.
ReplyI've also seen research that says that a drop of only 2-3% in water also slows metabolism
ReplyMetabolism slowing down is the adaptation!
During periods of scarcity, it slows to prevent starvation. During times of plenty, it goes back to a normal level.
ReplyHere's one:
Changes in body composition and resting energy expenditure after rapid weight loss: is there an energy-metabolism adaptation in obese patients?
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1995 Feb;19(2):119-25
The aim of this study was to assess changes in resting energy expenditure (REE) related to changes in fat free mass (FFM) in nine morbid obese (BMI 43 +/- 5.1 kg/m2) hospitalised females on VLCD.
REE was measured by 30 min indirect calorimetry before and after 28 days of hospitalisation. Changes in FFM were assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), hydrostatic weighing (HW) and nitrogen balance (N).
REE decreased 11.5% from 7.8 +/- 1.0 to 6.9 +/- 0.8 MJ/d.
Total weight loss was 8.4 +/- 1.9 kg or 7.4% with an estimated FFM loss of 3.4 +/- 1.8 (BIA), 2.9 +/- 1.9 (HW) and 1.8 +/- 1.0 (N).
As the fall in REE was larger than the loss of FFM, it is concluded that morbid obese patients develop an energy saving adaptation during rapid weight loss.
ReplyHere's a study that took training variables into account. Hat tip to Alwyn Cosgrove for this nugget.
Bryner RW, Ullrich IH, Sauers J, Donley D, Hornsby G, Kolar M, Yeater R.
Effects of resistance vs. aerobic training combined with an 800 calorie liquid diet on lean body mass and resting metabolic rate.
J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Apr;18(2):115-21.
The aerobic group performed four hours of aerobics per week. The resistance training group performed 2-4 sets of 8-15 reps, 10 exercises, three times per week.
V02 max increased equally in both groups. Both groups lost weight. The resistance training group lost significantly more fat and didn't lose any LBM, even at only 800 calories per day. (The reason the calories were so low was to really take any dietary variables completely out of the equation and compare the effects of the exercise regime on LBM and metabolism.)
ReplySo basically even if you are on a very low cal diet and still strength train the low cals won't have a large effect on your metabolism. Is that correct?
ReplyI've been plowing through what Regina and Mike has posted here, and also what I've found on the effect of bariatric surgery and thermogenesis. It's interesting material. Hypothyroidism is one of the control mechanisms, as Heather has experienced. Only a fraction of people experience it with bariatric surgery, and exercise can counter the effect.
ReplyIt's not like eating a VLC diet makes your metabolism stop or anything, especially if you have a very large reserve of fat. Your body does burn off fat if you aren't giving it enough fuel to use outright. The danger comes in when people don't have a large reserve of body fat. In that case, your body tries to preserve the fat it does have for purposes such as hormone production/regulation and body heat regulation, etc. and you start burning muscle mass. That's why they only recommend VLC diets for seriously obese people.
ReplyThere is interesting animal model data which finds that obese mice die with more than adequate reserves of fat for energy while they're provided what would translate to a vLCD diet - their muscles are catabolized, leading to their death with more than enough stored energy in their bodies. It's not simply calories and stored calories.
ReplyOh, I totally agree...you CAN be overfed yet undernourished. If you simply eat macronutrients (as in, carbs/protein/fat) with not enough vitamins, minerals, cofactors, etc., you will store the energy as fat and won't be very efficient at turning the fat into energy. Similarly, there are a lot of people who eat diets that are low in calories and VERY high in nutrition. In fact, if you are going to cut calories, you really do need to make sure the ones you're getting count toward meeting your daily intake of calcium, vitamins, minerals, etc. That's why if you are going on any sort of low calorie diet, you need to be working under the supervision of a doctor or nutritionist.
Incidentally, this is why I think one of my friends can't seem to lose weight on Weight Watchers. Instead of getting her calories from fruits/veggies, etc., she eats around a bag or so of gummi bears per day (as many as her Points range allows her to).
ReplyYes, there's nothing like eating 800 calories a day to put the 'die' back in 'diet'. I can see the reasons (both good and bad) for trying a VLC diet. Personally, my left leg alone requires 800 calories a day. It's hard to imagine someone doing this voluntarily.
ReplyThe number one principle of nutrition for weight loss is... sustainability. People need to find a way of eating that they can stick to for life, not just for a few months. These VLCDs are completely unsustaible, so inevitably weight is regained when people return to their old eating habits.
ReplyI'm with you Liam - and there is plenty evidence that VLCD have a rapid (not just weight regain) but fat rebound... so you gain fat disproportionately fast and it's fat gain (not weight gain) that is problematic from a health point of view.
And we haven't even begun to talk about the psychological effects of continually going on a diet only to feel like you're the failure when you can't stick to it. Doing that year in and out (and I did for 20 years) is increadibly confidence-eroding.
ReplyI think another point should be is you're not likely to stick to such a severe diet for any extended amout of time. When I was younger and more naive I would try the very low calorie diets and after 2-3 days I would be so ravenous I would binge totally negating all the starving I did the previous days.
ReplyYou forgot to mention the only scientifically based, safe and effective very low calorie diet on the planet: The Rapid Fat Loss diet by Lyle McDonald. It's what's known as a protein sparing modified fast and you will consume between 600 and 800 calories per day. However, you only diet for 4 weeks before returning to maintenance level calories.
The diet is essentially 600 to 800 calories in lean protein - chicken, very lean red meat, etc. Plus, you can eat as many vegetables as you like.
ReplyI don't think the metabolic slowdown is a myth at all. If I eat much less than 1200 cals (my BMR) I completely lose my appetite and actually start gaining weight. I can lose at a good pace if I keep calories around 1200-1400. I actually am able to predict whether I'll lose weight the next day based on how frequently I eat and how my hunger is. Hunger tells me that my metabolism is working. VLCD's just don't work for me.
ReplyI don't think it's a myth because I was able to start losing weight after increasing my Calories (on the recommendation of a nutritionist.)
I was eating 1100-1600 a day (usually ~1300)-- but I was exercising 15-20 hours a week with fairly intense activity. Stopped losing weight at that amount. Went to a nutritionist and increased to 2100-2300 (so like 1000 Calories a day) and started losing easily and pretty quickly. Without feeling like crap all the time or changing my activity.
I do think people jump to metabolic slowdown a lot of times when they probably just need to measure more carefully and be more realistic, or be patient-- which makes it seem like a myth just because of so much wrong information.
I know some people who have to eat ridiculously low amounts to keep their weight under control despite a lot of activity, and I think it probably relates to metabolic slow down features... I mean, it only makes sense that the body has measures in place to survive. We have a lot of survival mechanisms, and we come from a history where food wasn't as abundant and constant as it is now.
Replyit's absolutely impossible to eat in a caloric defacit and gain fat weight. Your body is using something for fuel, the food you put in your face then stored energy. That stored energy is not coming from thin air. It's coming form somewhere in your body. The weight you're gaining can only be attributed to the weight of the food you're putting into your body and water gain.
ReplyAs an interesting aside, cold constricts and heat dilates, yet our ears will turn red in the winter cold. Why, because after the initial constriction, vessels dilate to compensate. There may be a short term metabolic lapse, but I doubt it lasts very long.
Replyto Dr. J.
ReplyYou need to do some more investigation before you decide whether something is a myth. I'm in my late 50's and 5 years ago I had my Resting Basal Metabolism measured at a Hospital wellness clinic. (I was 25 lbs overweight and kept telling people I wasn't a closet potato chip eater.) My Basal metabolism (using a calorimeter to measure metabolic rate) was measured at 950-1100 calories/day. I eat about 1000-1100/day...not out of intent but habit of years of youthful--no breakfast, either skipping lunch or only having a salad and "chicken and peas" for dinner--catching up with me. Normal for my age is 1800 calories. To lose weight they say drop 500 caolories to 1200-1300 and you will drop lbs. To go to 1300 is an INCREASE for me. In addition, the "set point" just keeps increasing. At Christmas, I went out 1/week with friends for 3 weeks and ate full meals each time (and gained 7-9 lbs). 6 months later this weight is still on and the increase is my new set point and will not come off. Low calorie diets do eventually reduce metabolism.
Thank you for your information! I appreciate what you are trying to say.
If I may offer an idea. You do not mention any physical activity. Perhaps if you did some light exercise, like walking 30 to 60 minutes a day, it would slowly make a difference.
ReplyYou CAN increase your BMR, like Dr. J said, by building muscle mass. A pound of muscle burns 50 calories/gram while a pound of fat burns close to 5 calories/gram. Have you had your body fat levels checked? It's possible that you are not simply overweight but overfat from years of dieting. If you add in physical activity, especially weight training, you will increase your muscle mass and possibly increase your BMR quite significantly.
Replylots of great info here as always---both in post and in comments
not sure what I think yet.
being both a (wanna be bodybuilder) and a woman who possess ears (*waves to drj*)
I guess Id always thought it was HIGHLY personal whether it did or DID NOT slow ones metabolism...unique to each individuals 'make up'
ReplyM.
Hey to you!!
It's a matter of quality and quantity with each individual, but the numbers are probably not large. I mean Dumbo's got some severe ear problem there! Despite his questionable looks, however, he's quite the flyer :-)
ReplyBased on my own personal experience with stalling at 1600-1800 calories but losing predictably if I eat 2200-2300 a day, there is something going on with metabolic response to perceived "famine" conditions I think.
While there is a lot of data supporting that a reduction in basal and resting energy expenditure is real, there are also studies that counter that data (most weakly, but it's still contrary data).
I'm not convinced it's all calories driving what happens on an individual level and am more 'certain' it's calories + essential nutrients together than play into the end of the day changes that appear to happen to quite a large number of individuals.
ReplyThat's interesting information, Regina! Hopefully, we will eventually nail it down. I never said, but I'm not advocating VLCD.
Reply::: grin :::
Obviously I don't either!
While I do believe that a carb-restricted dietary approach is probably the best to control hunger and provide the densist level of nutrients, one doesn't have to use that approach to lose weight (obviously)....but no matter what approach one decides to try, I really think it's critical to pay attention to micronutrients, meeting protein requirements for amino acids and consuming adequate calories to meet basal metabolic rate (BMR). I do think, based on many observations and reviewing hundreds of menus that it's a perceived famine condition (consuming less than BMR calories) that undermines weight loss in both the short and long-term since our primal brain is wired to survive and famine ain't a happy place for the body...but if we at least eat around BMR, the body has no specific threat to its survival energy needs for bloodflow, heart beat, body temp regulation, etc.
That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it!
ReplyThis is not exactly the same thing, but with the upcoming Olympic Games, the very things you mention are used to get the optimal performance from our athletes. I know that each athlete has a diet tailored to their specific metabolic uniqueness. Perhaps some of the data that they accumulate can be applied to healthy weight loss?
ReplyI wonder if there's truth in that.
I tend to believe in it myself... but every time I went on a strict diet like that my bloodwork changed and I started showing up hypothyroid (with symptoms). When I'm eating enough, I have perfectly normal numbers.
ReplyI am not a fan of any nutritional program that you can't realistically keep over the long term.
ReplyI sort of agree with you here. I guess with most nutrition plans it depends on each individual, but I agree that for me I would not want to do something that I wasn't able to maintain for the long-term. I'm not a huge fan of continuously changing my diet, but that's not to say that this isn't effective.
ReplyMy mom went on some sort of VLC diet back when I was a kid. It consisted of 3 of these "milkshakes" that she drank per day...no solid food at all. I think it was maybe around 1000 calories per day (and that may be overestimating). She lost weight really quickly, but when she got down to close to her "goal" weight, she stopped the diet and gained all the weight right back again. The reason for that was that the diet never taught her what healthy eating was; it just starved her for a couple months.
Incidentally, I don't think the whole metabolic slowdown thing is as true as people say. If you have a very large reserve of fat and you don't give your body enough fuel to use outright, your body pulls fat out of storage to use as fuel. If you exercise a lot in conjunction with a pretty low cal diet, you'll lose fat rather quickly without slowing down your metabolism too much (think Biggest Loser: those people are eating 1300-1500 calories a day and are working out like madmen and they lose weight REALLY fast). You don't start using muscle for fuel until you don't have much fat left; then your body tries to preserve essential fat and you DO burn muscle for fuel. So I think the whole starvation mode doesn't come into play until your body really IS close to a "starvation" status.
ReplyFat cells have different percentages of receptors, those being alpha and beta. Those receptors will dictate whether the fat cell will open up and release fat to be burned or not. Very Low calorie diets for too long will convert fat cells to have more A2 receptors (bad)...aka those problem areas that are stubborn to get rid of. So crash dieting will give you more stubborn fat cell receptors while also losing muscle (if you protein is not high enough...which most VLCD are not). So now people are in worse shape then when they started off at in regards to metabolism from muscle and their ability to burn fat is blunted (A2 receptors). Not good. You can always cycle low days and high days...like said above many professional BB will cycle in low weeks to get the final cut before a contest, but it's temporary....and most need B12 shots just to walk around as they have zero energy.
ReplyA lot of people swear by the calorie cycling method to lose weight very quickly. I think there is some merit to it...when I was losing weight, I sometimes just had days where I would eat 1800 calories a day and other days where I would eat 1500 calories a day or 1200 calories a day....the body thrives on change. It gets used to things quickly and adapts.
ReplyCycling parameters will lead to great results. As you said...the body likes changes. Like exercise, nutrition must also be varied...of course the key is understanding how foods effect our weight loss gains...which ones help and which ones don't. Cycling high and low calories leads to a negative energy balance without compromising the metabolism. Cycling macro nutrients like carbs and proteins will also help increase sensitivity and utilization....as you want carbs to be used for muscle glycogen and not spilling over into fat cells. That being insulin resistance is the key factor in weight gain...and the best 2 ways to help reverse that is periods of low insulin (low carbs) and resistance exercise (that helps increase muscle sensitivity. Like I tell people, insulin being released all the time is like listening to loud music all the time...your hearing starts to go (aka you build up a resistance to it)...so the best way to get your hearing back? Turn off the music and let your ears have time to heal. When you do turn the music back on...your sensitivity is increased..and you get more from it.
Reply800 calories a day? 1100 calories a day? I can't imagine actually sustaining that for more than a day or two. I'm sure the only ones who do must be extremely motivated (by their disorders!)....
ReplyI had taken Cxmbridge Diet 8 yrs ago (for the first 2 to 3 months and swtiched to other fad diets) and lost > 40KG in 5.5 months time. But I regained all the weight plus a few more pounds in less than 3 years. Side effects: lost hair, no spirit, and most importantly the distorted and depressed mind, and I believed I had overeating disorder.
Big lesson, long recovery, and now still working on it.
ReplyNote: Cxmbridge Diet is typically sold via direct selling in my country, sometimes found in pharmacies. No supervision from doctor.
ReplySo how about high protein diet to lose weight? I read from a book entitled "LA Shape Diet" that high protein diet can help to curb hunger control and lose weight. Are there any supporting evidence for this?
ReplyThe hardest part about losing weight is maintaining motivation. On a VLCD it is so easy to bing because you are so hungry all the time. Once you bing your motivation gets shattered. They really are not maintainable in the long term and as stated do not encourage healhty eating habbits long term.
ReplyRadically changing eating patterns in the hope if losing weight fast seems to be a losing game. As you've said:
Reply"but when you start eating "normally" again, your metabolism has slowed to cope with the lack of food - and you pile the pounds back on."
A VLCD is impossible to maintain. I have spoken to many that have tried, my father's doctor recommended he went on a heart diet (vegetable soup diet) for two weeks. He hated it, was always hungry and very quickly went back to old habits.
ReplyI think your metabolism slows down on ANY diet. Didn't Gina Kolata write about how EVERY diet stops working after six months (in Rethinking Thin)?
ReplyFat loss is rate limited. VLCD's ignore this.
ReplyOur bodies are uniquely made. Both our body and our mind need food to survive. Let alone the metabolic breakdown of VLCDs - How about the breakdown of our minds and our bodies.
I've never heard of anyone who sustained long term weight loss by using VLCD. All successful weight loss has came from eating healthy and execise - changing your lifestyle.
ReplyVLCD works fine for a short period of time. But the moment you are off, you return to your old eating habits. I think it's a matter of eating sensibly and with a purpose for any weight loss to work.
ReplyUse common sense here--if "starvation mode" caused a SIGNIFICANT reduction in BMR then bariatric surgery wouldn't work. It always works. And at least 75% of those undergoing it find a permanent solution to co-morbid obesity.
What is most significant about a VLCD is that it be comprised almost solely of fat and protein. Heavy on the protein. Most of the side effects of so-called "starvation" diets are from sacropenia (muscle wasting) and inadequate protein intake.
Hey we hate to hear it because most people LOVE to eat but we really don't need a lot to survive.
ReplyI totally agree with Jenifer- VLCD work. I honestly don't feel hungry and manage less than 1K Calories per day. I choose 'nutrient dense' foods such as skinless chicken breast, tuna in water (from tins) and fresh raw tuna if its available. I supplement with a small amount of nuts, avocado, and lots of veggies (raw or minimally cooked). If I want some carbs, I eat a few pretzels. Sometimes I take a multivitamin, but only a couple times per week.
I've been doing this for just over seven weeks and have lost about 35 lbs. My starting BMI was 33.2 (245 lbs). My borderline high blood pressure is now back down to normal, my resting pulse rate has decreased significantly, and my cholesterol has dropped from 230 to the 170's.
For some reason, I haven't seen all the side effects that everyone keeps mentioning. I'm still able to work, think, and function as I always did. I could sustain this indefinately I think. I make soups with beans, lentils, veggies, and lean chicken. I drink lots of water and coffee. I really don't find it all that bad. When I reach my goal weight, I plan to modestly increase my calories, continue to cut out the junk and alcohol, and begin a serious weight training and aerobic exercise program.
One thing that keeps me going is that I now notice the fat people everywhere I go. I look at them and it validates my decision to take control of this situation and manage it.
ReplyI've read a bit of the research that Mike mentioned above on the 800 calorie diets... and from that, plus much of the other research that I've seen regarding heavy-moderately heavy resistance training...
... the #1 key to muscle loss is DISUSE... especially in a low calorie environment.
If you're ever broken a bone and had it cast for weeks on end, you can see how you not using the arm/leg atrophies the muscle... even though your calorie levels haven't changed.
This is the true power of resistance training while attempting any type of fat loss goal... the preservation of muscle mass (as shown in the above study)... and the increase of the amount of body fat per lb of weight loss over the cardio only (aerobic) group.
As an aside, I heard a trainer on TV tell a client that if she missed breakfast... that her entire next meal would automatically turn to fat!
And you could tell that she wholeheartedly BELIEVED IT.
Shear craziness.
ReplyI've been on a VLCD for 2 and half months. It's actually easy to follow. The ketosis induced by the diet has a central nervous system effect that suppresses appetite. I am **never** hungry. That's not to say that the sight or smell of good food doesn't make my mouth water, but I now recognize it for what it is: not hunger, but mere desire.
I lift three times a week, and do cardio four times a week. If I'm losing much muscle mass, it's news to me, as I'm lifting heavier weights with better form every week.
To be sure, I'll have to keep that up, and do even more once I begin eating again, but this will be a permanent solution to a 15-year problem for me.
Maintenance of weight loss is hard, regardless of how you lose it. VLCDs are no better at long-term weight loss than other methods, but they're no worse, either. It takes an acceptance of the fact that weight will always be something that requires work to control, and a real commitment to doing that work, and making wise choices, day in and day out. It's not too different from AA, except that total abstinence is impossible.
If your hospital weight management clinic/physician offers a VLCD, don't be scared away by the stories of slowing metabolism, lean body mass loss, and weight/fat regain/rebound.
Oh yeah... In 9 weeks on the diet, I've lost about 55 pounds, almost 25% of my pre-diet weight, and almost under the threshold for obesity for the first time in 15 years.
Replynever do this. spend the money and go to a nutritionist if you want to lose weight.
ReplyActually after about 3 days the body gets very used to the amount of calories and feels great. Strange, but true.
ReplyActually after about 3 days the body gets very used to the amount of calories and feels great. Strange, but true.
ReplyAfter reading all of your comments, being very mixed I must say. I am still a little confused myself!
I am currently on a 1100 calorie a day diet, but every 2 weeks I am planning on adding an extra 100 calories to my diet until I reach my 1700 a day limit.
I am currently at a BMI of 29.7 and I need to loose around 2 stone(28 pounds) to get myself down to about a BMI of 22-23.
I am just over 5 feet tall so any extra weight shows a lot more on someone of my size, I do around 2 hours of exercise a week which includes 45-60 mins of aerobics and 60 mins of netball per week.
I currently eat lots of veg, brown rice and chicken along with porridge in the morning and a varied meal of no more then about 400 calories for dinner.
I also take multi vitamins and minerals as an extra precaution
Do you think that I will start to gain weight again once I reach my 1700 calorie a day diet which is good balanced long term diet for someone of my height?
ReplyIf you go read what is on the internet you will most likely get very confused about this VLCD subject.
Here is how it works. I am sure you all have heard about your (minimum rec. calorie intake) this number varies depending on your height/weight. These numbers mark the amount of calories your body needs to sustain regular function as in respiration etc.
This only means that your body will burn x amount even if your sitting on your rear all day long doing nothing.
When I was in the army I put myself on a VLCD using slim fast a multivitamin and a couple sports drinks every day. I did fine and lost around 45 pounds in a month and a half roughly.
The problem with these (crash) diets is that people tend to forget about actually changing they way they look at food. So when you have lost all that weight..you think you can go out and eat an entire pizza every day for a week. Well folks..if you do that..your going to see the weight come back.
Now as to the last poster asking if they where going to gain weight once they reach a 1700 cap. The answer just depends on what you are doing to keep your weight in check. If you are exercising and eating the right foods then you will be fine.
Lastly...these VLCD diets are usually physician monitored and incorporate the right foods to keep your body right. So if you are trying one..dont eat up your 800 calories in snickers bars. 800 calories can account for ALOT of healthy food. You could probably eat your body weight in vegetables before reaching 800 calories.
The reason this whole "diets dont work" craze is on..is because thats how these companies have decided to sell their products. Diets do work and have worked for a very long time. The word you have to remember is DEDICATION. If you can stay dedicated to your diet no matter what it is (except for the snickers diet) you will do well.
ReplyThnaks for your time in posting, it was just what i was looking for.... Here to a new way of eating and goodbye to the aches, pains, swelling, rolling off bed putting socks on, old me. Again, Thanks
Replyi want to loose at least 50kg. My BMI is 38. I've lost 12 kg in 14 weeks. No one will let me go on a vlcd, maybe because of my history of eds. I am desparat and hate myself
Replyunfortunately dieting has become too complex, like everything else in life, i suppose. i think i've found a simple solutions to all this mess. i'm 5/7 and weighed 195 in oct of 08. i decided to go an a diet after i picked up a sport magazine which gave the height and weight of all the athletes on a soccer team. i noticed that i was heavier than all of them even those a foot taller than me. i felt this was ridiculous. i realized i should be around 145-150.
i decided to follow this simple method of dieting:
eat more or less anything i want from the time i get up in morning until lunch. after lunch the only thing i have is a cup of coffee. in other words from 1pm til 7am the next morning i go without eating any thing at all. that's 18 hours without eating.
I walk/run 2 to 3 miles 4/5 times a week. i'm now 160# and expect to reach my goal of 150 in a month or so. my metabolic rate is perfectly normal. i've never felt better in over 25 years. my running has improved. i'm 54 and can fun faster now than 15 years ago. i expect to go faster. i dont see the great need to increase my caloric intake too much for my running for the time being. i seem to have become more "efficient" and need fewer calories to do the same amount of work. nevertheless, I will increase carb intake when i'm 150# if need be. i weigh myself every sunday morning and analyze the progress. if i lose less than a pound then i simply cut back on food intake. i've been losing aprox 2# per week. never had any rebound effect and dont expect to.
my energy level is higher, so is my alertness. i dont get tired and fall asleep while reading a newpapers anylonger. losing weight feels like going back in time in a time capsule and recapture how I felt and looked in leaner years past. I was 140 in high school and would love to get there if ever possible.
there is no doubt that a very low cal diet is great for you on every level of your well being. losing weight and getting healther can easily be achieved by simply eating just two healthy meals a day and avoid dinner altogether. i never slept better than when i started to go to bed on an empty stomach. in fact i seem to need fewer hours of sleep from my usual 8/9 to about 6.
Replyand of course, i dont have to tell you how much money i'm saving in food expenses.
Hi lou!
You are basically eating warrior style (look it up). Personally, I think it's a good system, but certainly not for everyone. It doesn't fit most people's lifestyle, and for most, it's too hard to maintain. It's usually done with only eating in the evening, but if your morning style works, and you are getting good nutrition, why not. Good luck!
Replythank you doctor for your tip. the warrior diet is interesting but seems more suited for body builders and others who are serious about sculputing their physique than losing weight. i'm gonna take this one step at a time. the warriors seem to do an extremely hard work out. i suppose to burn the calories off from their one BIG meal. the originator of the diet said he eats once a day but the equivalent of 3 meals...i'm hoping to do that someday but i'm not holding my breath. in the end it stands for reason that unless one is pursuing extraordinary forms of athleticism, the best way to burn calories is NOT to put them in once mouth in the first place.
ReplyTrue, eating fewer calories is the best way to lose weight. As I understand the warrior diet, it's a good system for either losing or maintaining weight. Although some body builders do it, the vast majority of body builders eat several meals a day, and time their eating to their work out schedules.
Replyvlc diets work or anorexa norvosa would not be so deadly
Replywhat a joke lol I had a BMI of over 56 when I started eating between 600-1000 cal's a day maybe 70-140 carbs took vitams and I was losing 20 pounds a week doing nothing. Never felt bad and now 10 months later have a BMI of 29.
Replyon another note aswell I ate lean cusines and really didn't do any more exercise then a guy who does 9-5 at a desk. It took me looking at myself to really make the change. And until you are ready to do that it really doesn't matter, because once your ready it will work.
ReplyThe article mentions a lot of problems with VLC dieting, but very little is written about a real solution to losing weight!
Replyfirst of all...
i eat very healthily. iam asian and growing up in an asian family everyone is weight conscious. if you are female and over 50 kgs or 110lbs. your family and asian friends ridicul u and call you fat which is why most asian families and asian people are skinny because its their culture to stay under a certain weight and grow up eating very healthy. growing up in asian family has taught me very healthy eating habits. we hardly had any junk food and most of our foods consists of rice, seafood and plenty of veggies anf fruit. i was eating a heap of cabbage,brocolli,cellery for dinners with seafood. thats what i eat daily however over a 4 yr period i gained 10kgs per yr. i was also excersising but gain 10 kgs per yr. i had a boyfriend and everyone in my family including my boyfriend of 5 yrs all thought it was wierd because iam a healthy person. I JUST dismissed it thinking maybe i just wasnt exercising enough..even though i was doing 3- 30 min sessions per week. 2 weeks ago i finally decided to try VLCD and it worked. in 2 weeks ive lost 10lbs and i went to the doctor 1 week ago and got diagnosed with low-thyroid. i think this was the real reason for my weight gain. my CURRENT BMI WAS 30 when i started VLCD and i intend to keep going until i lost all the weight i gained in 4 yrs because of low thryoid. low-thyroid makes your matabolism slow down veryyy slow.. so if the VLCD does slow down my matabolism it doesnt worry me as my matobilism is crap to start with.. lol iam not taking medication for low-thyroid meaning my matabolism would be better than what i started with before VLCD anyway. lol the worst is i have the same matabolism.. lol so it really doesnt bother me at all..
with people saying u feel hungry all the time.. U DO NOT. i only feel this way for the first 2-3 days. once u get past the first few days its very easy. for me personally i never was hungry even at day 1.
iam consuming under 800 calories per day.. iam feeling bettter than i have in the last 2 yrs.
i quit going to the gym but instead bought professional home gym equipment so i can work out daily instead of only 2-3 times per week because it takes me 1 hour to go to and from the gym so it saves me time.
i work out now every day for 30 minutes per day.
iam never hungry.. i take alot of vitamins.. i take a multi + fish oil and some extra vitamins as well.
again iam a veryhealthy person to start with.
so people who are knocking it saying ohh u just go back to old eating habits.. THERE R PPL IN THIS WORLD WHO ARE HEALTHY AND HAVE GREAT EATING HABITS BUT GAIN WEIGHT U KNOW LIKE ME BECAUSE OF A MEDICAL CONDITION.
this diet is great. i highly recommend it to everyone. i can even see myself doing this for the next 18 months. iam actuallly never hungry and can see myself doing/being on this diet long term. i have not had any cravings for any food.. the sight of food turns me off because i just think fat. lol
u just have to be mentallly prepared for it.
i hope i can lose 5lbs per week for the next 3 months as i lost 5lbs per week for the first 2 weeks so far however its highly unlikely.
the only thing i only had a hard time giving up coffee... i had 4 cups of coffee per day before going on this and i suffered headaches for the first 5 days because of coffee withdrawals. now i feel great. i dont even think about food nor am i tempted.
i actuallly wish its healthy long term because i want to be on it 4 a long time but i know i only can be on it for 3 months so iam abit sad i had 2 go back and eat normal food after it. :(
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