What is a Very Low Calorie Diet
A very low calorie diet plan or VLCD, is a diet plan consisting of 800-900 calories a day or less. A VLCD plan will still be balanced and usually they last for a short period of time.
Why Use a Very Low Calorie Diet Plan?
These plans are short term, 30-60 days usually and are for people who are considered obese. According to the CDC more than one-third of adults are classified as obese. If you have a BMI of 30 or higher you are obese according to CDC guidelines. You should consider that even though one-third of the country is obese that number does not include people who are simply overweight.
Here is an example:
People who fall into the obese range are at increased risk for nearly all life threatening health conditions. Even when otherwise healthy, obesity interferes with mobility and daily living.
According to the CDC obesity contributes to:
- All-causes of death (mortality)
- High blood pressure (Hypertension)
- High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke
- Gallbladder disease
- Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)
- Sleep apnea and breathing problems
- Some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, and liver)
- Low quality of life
- Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders8,9
- Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning10
Are Very Low Calorie Diet Plans Safe and Effective?
If you are following a plan designed by a physician then YES! I am going to summarize a few scientific studies in medical journals below.
You should feel free to visit these links and see for yourself.
Very low calorie diet study one:
In this study researchers broke down older men into two groups. Group one added exercise and “healthy eating advice”. Group two was put on a VLCD. The test lasted 12 weeks total.
According to the results the VLCD group lost an average of 16.8% of their body fat and an 11% decrease in weight! The researchers also stated that the very low calorie diet plan was well tolerated by these older men.
Very low calorie diet study two:
Researchers in this study showed that not only did participants lose significant weight on a VLCD, they improved blood sugar and blood pressure levels. The participants had roughly the same percentage of weight loss when consuming between 400-800 calories per day. The study also concluded that a short term VLCD is safe and follow up with a maintenance program can keep the weight off.
Here is a quote from the study:
Conclusions: VLCD with active follow‐up treatment seems to be one of the better treatment modalities related to long‐term weight‐maintenance success.
Very low calorie diet study three:
This study put 38 people through a VLCD. Participants were then placed in two separate groups.
Group one stayed on a VLCD for less than two months. The second group for two months or more.
After five months participants were studied to see if they lost weight and maintained the weight loss.
The researchers discovered both groups were successful in with weight loss. Furthermore, many were able to come off medications that they had been on previously.
Here is a quote from the study:
Weight losses in both groups eliminated or strongly reduced the need for a wide variety of expensive drugs: antidiabetics, diuretics, antihypertensives, analgetics, etc. It is concluded that VLCD is an effective and encouraging way of starting a dieting program, and that it should be continued for at least two months, as the length of the initial VLCD period related significantly to the amount of weight eventually lost.
Personal Experience with a Very Low Calorie Diet
I have done a very low calorie diet myself. My friend also has done the same diet. We differ only in how long we did the program.
I did the VLCD for 30 days and my friend did his for 60 days. However my friend took a 30 day break in between his VLCD phases.
You can check out my results here- My Before and After HCG Weight Loss
Mike’s results can be found here- Mike lost 30 pounds in one month
Very Low Calorie Diet Warnings
You should be aware of a few things when starting a very low calorie diet. VLCD’s are best suited for quick weight loss in a short period of time. I have read several studies and complications seem to present themselves when someone is on them for long periods of time. These diets, in my opinion, should be no longer than 30 to 60 days. The complications I have read about seem to occur at over 16 weeks of consecutive VLCD’s.
You should go into a weight maintenance program after you complete your VLCD. These diets are not designed to be a lifestyle change. They are designed to make you as healthy as possible in the shortest time possible. As you saw, study participants lost fat, lost weight and many were able to come off of medications after the weight loss. It is up to you then to find what your long term solution is going to be after that.
A physician should guide you through the program. You may consider trying it by yourself but remember, you must maintain your nutrition. A physician will create a plan for you and may or may not prescribe supplements or medicine for your program.
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