Why do People go on Very Low Calorie Diets?

It is evident that the majority of people who choose to follow a very low calorie diet (VLCD) do so because they have lots of weight to lose and want to lose it as quickly as possible. It can be difficult to stay motivated to lose weight however many pounds you need to lose, but when you're severely overweight staying motivated for long enough to achieve your goal can be particularly tough. However, choosing to go on a VLCD isn't exactly the easy option when you are required to stick to a diet that provides you with 800 calories a day or less.

The average adult woman requires 2000 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight and a man 2500 calories a day. To lose a pound of fat, individuals have to build up a calorie deficit of 3500, which means that to lose a pound a week, they would have to reduce their calorie intake by 500 calories a day. By taking such an approach to weight loss you only have to make a few adjustments to your diet, rather than overhauling it or switching to something completely different, as you have to when you go on a VLCD.

There is a wide range of very low calorie diets on the market, that each provide you with shakes, soups and other products that are nutritionally balanced to ensure you do not miss out on vital nutrients. It can be extremely difficult in the beginning to deal with the hunger of eating so little, but eventually your body adapts to the new diet by entering ketosis, so that you are less inclined to feel hungry. Yet, that doesn't necessarily make sticking to such a diet any easier, especially when everyone else around you is eating normally.

When you're on a VLCD you are restricted to the pouches you are provided with and you are able to eat very little else. You can't simply go out to a restaurant and eat whatever you want on a VLCD without jeopardising your weight loss. You have to pay a significant amount of money to go on a VLCD and although you may lose lots of weight quickly if you stick to the diet, there are no guarantees you will be able to keep the weight off, especially when you reintroduce proper food to your diet. If you're not careful, you could just end up right back where you started.

A VLCD might stimulate rapid weight loss, but this type of diet is also expensive and doesn't necessarily prepare you for weight maintenance, so that you may fall back into the very trap that caused your weight gain in the first place. When individuals go on a VLCD it is generally under medical supervision, because there are significant risks of consuming so few calories, and sometimes counselling and advice is offered. However, many people discover that following a VLCD does not help them in the long run so that they eventually go back to using less drastic measures to lose weight.