Do VLCDs Work?

An increasing number of people are deciding to use very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs) to help them lose weight. This is hardly surprising when VLCDs can help you lose large amounts of weight quickly. Since many people struggle to bring their eating under control, VLCDs can help since you don't have to create a meal plan or think about what you're going to eat. There are plenty of different VLCDs to choose from, but whichever one you opt for, you will have soups and shakes and other foodstuffs that you consume at set points throughout the day, and you generally consume only 800 calories or less.

When you're consuming so few calories it is inevitable weight loss will be rapid in the beginning, especially if you have been consuming far too many calories in the run up to actually starting your diet. Your body is shocked into shedding weight because you're not providing it with enough calories to sustain itself and so it has to rely on your fat stores. Thus, it could be argued that very-low-calorie diets do work, since you are able to lose lots of weight quickly. That is only if you can stick to such a diet, though. Your body enters ketosis, which helps you get through the diet, since you're not hungry all the time.

However, many people still find it a struggle to continue following such a restrictive diet. You could find that your social life has to take a back seat, because you can't go out for meals or drink alcohol, and so you feel less inclined to spend time around friends who are eating and drinking. Plus, if you have come to rely on a food as an emotional crutch, it is bound to be difficult to change your relationship with food. You might be able to stick to a VLCD whilst you're losing large amounts of weight, but what about when your weight loss slows down or you reach your final goal? Eventually, you are going to have to learn to eat properly.

Indeed, that is why so many people who use VLCDs to lose weight find that they cannot keep the weight off once they return to normal. The idea of going on a VLCD is obviously to achieve results quickly, so that you can then adjust to being slimmer and find a way to keep the weight off. The reality, however, is that if you've never really learned to change your eating and exercise habits, you will find yourself piling on the pounds once again, especially if your body has been in starvation mode for significant periods of time. Your body obviously gets confused when you alternate between starvation and overindulgence and will desperately cling to the calories you feed it.

VLCDs do work in that you can shift lots of weight quickly, but even then there are downsides. You could be left with excess skin, for instance, and you may develop gallstones. Losing weight is always hard and you want to see that your efforts are paying off straightaway. In the long run, though, a better approach to weight loss may be one that gets you to overhaul your habits. VLCDs may stimulate rapid weight loss, but they do not prepare you for what it actually takes to manage your weight in the long run. Everyone is different, though, and if you are so heavy that your weight is affecting your health, you may see no other option.

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.