Very low calorie diets - do they work?

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Maggie1960
Maggie1960 Posts: 322
in Health and Weight Loss
I am counting calories and exercising (1200 calories a day and 30 minutes of exercise) - it's only day 3 and motivation is still high right now:wink: .
However a colleague of mine is doing a VLC meal replacement diet and the weight is just melting away. Has anyone done one of these diets? I can't get my head round how a diet so restrictive can be healthy long-term. My colleague says she can stay on this regime until her BMI is within normal limits (she is currently 230lbs with a BMI of 38). Your thoughts?

Replies

  • oEmmao
    oEmmao Posts: 466 Member
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    slow and steady wins the race, your health comes first and you should never go below 1200 cals

    stick with what you are doing and you will see results :flowerforyou:

    VLC meal replacements, once you stop, the weight may come back on

    change your lifestyle and stick to being healthy, it pays off in the long run :drinker:
  • lucifa73
    lucifa73 Posts: 110
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    If by 'work' you mean do they help people lose weight then yes they do and a lot of them are highly researched to ensure the nutrient balances are right in the meal replacement products.

    What they don't do, however, is fix the dieter's attitude to leading a healthy lifestyle. We live in a very 'want it now' kind of society with expectations that our every wish be gratified instantly (hence the level of personal debt but that is a whole different debate) and VLC diets pander to the expectation of instant results. Unless the dieter also looks at a long tern healthy eating plan and active lifestyle to replace the VLC diet and previous habits the weight will inevitably pile back on again. But what the hell right? I mean we can just do the VLC diet again. I don't care what anyone says - that cannot be good for your body and your long term health.

    So sure - for someone who is very overweight who needs a kick to get to a level where they feel comfortable exercising a VLC diet might help but I think in the long run the long sighted improvement of lifestyle, where healthier choices become automatic ,is a much more sustainable way to go about weight loss.
  • NineInchGirl
    NineInchGirl Posts: 169
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    Hey girl!

    Well 1st of all you should never compare to your friends that are dieting. We are all different..some are overweight some aren't..some eat healthy some don't.. etc. We all have different bodies and different needs. In the 1st weeks you tend to lose a lot of weight and that's called "water weight". If your friend also had a lot of love to shed, it's normal that she sheds em off faster in the beginning weeks and also being bigger..means it takes more energy to move her body. Is she exercising as well? Anyway..it doesn't matter because you should never compare yourself! losing weight too fast is also super unhealthy and she's more likely to plateau reallll fast. Also, In the long run, the problem with meal replacement shakes (like another member said) you wont be able to keep it off. The key to success is to change your habits, eat healthier, drink your water and exercise =)
    Oh and one more thing, cutting down too many cals can put your body into starvation mode..which mean that instead of burning off fat..your body stores it cuz its scared you're gonna starve. So eat your 1200 cals and patience! You'll be rewarded!! Promise ;)
  • peanut1967
    peanut1967 Posts: 52 Member
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    I agree with lucifa73 - of course you lose weight with those diets, but you don't learn anything about healthy eating. On the contrary, after depriving yourself over weeks or months eating "repacements" you will crave for normal food ,so most people will gain their weight back, and maybe gain even more than they lost, due to the yoyo effect. Even worse - starving your body by eating way too little calories will lead to a significant loss of lean muscle mass, so your after each diet BMR will be lower than it was before which means you need less calories to maintain your weight. Not what anyone wants, huh?

    I've seen my Dad doing one all kind of diets during his grownup life, including low cal diets, and the effect was always the same: rapid weight loss and weight gain after the diet. His weight increased over the years, he got diabetes, and it was only after a severe heart attack when he completely changed his lifestyle, started exercising regurlarly and eating healthy and lost about 90 lbs. And guess what - he has been maintaining his weight for some years now, for the first time in about 45 years! But the really great thing about it: he's not only slim, he's fit and healthy and strong and got rid of his diabetes medication (to be precise, he got rid of ALL of his medication).

    So why not save oneself the detour that diets are and start a healthy lifestyle right away...
  • ProTFitness
    ProTFitness Posts: 1,379 Member
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    Diets dont WORK!!!!!! You need to learn that it is lifestyle and that is how you look at it. This is what your doing for you health and life. Not a quick fix. Quick fixes dont work. You need balance with food and exercise. A healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week.If your heavier it may be more right out of the gate. Eat fresh fruits veggies lean meats complex carbs and healthy fats. Do not eat anything out of a box. Make sure you do not go below 1200 calories. You also have to be caredfull not to go into starvation and so your body does not go into survial mode and will store food as fat. Doing these fads diets are not safe and the weight may come off but it will come back 10 times worse. Eat healthy foods. Eat a good balance of the foods together and exercise and it will all fall into place. Good luck and if you have any questions just ask. :-)
  • BeccyBerry
    BeccyBerry Posts: 312
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    My friend at work done one, a few years ago. The weight piled back on afterwards and even now doing ww and exercising daily she REALLY struggles to lose weight. As tempted as i am to do it when I see the quick results after watching a documentary about various diets, i'd never do it. They completely mess with your metabolism and make it harder to lose in the long term when you are actually doing it sensibly.
  • Maggie1960
    Maggie1960 Posts: 322
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    Thanks for all the replies- I will be sensible, save money - and my sanity - by sticking to my sensible regime of 1200 calories a day, rather than watching my colleague eat her meal replacement bars and shakes - it will be interesting to compare ourselves in a year's time and see which one of us has maintained our weightloss. Judging from what you have all said, it will be me!Fingers crossed anyway:wink:

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