Controversial - VLCDs and Lighter life
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have you suffered any serious side effects? I work in health care and many of my colleagues are very adverse to LL. I have heard many negative comments, in particular that they know people who have done this diet and all their hair fell out and that their health became poor and compromised and that it is worrying and that they are concerned that people experienced water retentionin to the face and legs.
Consult you GP / doctor, it does not suit every one...
take care..0 -
Op - I have done Lighter Life myself for 4 months so I feel qualified to give you an opinion it. My opinion is this:
Please be very, very careful
Like you, I shed weight easily and hit their predicted 1 stone (14lbs) a month loss and ended up losing around 60lbs. I got a rubber stamp from a local, mostly disinterested, doctor to enable me to start the program.
I came off it because I was starting to feel a total lack of energy, getting muscle pains and generally being not quite 'right'. I had a blood test to screen for various things and the result was that my red blood cell magnesium and my B12 levels were rock bottom. I then actually had to a course of injections in the butt to right things and I was told in no uncertain terms to stop the VLCD and go on a more sustainable diet.
I also put all the weight back on (and more) within a year because LL didn't teach me to eat healthily or normally, it simply taught me to stop eating full stop with the exception of those powdered soups and awful bars they sell you.
If your local group leader isn't answering your questions then you really need to ask yourself why. I can tell you why (it's because they're totally centred on their commission and cramming a load of pseudo NLP and CBT stuff down your neck) but you need to find out yourself. By the way, have you asked how any of her previous clients are doing 2-5 years down the line? Because that's the measure of success - not the initial loss and meeting goals, but keeping it off for 5 years.
Anyway, your group leader should be helping you to determine when to come off and if she doesn't, phone up LL and tell them the support isn't up to scratch. Also, of course, talk to your doctor!0 -
If your local group leader isn't answering your questions then you really need to ask yourself why. I can tell you why (it's because they're totally centred on their commission and cramming a load of pseudo NLP and CBT stuff down your neck) but you need to find out yourself. By the way, have you asked how any of her previous clients are doing 2-5 years down the line? Because that's the measure of success - not the initial loss and meeting goals, but keeping it off for 5 years.
You hit the nail on the head. These people are clueless *kitten*. Thats mine and most other peoples experience.0 -
First off, congrats on taking steps to make changes in your life and for the extreme progress that you have made so far.
You are actually getting some great advice in this discussion.
I'm not familiar with the Lighter Life program but I have had previous experience with another VLCD program.
Had good success losing WHILE ON THE PROGRAM on that plan but, unfortunately, the problems came when I eventually could not take eating the prepackaged meal plans and shakes any longer and tried to get back in to eating real food. Had lost around 60-70 pounds while on the program but, like many/most of us who tried these plans, I ended up gaining all of those pounds back again (plus a few more as well) in probably 7 or 8 months after stopping the program.
The problem is that while on the VLCD program I never did learn how to eat properly in any meaningful way that was sustainable for me in the long term.
I'm owning up to that myself, however I also feel that most/all of these VLCD programs are also culpable as their emphasis is not really on that aspect of the issue. Let's face it, they are a business. As long as we all keep the mindset that we are powerless to do this on our own without the magic VLCD shakes or meals then they are raking in the $$$$.
Finally smartened up at the beginning of 2013 and am now doing this the right way from here on out.
MFP has been a godsend to me on that front as it has helped me realize that there is no magic to this at all. It is simply just math + patience + consistency.
As long as calories expended is consistently greater than calories consumed then the results will be positive over a REALISTIC amount of time. I emphasize REALISTIC as the pound ticker is now going down at 1 to 2 pounds a week and not the 5 to 7 pounds a week that it was dropping while on the VLCD.
I am totally cool with that slower pace, however, as I realize now that this is a completely sustainable lifestyle change that I have now made and not a short term diet.
With MFP's help in counting/tracking/logging calories over these past 9 months I feel that I am actually learning how to eat properly for the first time in my adult life.
The good news is that I don't have to be doing it while eating shakes and pre-packaged meals that I can't stand but that I am actually eating pretty much all of the real foods that I have loved in the past but felt that I would have to banish in order to lose and maintain weight.
With that said, my advice to you would be to be thankful for the extreme amount of weight that you have lost so far on the VCLD program but start to transition yourself out of program and work on maintaining a moderate caloric deficit while moving over to real food.
Realize that this will mean adjusting your expectations down in to the 1 to 2 pound loss a week realm rather than the higher numbers that you have become accustomed to.
There will also, no doubt, be weeks where you don't lose anything and event times where you might gain a pound or two.
Don't let that scare you or cause you alarm.
Just stay consistent and you will get to your ultimate goal in due time. Might take you another year or more to lose that next 100 pounds, but you are young and this is a long-term lifestyle change not a race.
Totally know that you can do this and am wishing you the best.0 -
I've just been to a web site and this is what they added in for side effects:
Surely there must be some side effects?
Yes! Very low calorie diets (VLCDs) cause fat to be broken down rapidly, producing a by-product called ketones. These can result in tiredness, weakness, dizziness, insomnia and nausea. However, these effects should be short lived and there’s even some evidence that ketones help to suppress appetite and actually promote a feeling of wellbeing.
Meanwhile, constipation, diarrhoea, dry skin, hair loss, menstrual changes and intolerance to the cold can also occur.
Losing weight rapidly also means you’ll be more likely to be left with loose, saggy skin – quite simply, your skin doesn’t have time to shrink to your new body shape. Usually, the only effective treatment for this is surgery to remove the excess skin.
Also according to the National Obesity Forum, there are some more serious side effects of VLCDs, including the development of gout, gallstones and cardiac disturbances. In particular, the risk of gallstones increases when people lose more than 1.5kg (3.3lb) a week.
Give careful thought about this diet...0 -
Hi OP! It is so hard when you are in a difficult spiralling out of control binge eating pattern and have loads of weight to lose!! Then along comes lighter life to offer a miraculous cure. I have had several colleagues who have followed lighter life and all but one of them have put all the weight on (and more!) after coming off the diet. Indeed one friend has been on it 3 times...cant imagine what it is doing to her body...she seems to spend 6 months on the programme losing followed by the next 6 months gaining!! Anyway, she has finally decided to abandone it and use slimming world as a means to weight loss instead. I think that if you abandon the programme early you MUST have a sure fire method in place so that you DONT spiral upwards again..because I am sure that would probably demoralise you. Good luck in your quest for a healthier you AND learning about food again :-)0
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Wow, congratulations on the progress so far!
While I haven't done VLCD's, a friend has and you might want to check out her website here:
http://xhelensarahx.com/mystory
She kicked off major weight loss with a similar VLCD, moved to low fat, high carb vegetarian and then discovered the Keto (high fat, moderate protein, low carb) way of eating was the best fit for her.
Which is what it will come down to - finding the way of eating that is sustainable and fits in with your life best.
:drinker:0 -
Ok, am I really reading this right? you average losing 9 pounds a WEEK?
I understand the bingeing and you wanted to go liquid, because food was a trigger, but this seems very dangerous to me... 9 pounds a week is literally unheard of, unless I am reading the numbers wrong? I mean, if it worked great, but I don't see how you can go back to eating regular food now without gaining it back (maybe not all of it, but at least half of it.)
If you were worried it would have screwed up your metabolism in the long run, maybe you should have done more research before starting. That's my opinion.
Yes, please confirm your numbers. Average loss of more than 9 lbs per week for 16 weeks sounds like science fiction.0 -
Hello I have been doing the Lighterlife diet now for 16 weeks and have lost 147lbs. I do NOT want criticism of my plan please. I chose to lose weight this way because I couldn't do it alone and it was the only support group local to me at the time. I still have at least another 133lbs to lose, and am planning on continuing on the LighterLife plan for a while yet.
What I am asking is, when should I come off? When I am at goal? After goal to make space for glycogen stores? Now and try losing naturally? I am terrified that this goes on forever because I can't see an end to it.
Positive advice, support and friendship would be much appreciated - remember, everyone does things differently!
Let me get this straight. You have lost 147 pounds in 16 weeks? So, like, more than 9 pounds a week? To lose 9 pounds a week tou have to eat at a 4500cal/day deficit. And you have another AT LEAST 133 to go. (Which makes your total needed to lose a suspiciously even 280 pounds.) Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't believe you.0 -
Wow, you don't believe me? My total is so rounded because I chose to lose an even 20st, i could lose 22 or 23 and probably still be overweight. I have pictures up. You can check. And my weightloss is accurate, yes.0
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Congratulations on the weight loss
I would feel wary of going to your LL supplier as she might try and sell you more of this stuff or convince you to stay? But she/he might tell you to replace one shake with a light meal like a chunky soup or salad, do that for a week then replace 2 shakes with light meals then all your shakes for whole foods.
Going to the doctor is a great idea and have a check up while you're there as well. Good luck and take it slowly.0 -
Yes, as one previous poster said, VLCDs are for the morbidly obese. When morbidly obese folks follow a VLCD diet, they tend NOT to lose a lot of muscle mass BECAUSE they have so much fat to lose. Definitely, if you're not considered in this category you should not be following a VLCD!!!0
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I've been on a VLCD through my local hospital for almost 16 weeks now and have lost 55 lbs. I started with a BMI of 44 and now have a BMI of 34. I plan to stay on this program through the end of the year and then begin transitioning to "real" food again. My program tapers you off. For 2 weeks I'll have 2 meal replacements plus a real meal and then for another 2 weeks I'll have 1 meal replacement and 2 real meals.
Even if I lose all the weight I think I will by the end of the year (based on my 3 to 3.5 lb. weekly average), I'll have a BMI of 29.3 -- right on the border between overweight and obese -- still. However, I'll be at a size I'm comfortable with maybe an 8 or 10. I'm currently in a 12, down from a 20. My blood work - done every 2 weeks - is perfect. My BP is perfect. And I had another EKG done (required at the start of the program as well as for every 40 lbs. lost) and it's perfect, too.
This time away from food has enabled me to do a lot of reading and researching and working on my feelings about food and how I cope with my feelings in general. I've been seeing a therapist for almost 2 years now so he helps me, too.
I wish you the best of luck as you taper off the program and begin eating real food again. Feel free to message me - I'd love to talk with another person doing a VLCD.0 -
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