Thread: Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD)

Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) is a diet program that provides 800 calories or less. It is usually in liquid form (soup, drinks, shakes) that is used to replace food intake. They are specially formulated and they are high in fat and protein with almost no carbohydrates in them. They also contain vitamins and minerals necessary to still maintain body functions. Popular diets in this category are Cabbage Soup Diets and Medifast.

This diet program is best suited for individuals with bmi's greater than 30 and patients are said to have lost 1 - 2 kg a week. However, this diet is not advised for long term and should not be followed for more than 12 - 16 weeks. It's also found to help overweight patients with type 2 diabetes. This diet program is not suitable people with serious medical condition, over 50 years old, children/adolescent and pregnant/breast feeding women.

Because of severe restriction in diet, patients are expected to experience side effects like nausea, headache, dizziness, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue and weakness.


People usually lower their calorie intake by 800 to 1200 on their own in order to lose weight. It's important to you know that effects of lowering your calories below the recommended daily intake to avoid serious problems in the future. Very low calorie diets, if done long term, will eventually slow down your metabolism which will make it difficult for your body to burn fats.

This is definitely not advisable if done long term. 800 calories is way too low and if you're doing it without professional help, it may have serious effect on your health. What happens after the program then? Will they be on a different diet program?

Too much of everything is not good. Too few is just as worst. Balanced diet and exercise is still the best choice for long term weight loss. I guess they will be placed to another diet program in order to continue their weight loss. If not, they might revert to their old eating habits.

The risk of serious health problems are greater compared to the risk on this diet that why obese people choose these type of diets in order to lose weight quickly in order to avoid it. This diet should be under supervision of a medical professional and it is not advisable to try them yourself.