If you’re trying to lose weight, you may be wondering if very low calorie diets are the solution. As you probably know, there are many different theories about diets and weight loss, and even experts don’t agree which one is best. The kinds of diets that cut down your calorie consumption drastically are normally only recommended for extremely obese people, rather than those who just want to lose a bit of weight. If you are thinking about going on a very low calorie diet then the following information may be of some use to you.
One point to remember about extreme diets is that there can be unhealthy consequences. When you embark on a new diet, by severely cutting calories, you may have adverse reactions. The list of possible harmful effects may be comprised of symptoms like fatigue, diarrhea, nausea and others. When very over weight people go on a crash diet; there has been incidents of gallstones appearing, however this may have been caused by the rapidity of the loss rather than the diet program. If you go on such a diet and experience any serious side effects, you should keep your doctor informed concerning your symptoms. From research there have been no proven benefits of going on a very low calorie diet when compared with just a low calorie diet. A very low calorie diet keeps the number of calories you can consume daily at under 800, whereas a regular low calorie diet will allow you to consume between 800 and 1500 calories per day. When on a VLCD your initial weight loss will normally be a lot greater, however it’s usually down to fluid loss. After a few months, however, studies suggest that a VLCD is no more effective than a low calorie diet for losing weight. A VLCD, furthermore, often has unpleasant side effects, including fatigue, dry skin, hair loss and headaches, to name a few. So while a VLCD may be necessary for medical reasons in some cases, a traditional low calorie diet may be a more comfortable way for most people to lose weight.
If you’re going on a very low calorie diet, you basically have two choices. No muss no fuss, would be the dietary formulas, pre-measured for your convenience; or you could manage your own control of calories. The latter option allows you more liberty; but you will need to be very conscious of what you consume. Foods with elevated calorie levels will need to be eaten with great rarity. There are many other great foods like fresh veggies, rice cakes, low fat yogurt and countless other healthy snacks. You have to be careful with carbohydrates, so try eating bread made from sprouted wheat rather than refined flours. Refined sugars are not good, such as high fructose corn syrup.
Very low calorie diets, as we’ve seen in this article, have their advantages as well as disadvantages. They are mainly recommended if you are extremely overweight, as this can contribute to health problems such as hypertension, heart disease or diabetes. Regular exercise and altering your diet slightly can be done if you are not threatened by these.
