650 kal a day

[Differentstarts]

For 2 months iv been on a vlcd consuming 650 kcal a day and lost 2 stone - AMA

They are if they’re mostly chemicals! There’s no meat in the spag bol and no chicken in the ‘chicken noodle curry’!

You say "if you go back to eating unhealthy".

Do you consider 650 calories a day to be healthy eating? (I don't)

This Facebook group is very heavily monitored and is not for medical advice it is purely for support and tips.

People are so "body positive" unless it's a slim body!

Good for you OP!!!

I don’t understand how having crisps/chocolate at lunch and pancakes or brownies for dessert teaches you to maintain after you hit your target loss.

AMA is sometimes just lazy way of saying "drip feed".

OP would have got quite different responses if a lot of the info she has since provided was given in the opening post - hypothyroidism, under medical supervision, 12 weeks only, obese, high cholesterol, the packs which are part of the plan have the required vitamins etc.

Some posters will find it really useful to hear about OPs experience, but it's been diluted with claims of it's unsustainable, it's so unhealthy, you'll put it all back on.....etc which on the face of the initial info is reasonable.

I've done this before, no gallstones, no thyroid problems, weight has stayed off, give or take half a stone here or there on holidays or over Christmas etc but it easily comes off, yes you have to be disciplined but that's the same as any weight loss program & there is literally something for everyone including sweet treats if you're so inclined

Well done @Differentstarts if you were overweight or obese keep at it because the benefits & pros will far outweigh (no pun intended!) the cons, it's obviously not for everyone but some people need this regimented program

I wasn't on 1200 calories a day I was probably on 3000 as when I diagnosed with hypothyroidism I wrongly believed I wouldn't be able to lose weight no matter what I ate so didn't see the point. I'm also on multiple medications that cause weight gain so everything seemed against me so I gave up on myself and excepted I'd just be fat. But with a lot of talking with medical professionals I learnt it didn't have to be like that so I'm doing something about it. Nobody would gain weight eating 1200 calories

It's not supposed to.

It's a very closely controlled diet that's supposed to kick-start weight loss and get your BP and cholesterol under control.

The "brownies" and "crisps" are nothing like eating a cake from Greggs or a bag of Walkers. They're specifically designed snacks for weight loss.

I'm sorry OP, but that is a ridiculously low amount of calories. I was on a supervised VLCD before surgery to reduce the size of my liver and this was 800 calories, which I'm told is the lowest amount that's safe to consume over a few weeks. If you're planning on doing this indefinitely, you're not going to do yourself any favours in the long run. Hair loss, muscle wastage, vitamin and mineral deficiencies - seriously, get a second opinion.

I think I know what MugPlate mean though.
You could argue that if you're trying to replicate the delicious taste of all unhealthy food then you're not really changing your mindset and habits about your diet.

They don't taste amazing their ok but not like the real thing so you don't crave them like you would if you had an actual brownie. When u finish the 12 weeks I won't miss them

I have 7 consultants and a gp so iv had 8 medical opinions

When eating a bag of crisps or snack bar I don't think the calories of those that can't stop at eating one or two of each are necessarily at the front of our minds at the time of necking them, sometimes they don't touch the sides...and by lord can those calories add up...but they're so hard to work off and by having those eating habits daily that it basically why the likes of me don't lose weight.

Not sure if I could stick to 650 cals, I've a friend did Dr Diet which is possibly the same kind of thing...foods sent through the post but all were portioned into a set amount of calories, and the plan to be stuck to, no eating two or three pouches in one sitting, defeats the object.

OP have you done any 'homework' while being on the 650 a day and planned how many calories per grams are in the foods you intend to start eating once on maintenance, it's more the portion sizes, and sticking to them, than the food choices that matter.

Thankyou people in my actual life where the same until they see me lose the weight then it was suddenly what diet you doing 🤣

Yes that's the point people are trying to make. That it doesn't change habits because you essentially carried on eating the way you were but out of a packet. Which is obviously very conducive to then continue flogging you their products for their follow on plan. Which has enough restrictions probably purposefully to make anyone who struggles ( most of us tbf cos let's face we all have lives) continue on because it's just easier than checking that everything you buy doesn't fall foul of the plan. Also advica6es for a cheat day which you could easily over consume on.

I'm positive about being a healthy weight with a healthy diet. Looking at what OP is putting in her body, it's not good food.

I think you are doing brilliantly. A friend of mine did the Lighter Life diet a few years ago and lost a total of 9 stone, under medical supervision. I'm not sure I could be so disciplined and I really admire you for sticking with it. Once you start to add in 'normal' food, it will get more tricky to maintain the weight loss, I would imagine. You are a good advocate for the New You plan. There is a lot of disordered eating championed on here, but this isn't it.

You go onto switch afterwards and when you put your final details in weight,height ect it gives you your maintenance and how many calories if your still needing to lose. It then explains how to do it with or without incorporating packs.

Would you be willing to come back to this thread and update us in say 3 months time, when you have finished the planned 12 weeks and have been sticking to a healthy eating regime for a couple of months? I would be interested in seeing how it pans out.

But this isn’t a healthy way of eating. You’re making choices of highly processed foods which are also calorifically dense but nutritionally fairly low value.

It’s very processed carb heavy with few vegetables.

Absolutely this is what I'm doing with some of my consultants so it's good motivation to stick to it

It's not carb heavy at all

I'd imagine that the OP knows it's not the best of ways to lose weight but was desperate to get some weight off and chose to do this, safely, while being under the eye of Dr's/health care team.

Reality is the only safe way to lose weight and keep it off is by being in a calorie deficit. I suspect a lot of us have been quite ill at a time, not eaten, or not much and lost weight but first sign of regaining normal appetite return and boof weight straight back on.

Complete change of mind set needrd is of much help.

@thatstakingalongtimetoboil This is true but in a medical context they are usually done for very specific reasons such as medical conditions that could potentially be reversed by a short term period of very restricted dieting such as type 2 diabetes. People will most likely regain at least some weight but that is true for all weight loss interventions but in this very specific circumstance it can provide a kind of reset on metabolic conditions.

Once this short phase is complete then the patient moves to a more sustainable programme of weight loss which involves eating more and more activity.

In my initial post on this thread I am pretty clear that VLCD are not suitable for most people and should never be done without medical supervision and that for most people a slower weight loss between 1 to 2lbs a week over a sustained period is much healthier and sustainable. For most people going as slow as you can is probably best.

However the OP appears to be doing a VLCD for specific medical purposes under the supervision of her doctor so I must assume this was appropriate to her situation.