Welcome back to Let's Chat, Diets! In this episode, we discuss very-low-calorie diets (VLCD - 800 calories or fewer per day). IMPORTANT: This diet should only be done under medical supervision. Bare that in mind going into the episode. The reason for this episode coming out now is that on social media we came across an advert for "Lose a Stone in 21 Days with Michael Mosley" Now the premise of the program is looking at the health of the volunteers due to lockdown and aiding in shifting weight gained. Now we're not saying he (Dr Mosley) doesn't know what he's doing however when you see big adverts saying Dr says Lose a stone in 21 days by going on XYZ calories a day without much-supporting information accompanying said advert then you're running the risk of impressionable members of the public getting excited and going for it.

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We don't just discuss this program though as we explore social media misinterpretation as a whole and why it's so damaging and driving those onto these diets in the first place. As we have mentioned on numerous occasions we as a society are now now now and when seeing these "amazing" fast results online it gets people excited. This is not a good thing. Bill & Tom have a first-hand story from back in the day where a colleague of theirs went on a Slimfast VLCD and it resulted in them having to go home early from work due to exhaustion. No surprise there.

 

Tom also finally gets to rip into Herbalife and he tells us all about their "21-day challenge" which in most cases is a very low-calorie diet. He also has strong words for those "fitness professionals" who shovel this crap and calls them "failed PTs". As I said at the start this is something that needs to be done under direct medical supervision not by Debbie your neighbour whos a Herbalife rep. These people will post amazing exciting content all over social media and once they've got your "success" pictures (because you will lose A LOT of weight on a VLCD) they'll bin you off and move onto the next. There is a reason the NHS (health service in the UK) provides ongoing support after such a drastic diet.

 

To lose weight sustainably and safely you need to make long term lifestyle changes and it's a journey and a journey you should embrace. These no prescribed VLCDs are nothing more than a dangerous quick fix. The diet itself is designed for those who need immediate intervention and need to lose weight FAST to avoid serious health implications not for Mr or Mrs Smith to lose a bit of timber fast before their summer holidays. 

 

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you want some genuine advice then please don't hesitate to get in touch as we'd much rather help the best we can and point you to a GP if needed than you risking your health smashing 3 low calorie shakes a day.