Obesity affects increasing risk of death from diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Traditional weight loss methods include low-calorie diets between 800 to 1,500 calories a day and regular exercise. An alternative method sometimes considered for bringing about significant short-term weight loss in moderately to severely obese people is the low-calorie diet.

What is a Low-Calorie Diet?

These are commercially prepared formulas of 800 calories or less that replace all usual food intakes. Low cal diets are not the same as over-the-counter meal replacements, which are meant to be substituted for one or two meals a day.

Who should go for a low calorie diet?

It is generally safe when used under proper medical supervision in patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. BMI is a mathematical formula that takes into account both a person's height and weight. To calculate BMI, a person's weight in kilograms is divided by height in meters squared. Use of low cal diets in patients with a BMI of 27 to 30 should be reserved for those who have medical complications resulting from their obesity. These are not recommended for pregnant women or breastfeeding women. Also are not appropriate for children or adolescents, except in specialized treatment programs. Very little information exists regarding the usage of low cal diets in older individuals.

Benefits:

A low cal diet may allow a severely to moderately obese patient to lose about 3 to 5 pounds per week, for an average total weight loss of 44 pounds over 12 weeks. Such a weight loss can improve obesity-related medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Adverse Effects

Many patients on a low cal diet for 4 to 16 weeks report minor side effects such as fatigue, constipation, nausea, and diarrhea, but these conditions usually improve within a few weeks and rarely prevent patients from completing the program. The most common serious side effect seen is gallstone formation. Gallstones, which often develop in obese people, are even more common during rapid weight loss.

Conclusion

For most obese individuals, obesity is a long-term condition that requires a lifetime of attention even after a formal weight loss treatment ends. Although low cal diets are efficient for short-term weight loss, they are no more effective than other dietary treatments in the long-term maintenance of reduced weight. Therefore, obese patients should be encouraged to commit to a long-term treatment program that includes permanent lifestyle changes of healthier eating, regular physical activity, and an improved outlook about food.