Liquid protein diets—also known as “fasts” and “Very Low Calorie Diets” (VCLDs)— are liquid formulas which contain a relatively high proportion of protein. This type of diet takes in no solid food for up to 16 weeks, just several flavored protein drinks per day. The diet supplies a total of 400 to 800 calories per day. Weight loss with a VCLD can be rapid and dramatic—four to ten pounds can be lost within the first week, with up to five pounds each week thereafter.
Proponents of VCLDs claim the new liquid diets are nutritionally complete and vastly improved from the dangerous liquid diets that were available a decade ago. The new liquid diets are much safer than the old formulas because they contain essential nutrients, including an abundance of high-quality protein, carbohydrate, fatty acids, the recommended amounts of the major vitamins and minerals, and micronutrients. These new, “improved” liquid diets are also administered under medical guidance—many as part of hospital-based programs that monitor each patient at least twice a month to ensure their safety.
Another new feature of the current liquid diets is that “tasters” also attend regular support meetings, and start a controlled “refeeding” after finishing the fast. They are also encouraged to join follow-up programs in order to learn more about proper nutrition, exercise and behavior modification. The people who stay with a follow-up support group for at least a year appear to have a good chance of controlling their weight. Other people have a tendency to fall victim to “yo-yo dieting” and return to their old eating habits and life- styles and regain all the weight they lost while “fasting”.
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