If you’re one of the more than 90 million adults in the United States struggling with obesity, then you already know how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off. But your weight struggles aren’t something you should handle without help. Obesity is a disease that requires medical management.
Here at the Institute for Health Management Aesthetics, under the leadership of David Chappell, MD, we specialize in the medical management of obesity and can help you achieve your weight loss goals quickly and safely with a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) plan.
Diet details
A VLCD is a calorie-controlled diet that can help you lose a lot of weight quickly. However, it isn’t the type of diet you can do on your own, but one that must be medically prescribed and managed. To put it into perspective, most health care professionals agree that 1,200 calories is about as low as you can go on your own without risking nutritional deficiencies. Our VLCD diet provides 500-800 calories a day.
Dr. Chappell helps you get everything you need, while keeping calorie intake low, with a combination of shakes and supplements. The VLCD isn’t a long-term diet plan and is usually only followed for a set period of time. Dr. Chappell determines how long you need to follow his weight loss plan based on your overall health and weight loss goals.
While results vary, you can lose as much as 3-5 pounds a week, or about 45 pounds in 12 weeks, following our VLCD weight loss plan.
Is VLCD right for me?
Maybe. Dr. Chappell can determine for sure if you would benefit from following a VLCD weight loss plan. That being said, these types of diets are typically only recommended if you have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. Your BMI is a mathematical calculation that estimates body fat. Excess body fat increases your risk of health issues, such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
If your BMI ranges between 27 and 30 and you also have weight-related health issues, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, then you may also benefit from quick weight loss following the VLCD plan to improve your health.
Keeping the weight off
Dr. Chappell offers the VLCD plan to help you lose weight quickly. This not only improves your health, but may also provide you with the motivation you need to keep the weight off. Nothing boosts your confidence more than reaching a weight loss goal.
Once you’ve reached your goal weight, we slowly help you transition back to regular food, teaching you how to make healthy food choices and balancing your food intake to maintain your weight loss. We also show you a few tricks that help keep hunger pangs and food cravings away.
But maintaining your weight loss isn’t just about what you eat. It’s also about identifying the reasons why weight loss was so hard for you in the past and making the behavioral changes necessary to prevent you from falling back into old habits.
While we don’t usually recommend exercise when following the VLCD weight loss plan because of the severe calorie restriction, we do recommend you engage in regular activity to keep the weight off once you’re back to eating real food. We can help you design an exercise routine that fits your lifestyle and fitness level so you don’t get discouraged, and you can slowly make activity a regular part of your daily routine.
Losing weight and keeping it off is hard and not something you should take on without professional help. To learn more about our VLCD weight loss plan and how it can help you lose weight quickly and safely, call the Institute for Health Management Aesthetics today or request an appointment online.
