"And a very low calorie diet should only be used under proper medical supervision."

A colleague, Sarah, recently graduated, decided to go on a very low calorie diet.

Avoid programs that follow a very low calorie diet.

Low calorie diets, in fact, are the only reliable means of extending a mammal's life.

For example, imagine the situation where you have been on a strict, very low calorie diet for a month or so.

A low calorie diet extends median and maximum lifespan in many animals.

One study reported that women who stayed on a low calorie diet for at least six months lost weight and reduced Insulin Resistance.

In an experiment conducted at the Mayo Clinic, a group of healthy individuals agreed to stay on a very low calorie diet for three months.

Without medical oversight, consumers on very low calorie diets may not be getting enough vitamins, minerals and-most critically-protein.

Very low calorie diets provide 200-800 kcal/day, maintaining protein intake but limiting calories from both fat and carbohydrates.

"Very low calorie diets for very obese people have been studied and they actually do work," Dr. Fox said.

Consumers on a very low calorie diet are at increased risk for side effects including gallstone formation, electrolyte imbalance, and heart arrhythmias.

Clinical Impact of a 6-week preoperative very low calorie diet on body weight and liver size in morbidly obese patients (2012)

The labeling for the "homeopathic" HCG products states that each product should be taken in conjunction with a very low calorie diet.

A mild acidosis may result from prolonged fasting or when following a ketogenic diet or a very low calorie diet.

Very low calorie diet (VLCD) is a diet with very or extremely low daily food energy consumption.

A very low calorie diet without carbohydrate can induce extreme hyperuricemia; including some carbohydrate (and reducing the protein) reduces the level of hyperuricemia.

Products that claim to contain HCG are typically marketed in connection with a very low calorie diet, usually one that limits calories to 500 per day.

During clinical studies, inflammatory-related molecule levels were reduced and increased levels of anti-inflammatory molecules were seen within four weeks after patients began a very low calorie diet.

Some research suggests that a combination of bitter orange, caffeine, and St. John's wort might help for weight reduction when used with a low calorie diet and exercise.

But a carefully balanced, low calorie diet - 30 percent to 50 percent fewer calories than the animals would normally eat - prolongs not just life, but also youth.

Many HCG products are marketed to be taken in connection with a very low calorie diet - it's the decrease in calories that accounts for any weight loss.

Logger Light (Ed MacMann) - A low calorie diet version which "facilitate[s] alcoholism without the attendant weight gain."

During prolonged fasting or very low calorie diets, the reduction of blood glucose, the preferred energy source of the brain, causes the body to deplete its glycogen stores.

If you need to lose a large amount of weight, you should talk over with your doctor the possibility of a very low calorie diet, such as the Cambridge Diet.