In this video I answer a client question ”should I follow an 800 kcal / day diet or a VLCD diet to help my insulin sensitivity?”.
Whether this is recommended as an approved intervention to obese or diabetic patients is not what this video addresses.
Rather I ask a series of questions the client can answer to help him consider whether it is the right thing to do in the context of his own life.
One of the best ways to improve insulin sensitivity is to create a calorie deficit. That means consuming fewer calories than you need to live and move.
By doing this consistently you will lose weight.
And that’s an important point – consistency.
So my questions are:
1. Is what you are currently doing working?
2. What will happen if you eat 800 kcals per day for a week? In terms of your behaviour.
In my experience patterns of restriction can lead to over consuming foods as resistance build up.
Satisfaction from food is never achieved, and so a few days of net calorie deficit and misery is followed by overconsumption and resulting net calorie surplus.
In addition to this, as humans we are very adaptive. In terms of energy requirements, if you reduce your calorie intake significantly, your body will adapt and become more efficient. This will make it very easy to gain weight again if normal eating resumes – a ‘reverse diet’ would be necessary in my opinion.
If you do choose to follow a VLCD or and 800 kcal / day diet, then I would choose to ear real food from whole food sources. This will help you meet your nutrient requirements, as being on such a low calorie intake will make meeting nutrition needs very difficult.
In addition to this I would take a quality multivitamin and mineral supplement, and an omega 3 supplement.
I hope this helps, and just so you know, I believe you can achieve success in your health, fitness, career and relationships in a way that is unique to you.
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