Energy balance
A Low-Energy Diet (LED) of 850 kcal/day produces statistically equivalent weight loss and long-term maintenance compared to a Very-Low-Energy Diet (VLED) of 520 kcal/day, while offering a safer profile with fewer adverse events and reduced need for medical monitoring.
You do not need to eat fewer than 800 calories a day to lose weight effectively. A structured 850-calorie liquid diet program produces the same amount of weight loss and long-term maintenance as a more extreme 520-calorie diet, but with fewer side effects like fatigue and hair loss. Focus on a sustainable plan that includes behavioral support rather than trying to minimize calories as low as possible.
VLED did not produce a greater weight loss than the LED. LED provides similar weight loss with a lower incidence of adverse events and diminished need for medical monitoring. We conclude LED is an efficacious, safe, and less burdensome diet compared to VLED.
Why this rating
Large sample size (n=1887) and long-term follow-up (48 weeks), but the study is a retrospective analysis of self-selected groups, not a randomized controlled trial.
Source
Weight Loss and Maintenance Outcomes Using Moderate and Severe Caloric Restriction in an Outpatient Setting
Bruce W. Bailey et al. · Disease Management · 2008
DOI 10.1089/dis.2007.0002
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