Comparing VLCD's

Have any tests ever been carried out to see which VLCD is most effective?
 
They're all the same there isn't one that's more effective
 
They all work on the same basis - less than 800 calories a day and low enough carbs to get you into ketosis. From a weight loss point of view it doesn't really matter which one you choose. As far as I've gathered the types of choices are as follows (from most to least expensive):

- VLCDs which come with medical treatments to help skin shrinkage (for example) - an example of this is Alizonne - most expensive option I know of

- VLCDs with small group weekly therapy and weekly weigh in included - eg Lighter Life - this can be a very good option for people who have a disfunctional relationship with food, but you have to be open to therapy and the quality of the counsellor can be a bit hit or miss - at the time of writing this costs around £72 a week

- VLCDs with a weekly weigh in with a counsellor - eg Cambridge Diet - this is a good option for people who need to weigh in in front of someone else to keep them on track - I think it costs around £50 to £55 per week

- VLCDs which are available through Parmacies - eg Lipotrim - not sure of the cost and you weigh in front of the Pharamist - I've heard that the packs aren't very nice or varied but I haven't tried them myself

- VLCDs which are ordered online and are delivered to your door - no weekly weigh in or face to face support - eg Slim and Save - these are the cheapest sort - Slim and Save has a wide variety of packs and a trial weekly delivery of 28 packs costs around £28 - although the price is a little higher after that


When choosing a VLCD I would ask myself what level of face to face support / medical help / therapy was important to me and my success. I would them ask myself whether there is a big choice in food packs and how it will fit best into my life. I'd then go for the cheapest option which met my requirements.

Please reply if there's another option that I've missed!
 
They all work on the same basis - less than 800 calories a day and low enough carbs to get you into ketosis. From a weight loss point of view it doesn't really matter which one you choose. As far as I've gathered the types of choices are as follows (from most to least expensive):

- VLCDs which come with medical treatments to help skin shrinkage (for example) - an example of this is Alizonne - most expensive option I know of

- VLCDs with small group weekly therapy and weekly weigh in included - eg Lighter Life - this can be a very good option for people who have a disfunctional relationship with food, but you have to be open to therapy and the quality of the counsellor can be a bit hit or miss - at the time of writing this costs around £72 a week

- VLCDs with a weekly weigh in with a counsellor - eg Cambridge Diet - this is a good option for people who need to weigh in in front of someone else to keep them on track - I think it costs around £50 to £55 per week

- VLCDs which are available through Parmacies - eg Lipotrim - not sure of the cost and you weigh in front of the Pharamist - I've heard that the packs aren't very nice or varied but I haven't tried them myself

- VLCDs which are ordered online and are delivered to your door - no weekly weigh in or face to face support - eg Slim and Save - these are the cheapest sort - Slim and Save has a wide variety of packs and a trial weekly delivery of 28 packs costs around £28 - although the price is a little higher after that


When choosing a VLCD I would ask myself what level of face to face support / medical help / therapy was important to me and my success. I would them ask myself whether there is a big choice in food packs and how it will fit best into my life. I'd then go for the cheapest option which met my requirements.

Please reply if there's another option that I've missed!

Thanks Weasy, very informative.
 
littlemisscadbury said:
Thanks Weasy, very informative.

You're welcome.

I've though of another decision factor too - how much you want to have conventional food as part of your diet. For the first 6 months that I was on the diet I just had packs - no conventional food and only drinking water/black coffee. This was a really useful time for me as it allowed me to reassess my relationship with food. Effectively I felt that I had given up food. However, some people find it hard to deal with the social impact of not eating the same food with other people, not eating at restaurants etc. For the last 4 months of my diet I had fewer packs and added a protein meal - eg chicken salad. Some plans allow you to do this and others do not. As far as I know...

- Alizonne - I don't know what this allows from a protein meal point of view
- LighterLife - there is an option called 'Lite' which allows this - but only if your BMI is less than 30
- Cambridge Diet - There are options which allow conventional food.
- Lipotrim - I don't know if a protein meal is an option
- Slim and Save - You can choose between just packs, packs and certain vegetables/milk or fewer packs, a protein meal and milk. All of the options are around the same calories and you can swap what you are doing on a day to day basis.

There are oer VLCD options - but I don't know much about them.
 
You're welcome.

I've though of another decision factor too - how much you want to have conventional food as part of your diet. For the first 6 months that I was on the diet I just had packs - no conventional food and only drinking water/black coffee. This was a really useful time for me as it allowed me to reassess my relationship with food. Effectively I felt that I had given up food. However, some people find it hard to deal with the social impact of not eating the same food with other people, not eating at restaurants etc. For the last 4 months of my diet I had fewer packs and added a protein meal - eg chicken salad. Some plans allow you to do this and others do not. As far as I know...

- Alizonne - I don't know what this allows from a protein meal point of view
- LighterLife - there is an option called 'Lite' which allows this - but only if your BMI is less than 30
- Cambridge Diet - There are options which allow conventional food.
- Lipotrim - I don't know if a protein meal is an option
- Slim and Save - You can choose between just packs, packs and certain vegetables/milk or fewer packs, a protein meal and milk. All of the options are around the same calories and you can swap what you are doing on a day to day basis.

There are oer VLCD options - but I don't know much about them.

Thanks again Weasey. I've decided to go with slim and save and have placed my order for a starter pack! Yikes! I look forward to posting with some positive results:D
 
Good luck!
 
They all work on the same basis - less than 800 calories a day and low enough carbs to get you into ketosis. From a weight loss point of view it doesn't really matter which one you choose. As far as I've gathered the types of choices are as follows (from most to least expensive):

- VLCDs which come with medical treatments to help skin shrinkage (for example) - an example of this is Alizonne - most expensive option I know of

- VLCDs with small group weekly therapy and weekly weigh in included - eg Lighter Life - this can be a very good option for people who have a disfunctional relationship with food, but you have to be open to therapy and the quality of the counsellor can be a bit hit or miss - at the time of writing this costs around £72 a week

- VLCDs with a weekly weigh in with a counsellor - eg Cambridge Diet - this is a good option for people who need to weigh in in front of someone else to keep them on track - I think it costs around £50 to £55 per week

- VLCDs which are available through Parmacies - eg Lipotrim - not sure of the cost and you weigh in front of the Pharamist - I've heard that the packs aren't very nice or varied but I haven't tried them myself

- VLCDs which are ordered online and are delivered to your door - no weekly weigh in or face to face support - eg Slim and Save - these are the cheapest sort - Slim and Save has a wide variety of packs and a trial weekly delivery of 28 packs costs around £28 - although the price is a little higher after that


When choosing a VLCD I would ask myself what level of face to face support / medical help / therapy was important to me and my success. I would them ask myself whether there is a big choice in food packs and how it will fit best into my life. I'd then go for the cheapest option which met my requirements.

Please reply if there's another option that I've missed!


i used to be on cambridge. their products are nice.i am now on the sml diet which is a vlcd. weight loss surprisingly good lost over 1 stone sice i started. i would say not too many flavours though, website very orange lol but taste good and only £1.20 a pack so im saving money
 
i used to be on cambridge. their products are nice.i am now on the sml diet which is a vlcd. weight loss surprisingly good lost over 1 stone sice i started. i would say not too many flavours though, website very orange lol but taste good and only £1.20 a pack so im saving money

If you have a look at S&S it's even cheaper if you buy their multi packs :)
 
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