What is a VLCD?

I've received this question a couple of times in the past few days. A Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) is exactly as it sounds, a drastic reduction in the number of calories consumed in a day. In some parts of the world a VLCD is just par for the course. Fortunately, I have the luxury of choosing to cut my calories from the 2000 or more in my typical daily diet to somewhere between 500 and 600 calories per day. As severe as this reduction may sound, there are three things which are in my favor: it's a very well-balanced 600 calories consisting of whole, unprocessed foods, the hCG injections which are helping with food cravings, and a strong support system between my family and friends and my Somae Mentor Lisa.

A typical VLCD meal plan looks like the following:

Breakfast: Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, water, and all of the herbal tea I can drink
AM Snack: 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 cup of strawberries or 1/2 grapefruit
Lunch: 3.5 ounces of protein from list below, 1 cup of veggies from list below, (grain if needed)
PM Snack: 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 cup of strawberries or 1/2 grapefruit
Dinner: 3.5 ounces of protein from list below, 1 cup of veggies from list below, (grain if needed)
After-dinner boost: herbal tea
Drinks: at least 64 ounces of water each day

Acceptable Protein (3.5 ounces)
chicken breast, ground beef (93% lean), cod, flounder, haddock, orange roughy, grouper, tilapia, lobster, crab, lean steak, deer, buffalo, elk, and for vegetarians, 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites

Acceptable Veggies (1 cup)
asparagus, beet greens, butter lettuce, cabbage, celery, chard, collards, cucumber, endive, mustard greens, onions, radish, romaine lettuce, spinach, tomato, turnip greens, watercress

Acceptable grains (1 of the following)
Grissini breadstick, stoned wheat thin (1), Melba toast (1), Melba Snacks (2)

Yesterday, we tried two new recipes from the Somae Health cookbook, but you can also find other great recipes online and in various whole foods cookbooks. One of our favorites is from William's Sonoma and the Mayo Clinic.

It's amazing how creative you can get with the use of herbs and spices. We had a chicken vegetable soup yesterday for lunch and lemon-dill whitefish with steamed broccoli for dinner. For those who don't know me well, I NEVER eat fish, but I really enjoyed the whitefish (cod) which I bought fresh from the fish counter at Kroger's. I liked it so much, I'm having leftovers again for lunch. Tonight on the menu, Southwestern Tilapia Bake.