Exploring Extreme Weight Loss Diets for Vegetarians

1. Introduction

Losing weight can be a hard task, and it can vary from person to person. Some people can have a hard time losing unwanted weight, while others can lose it easily. This essay researches extreme diets for weight loss,

specifically for vegetarians. Some subjects explained in the essay include types of extreme diets, the advantages and disadvantages of being a vegetarian, and the experience of an individual on an extreme diet for weight loss. All these subjects help paint a picture of extreme diets for vegetarians.

Vegetarianism has become ever more popular as a lifestyle choice. In 2016, 3.3 million Americans (1% of the population) identified as vegetarians, which was an increase from 1990 figures when only 1 million (0.1% of the population) were vegetarians.

Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from eating meat, which includes the flesh of any animal, be it poultry, beef, seafood or anything in between. There are many reasons for being a vegetarian, including health, the environment, and ethical values 1.

A vegetarian diet includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and dairy. Vegetarianism has been credited with many health benefits, such as weight loss, reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. However, there can be issues with vitamin, mineral, and protein deficiencies with vegetarianism 2.

2. Understanding and Exploring Extreme Weight Loss Diets for Vegetarians

Extreme diets are often used as a quick-fix option for weight loss. They are inherently restrictive as they involve consuming few foods from different food groups or severely cutting back on calorie intake. Some categories of extreme diets include liquid diets, detox diets, no-carb diets and meal replacement diets 2.

These diets tend to restrict two of the following three elements of nutrition: macronutrients, caloric intake or food variety. Extreme diets have short-term results, as most of the weight lost is regained in the long term.

The potential dangers of extreme diets include increased risk of disordered eating and eating disorders, nutritional or caloric deficiency, electrolyte imbalance, slowing down metabolic rate, binge eating/yo-yo dieting, constipation and gallstones.

There are alternative options to extreme diets for weight loss without compromising nutrition and health, such as eating nutrient-rich foods high in fibre and low glycemic index carbohydrates, paying attention to portion sizes, regular physical activity, drinking water, feeling satisfied with meals, and trying not to skip meals. However, in recent decades, extreme diets have gained popularity and attention.

2.1. Key Principles

The ultimate objective is to explore extreme weight loss diets within a vegetarian context. First, the fundamental elements underpinning extreme weight loss diets will be elucidated. These principles are crucial for grasping the rationale behind the efficacy and challenges associated with extreme weight loss diets.

Next, extreme weight loss diets will be examined and conceptualised within the context of vegetarianism. Finally, the insights gained from the aforementioned explorations will be critically analysed, indicating major research gaps and formulating key research questions.

Weight loss, or the process of losing excess body mass, is primarily driven by steeper energy deficits than energy intake 2. This energy deficit can be pursued through dietary practices and high physical activity. In kindred terms, body mass can be delineated as the long-term difference between energy intake and energy expenditure 3.

Two ensuing principles are widely accepted as paramount for extreme weight loss: a) total energy intake must decrease; and b) energy expenditure must increase. These principles are consistent with traditional models where body mass is viewed as a variable costly to manage, and altered by exogenous perturbation of energy balance.

3. Vegetarianism and Weight Loss

Whether as healthy lifestyle choices, ethical values, or religious beliefs, vegetarianism is a diet free of meat that may exist in various forms. The respective amounts of omission of certain food categories lead to different types of vegetarianism, including lacto-vegetarianism and lacto-ovo-vegetarianism.

Lactovegetarianism excludes meat, fish, and eggs, while allowing dairy products. Lacto-ovo-vegetarianism excludes meat and fish but allows dairy products and eggs. All types of vegetarianism, registered by a reliable condition, constitute a group of non-meat users. Epidemiological studies revealed that vegetarianism is inversely associated with BMI 4.

The vegetarian diet is widely acknowledged as a low-energy, high-fiber diet that greatly contributes to its effectiveness in weight management. The high contents of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans in the vegetarian diet increase the intake of dietary fibres.

Dietary fibre is incapable of human digestion, boosting the amount and frequency of stool and enhancing the feeling of fullness while consuming less energy. The high content of micronutrients, such as vitamins and antioxidants, makes it possible to limit hunger.

The food components in vegetarianism may modulate gut micro-biota and regulate the hosts’ ghrelin and peptide YY secretion levels 5.

3.1. Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarianism is a dietary choice that involves abstaining from the consumption of meat, poultry, or fish. Some people may also avoid dairy products and eggs, opting for an entirely plant-based diet known as veganism.

A vegetarian diet can be helpful in achieving weight loss goals for several reasons. Unlike non-vegetarians, vegetarians consume more fruits and vegetables and less meat and dairy products rich in cholesterol. Furthermore, vegetarian diets are typically lower in fat and high in dietary fiber, which aids in satiety 4.

Vegetarian diets generally contain fewer calories when grain-based foods, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables are consumed. People who avoid meat and dairy products also have a lower average body mass index (BMI). Previous studies indicate that individuals who follow a vegetarian diet tend to consume 100–500 fewer kcal/day and consume 15–30% less fat overall.

A vegetarian diet can positively affect physical health by enhancing longevity, lowering the risk of chronic diseases, or losing weight. Some epidemiological studies found that vegetarian diets are associated with a lower risk of hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and coronary artery disease, compared to omnivorous diets.

A meta-analysis demonstrated that vegetarians had a lower BMI than omnivores. Studies suggest that vegetarian/vegan diets are associated with weight loss and BMI reduction. However, it is necessary to assess the positive or negative contribution of each food group and nutrients within these same diets.

When calorie intake and expenditure are adequate, adopting a vegetarian diet might help sustain healthy weight loss and BMI reduction. However, some studies find that vegetarian diets are associated with weight gain and BMI increases and are also likely to be affected by race, sex, or region. Further studies are needed to investigate how vegetarian diets impact weight loss and BMI reduction in various groups.

4. Popular Extreme Weight Loss Diets for Vegetarians

Diets can be generally classified as sedentary, active, balanced, controlled, unbalanced, conservative, extreme, repeated, non-repeated, and others 2. Diets can also be targeted either for the general population or specific sub-populations, like vegans.

Extreme and unbalanced vegetarian or vegan diets are very popular among people wanting to quickly lose weight. Here are some of the popular extreme weight loss diets for vegetarians:

1) Eat to Live Diet: It is a rigorous six-week diet with very little flexibility and more strictly enforced rules. After that, it can still be followed, but more flexibly as a “life plan” instead of strictly as a “diet.”. It advises a primarily plant-based diet with minimal consumption of animal products.

During the initial 6 week period of the Eat to Live diet plan, participants are advised not to consume any animal products at all 3. The six-week plan does not restrict raw or cooked non-starchy vegetables (most vegetables) and calls for unlimited consumption of vegetables, 1 cup of beans or legumes, and 4 servings of fruit daily.

It limits starchy vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits and excludes refined grains, sugars, oils, and dairy. The ETL diet attributes obesity and poor health to the overconsumption of nutrient-poor foods such as refined sugars, grains, and oils.

2) Vegan Aggressive Weight Loss Diet: This is similar to the Eat to Live Diet but is a more extreme diet. It does not include any animal products. However, it is similar in that it is a very rigid plan, and after the initial period, dieters are advised to start with more flexibility.

On the condition that dieters follow the more flexible plan, diet termination means dropping from the rigid plan to the flexible plan and not terminating the diet altogether. The 6-week plan does not restrict raw or cooked non-starchy vegetables and allows unlimited non-starchy vegetables, 1 cup of beans or legumes, and 4 servings of fruit daily.

It limits starchy vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits and excludes refined grains, sugars, oils, and dairy. The Vegan Aggressive Weight Loss Protocol (ETL-VAWL) attributes obesity and poor health to the overconsumption of nutrient-poor foods such as refined sugars, grains, and oils.

However, unlike the vegan diet, it does not include anything with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It also excludes fruit juice, ketchup, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, and any other food with added sugar. It allows unlimited salsa, salsa verde, RozVez salsa, and other salsas with raw vegetables only and no added corn starch.

3) The Plant-Based Diet: This is midway to achieving weight loss for vegetarians and vegans who are found to be more mindful of the foods they consume. This encompasses both the vegetarian and vegan diets.

It does not limit the consumption of calories, promotes a plant-based diet adopting foods rich in nutrients, or FRINs, and suggests avoiding foods rich in calories, or FRICs. The diet encourages whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, herbs, and vegetable oils, and excludes sugary beverages, potato chips, chocolate bars, and instant noodles.

Different from the plant-based diet, it allows other healthy foods such as low-fat dairy products (skimmed milk, yogurt, cheese) and eggs. It advises no more than two servings of dairy or eggs weekly, and two cups of dairy or egg whites but no yolk. However, the exclusion of certain food groups, such as fatty fish or omega-3 supplements, may pose a greater risk of essential fatty acid deficiency and heart disease.

4.1. Ketogenic Diet

This section is dedicated to the ketogenic diet for extreme weight loss among vegetarians. The reader will find out how it works, its purpose, and the vegetarian side of it.

The Ketogenic Diet (KD), a diet that initiates a state of ketosis, has gained attention as a potential metabolic treatment. Its favourable effects on caloric intake, body weight, lipid parameters, glycemic indices, and insulin sensitivity render it a therapeutic option in metabolic syndrome, obesity, and obese type 2 diabetes 6.

The KD map from the diabetes perspective was analysed to identify the intricate network of pathways involved in finding the possible effects of KD in diabetes. Among the different pathways, the insulin resistance pathway showed the strongest relationship with KD.

Several studies have been done to determine the effects of a KD, and its consequent metabolic changes in the physiology of the body under different diabetic conditions. Particular interest has been focused on pharmacological approaches such as sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, particularly empagliflozin and canagliflozin. SGLT2 inhibitors decrease hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes by promoting weight loss and having cardiovascular benefits.

Even though the ketogenic diet may be useful as part of the treatment of various diseases, the more common situation for the general practitioner is the use of KD by patients in order to lose weight. With reference to obesity interventions occurring in publicly funded units or departments, diet is one of the more controversial issues, and many different types have been advocated to promote weight loss 7.

The most commonly accepted dietary strategy is based on relatively high levels of carbohydrates and low fat content, but according to some studies, these low fat diets yield only modest weight losses and suffer from low long-term compliance issues.

With a ‘calories in-calories out’ philosophy, the basic reasoning behind such dieting methods is that lowering fat intake should stimulate a consequent fat body mass decrease. However, the adherence of obese individuals to high- or low-fat nutrition is often a problem. The majority of those above have been shown to have dietary preferences for foods with a high fat content.

4.2. Intermittent Fasting

A prominent extreme weight loss diet, intermittent fasting (IF) or time-restricted eating (TRE), is a behavioural dietary strategy that alternates periods of eating and fasting and is getting a lot of attention for weight loss.

A variety of IF programmes are available, but they can be broadly divided into two overarching categories: (1) alternate-day fasting (ADF), in which fasting days are alternated with ad libitum eating days; or (2) modified variants of ADF that limit energy consumption to between 10 and 25% of maintenance needs on fasting days.

This 24-h fast/feast cycle can be applied in a very tight manner with no control over intake on feeding days or a more sensorily-assisted approach. For example, in ADF studies, food is restricted for 1 day, followed by 24-hour ad libitum feeding, similar to what is done in the 5:2 diet.

IF’s design can also resemble “squeeze it in” or “kitchen’s closed” approaches to dieting, in which individuals may skip breakfast or have shorter windows of time in which to consume energy daily. Both scheduling variations of IF and the fixed delivery of food challenge assumptions that must be met for the caloric intake to be statistically comparable 8.

Weight loss is frequently achieved by creating an energy deficit; however, in IF models, restrictions lie in when food is consumed, rather than how much. Therefore, the degree of restriction may not be the same across eating-scheduling variations, and behaviours such as overeating may negate weight loss.

Still, studies done while comparing absolute caloric intakes found no differential effects on weight loss between IF models and daily caloric restriction (DCR) 9. IF models only had lesser reductions in weight compared to ADF approaches, which had 21% reductions in weight loss trials. Nevertheless, the scientific community has embraced these dietary interventions as an alternative to tougher DCR plans for the treatment of obesity and associated health conditions.

Taken together in the vegetarian context, intermittent fasting interventions in which participants alternate between fasting and eating days or consume a specific amount of daily energy may not be as common as a strict form of fasting. The absence of empirical studies examining IF with plant-based diets deters its comprehensive understanding of the subject within this grouping.

Also Read: Best ways to reduce weight in one month

5. Safety Considerations and Risks

Health experts agree that extreme weight loss diets are ineffective and that a gradual weight loss of half a kg or 1lb in weight each week is ideal for long-term success 10. Such diets, however, can seem attractive alternatives to what may feel like a long, slow struggle with food.

Exploring extreme measures in weight loss diets is wise, in what these diets offer, but even wiser is a careful consideration of the pitfalls. When used responsibly, diets can bring about fantasised outcomes; but when used as widespread fads, they have disastrous health implications for the population as a whole.

Extreme weight loss diets include such measures as the cabbage soup diet, the cereal diet, the bun diet, and the famous banana and skimmed milk diet. Briefly, and with details omitted so that the temptation is sabotaged, each diet includes the consumption of some specific food item and none or little else.

Thus, with the cabbage soup diet, a large quantity of cabbage soup is eaten over a week, and nothing else or very little else; and this is accompanied by fast weight loss. Alternatively, the cereal diet sees shreddies and milk the only thing consumed; similarly for the bun diet; and similarly again for the banana and skimmed milk diet.

A hormone purportedly to decrease appetite has also entered the scene as an extreme method in weight loss diets. Health consumers inject themselves with this hormone and wait for the perceived result of a weighing scale’s downward ticking, and continue to wait, in fact, until the prescribed course is over, sometimes without it ever coming.

Extreme weight loss diets need not all be extreme diets. The origins of each need for investment if any government is to legislate against potentially dangerous extreme weight loss diets and food products. In several cases, it appears that celebrity endorsement combined with marketing savvy and financial resources have been necessary to get these extreme diets off the ground, soaring from basement anonymity to ubiquitous publishing, media, and advertising exposure in just months.

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3. G. Engel M, J. Kern H, Thomas Brenna J, H. Mitmesser S. Micronutrient Gaps in Three Commercial Weight-Loss Diet Plans. 2018. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

4. Fontes T, Monteiro Rodrigues L, Ferreira-Pêgo C. Comparison between Different Groups of Vegetarianism and Its Associations with Body Composition: A Literature Review from 2015 to 2021. 2022. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

5. Siregar E. Assessing Plant-Based Food Lifestyle to Reduce Obesity Risk. 2017. [PDF]

6. Gupta L, Khandelwal D, Kalra S, Gupta P et al. Ketogenic diet in endocrine disorders: Current perspectives. 2017. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

7. Paoli A. Ketogenic Diet for Obesity: Friend or Foe?. 2014. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

8. A. Aragon A, J. Schoenfeld B. Does Timing Matter? A Narrative Review of Intermittent Fasting Variants and Their Effects on Bodyweight and Body Composition. 2022. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

9. Song DK, Kim YW. Beneficial effects of intermittent fasting: a narrative review. 2022. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

10. A. Forestell C. Flexitarian Diet and Weight Control: Healthy or Risky Eating Behavior?. 2018. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov