There are a lot of risks to extremely rapid weight loss by way of very low-calorie diets and intense exercise. I have a hunch that if we saw the releases these people had to sign to be on the show, it might put that into perspective. I would bet money (a lot of it) that they all signed paperwork that amounts to "I promise not to sue anyone involved in this show if I die or am disabled as a result of my participation."

Vitamin deficiencies, hair loss, eczema and other skin issues, loose skin, brittle peeling nails (and from exercise - muscle tears, tendon damage, stress fractures) are the least of them (the inconvenient as opposed to the deadly). Potentially far more severe are the risks of severe electrolyte deficiency (usually sodium - which can be fatal), heart damage (one specific form associated with rapid weight loss is mitrovalve prolapse), gallbladder problems, pasing out from low-blood sugar, "rabbit starvation" (for diets that are virtually no-carb, no-fat), kidney dammage, cardiac arrest, stroke...

Not everyone experiences the worst symptoms of course, but the risks are elevated. The more extreme the diet, the more extreme the risks. The more health problems the person has starting out, and the more extreme their weight, the more risks they have...

And it's important to remember that medical supervision doesn't prevent the risks from occurring. The risks aren't reduced - the damage (in theory) is reduced if (and it's a big if) the doctor is able to diagnose and treat in time. People have died under close medical supervision from complications of very low calorie diets, but at least under a physician's close supervision, there's a good chance that the doctor will be able "catch" signs of damage before it becomes irreversible or fatal. The hope is that frequent doctor visits while on the diet will allow the doctor to diagnose the problem before it becomes irreversible or fatal.

That's what people really need to realize. Medically supervised diets do not guarantee the diet's safety, it only insures more prompt treatment should problems arise (because organ damage often doesn't result in any symptoms until it's far too late to repair). Which is why if you are on a medically supervised diet (at least at first) you want at least monthly doctor's visits (or even more frequently).

When I've been on vlcd medically supervised diets - I had appointments every week for the first six weeks (and blood drawn every other week), and then once a month after that. I would be very suspicous of a "supervised" plan that (at least at the start) only included a check up with blood draws every 90 days.

Or included an appointment at which the doctor just asked "how do you feel" and didn't draw blood (again, because the most serious complications aren't going to show up until it's too late. You may feel fine, until irreversible damage is done).

Some of the risks are relatively low, but the consequences are so severe that they should be considered any way. Because no one wants to be the person who is killed or disabbled by heart damage that could have been prevented by one blood test a month (or by taking weight loss a little less rapidly).

That show was absolutely mean!!!

Or I do not understand british humour at all...

Oh I knew this, just does not make since I was actually gaining weight at that point. It doesn't make since how the hormones get trapped in my fat ( as if to say robbing my body of those hormones and causing no period ). Expecially since my levels were normal.

As I understand it (and my understanding of hormone function is pretty sketchy, so I'm hoping I get this right, or someone with a better understanding can explain it better).

When it comes to the hormones that bind to fat, the hormones aren't exactly "getting trapped" in the sense that your body can't use them. Rather, the hormones are still "active" - and your body is still using them (at least for some things). So, it's not that there is necessarily less hormone available to your body. The body is still able to use those hormones, just not in the right way.

Often (again as I understand it), because there's so much extra hormones available, some cellular processes may use too much of it, or they may even start ignoring it (as happens with insulin resistance).

Diabetes can happen in several ways. The persons body can be unable to produce insulin, can be making insulin but not enough, or the body can be ignoring the insulin (the diabetic's body may actually be producing even more insulin than a normal person's). You can be insulin resistant, even if you're not diabetic. As one diabetic counselor explained it to my husband and I, it's like the body is "crying wolf" by sending out so much insulin that the body's cells start ignoring the call.


Hormone function and balance can be really complicated, so it's possible to have normal hormone levels and still have misfunctioning hormones.