My father, who is 58 and is roughly 5'10"/260, had a physical on Monday and his doctor talked him in to going on the Releana diet. For a little background my father has no chronic health problems like diabetes or hypertension, no cardiac issues, but is overweight and has an elevated cholesterol level (270). He takes no medication regularly. The doctor did give him a prescription for the appetite suppressant phentarmine. He sits at a desk all day long and doesn't do any real exercise outside of walking the dog 2-3 times per week.

The diet requires the following 500 calorie/day meal plan...here's what he sent to me:

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-Breakfast = 1 piece of fruit (apple, orange, 1/2 grapefruit, or 6 strawberries are the choices)

-Lunch = 3.5 ounces of lean protein and 3.5 ounces of a non-starchy vegetable

-Afternoon Snack = an additional fruit from the list

-Dinner = same as lunch

Additionally you need 2L of water per day and can have up to 2 diet cokes, tea, coffee, splenda, and 1 TBSP of milk. You can use any dry seasoning to cook food, as well as the juice of 1 lemon or vinegar, but can't use fat or other condiments of any kind.

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The plan is for him to be on this diet for 6 weeks and that he will switch to more of a South Beach type diet after that. The goal is to lose 40 pounds in those 6 weeks. Is it me or does this seem too aggressive? One side of me says that 500 calories is just a dangerously low daily intake. The other side of me says that my dad needs to lose weight and that this aggressive approach may be the only thing that will work because he WILL see rapid weight loss. I'm torn.

Any thoughts? Anyone have experience with this?

at 500 kcals/day, he will lose weight. It'll be interesting to see if it comes back.

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at 500 kcals/day, he will lose weight. It'll be interesting to see if it comes back.

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That's an understatement. I'd think a more modest reduction in calories along with an increase in activity would be a safer and more sustainable way to go.

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I'd think a more modest reduction in calories along with an increase in activity would be a safer and more sustainable way to go.

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I thought the same thing at first, but I'm coming around to the fact that, at 58, he needs to get that extra 80-100 pounds off NOW. I just hope he can keep it off and I hope the diet is SAFE.

In the short term, the diet is fine. Doctors have been using similar extremely low cal diets for years for obese individuals and heart patients. I dont study drugs so I don't know about the phen, which I thought was pulled years ago. His main issue will be weight gain when it's over. Intitially, a gain of 10-15lbs can be expected from water getting back into the cells and food getting back into the gut. Don't let that dissuade him. In fact, google Lyle McDonald's PSMF book for tips on how to transition back into normal eating...well worth the $35 for someone that wants to go on a "crash" diet.

But bottom line for long term success: eat less, move more. and something about a fork.

Seems like too big of a calorie reduction to be sustained long term.

May lose weight (for awhile), but will toss some lean muscle out as well.

generally, folks at 5'10" and 260 will sacrifice a little LBM for rapid fat loss. I would.