# When to get medical advice

The app does not replace medical advice and cannot assess your health. In these situations, talk to your doctor.

## You lose weight without trying

If you keep losing weight without changing what you eat or how you move, have a doctor look into it. If you have other symptoms too, do this as soon as possible.[^1]

## Food or numbers weigh on you

Anyone can get an eating disorder. Possible signs are sudden, significant weight loss, exercising a lot, lying about food or weight, and avoiding meals with others. If you think this may apply to you, see a doctor as soon as you can.[^2]

- Germany: helpline of the Federal Institute of Public Health, [0221 892031](tel:+49221892031), Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.[^3]
- United Kingdom: Beat, [0808 801 0677](tel:+448088010677).[^2]

The app offers no plan in this case, because counting calories and fasting can make an eating disorder worse.

## Before you start

Talk to your doctor first if any of these apply to you:

- You are pregnant or breastfeeding. You should then avoid the fasting-mimicking diet, one form of fasting.[^4]
- You have diabetes or another chronic illness.[^5]
- You take medication regularly. Also ask at the pharmacy whether meal times or fasting matter.

## You want to eat very little

Diets of 800 kcal a day or less count as very low-calorie. According to a task force of the US National Institutes of Health, they belong under medical supervision. The most common serious complication is gallstones.[^6]

## You have severe symptoms

With severe or sudden symptoms, do not wait for an appointment and get medical help right away.

## Sources

[^1]: [NHS: Unintentional weight loss](https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/unintentional-weight-loss/)
[^2]: [NHS: Eating disorders, overview](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/behaviours/eating-disorders/overview/)
[^3]: [Federal Institute of Public Health: find help (German)](https://essstoerungen.bioeg.de/hilfe-finden/)
[^4]: [Bundeszentrum für Ernährung: fasting-mimicking diet (German)](https://www.bzfe.de/presse/pressemeldungen-archiv/gesundheitstrend-scheinfasten)
[^5]: [Verbraucherzentrale: diets overview, as of 10 February 2022 (German)](https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/lebensmittel/schlankheitsmittel-und-diaeten/von-stoffwechseldiaeten-bis-trennkost-erfolgsaussichten-und-gefahren-6555)
[^6]: [National Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity, NIH: Very low-calorie diets. JAMA, 1993](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8345648/)

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Last updated: November 2026. This is general information and not medical advice.

Original article: https://kostenlos-abnehmen.de/en/wissen/aerztlicher-rat