Abstract: Objective：To investigate the effect of short-term very low calorie diet (VLCD) on the weight of hospitalized patients with obesity and the patients’ compliance. Methods：From November 2015 to November 2016, 30 inpatients with obesity or overweight in Zhongshan Hospital received VLCD intervention with total calorie intake of 800 kcal/d (1 kcal=4.186 8 kJ) during hospitalization. The body weight before and after VLCD intervention were compared and the tolerance was observed. After discharge, the diet and weight data were followed up for 6 months. Results：After short-term VLCD intervention for (8±3) d, the body weight decreased from (95.93±23.28) kg to (92.86±22.78) kg (P<0.001). No severe adverse effects were observed. The long-term compliance of patients on VLCD was relatively poor. Conclusions：Short-term VLCD can significantly induce the weight loss in patients with obesity, which is well tolerated. While the long-term compliance on VLCD is relatively poor and should be strengthened in the future.