If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, a low-calorie diet may be a good option. A low-calorie diet drastically reduces your caloric intake, manipulating your body into using fat reserves as fuel. Reducing your caloric intake by 500 calories per day can lead to a safe and effective weight loss of 1 lb. each week.
Low-Calorie Diet
A low-calorie diet is a way of losing weight by controlling the amount of calories that you consume each day. People participating in a low calorie diet restrict the amount of calories them consume in one day to anywhere between 800 to 1,500 calories, according to DukeHealth.org. Other nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats may also be monitored. Suggested intakes of these macronutrients include at least 250 g of carbohydrates, 68 g of protein and 60 g or less of fat.
Medically Supervised Diets
People on a low calorie diet do not necessarily need to be medically supervised. Still, you should check with your doctor before you begin an diet or exercise program. Based on your personal medical history, your doctor can give you guidelines to follow. If you plan on partaking in a very low calorie diet, defined as eating less than 800 calories per day, you should be carefully supervised by a medical professional.
Complications
If you plan on trying a low-calorie diet, you should be aware of complications associated with eating such a small amount of calories. Hypoglycemia can occur when you do not have enough blood glucose to sustain the work of your cells. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include drowsiness, fatigue, fainting, tremors, sweat, dizziness, unsteadiness, apathy, blurry vision, confusion, headaches and slurred speech. If you feel any of these symptoms coming on, drink or eat carbohydrates such as fruit juice, milk or honey.
Choosing a Diet
If you are unsure that a low-calorie diet is right for you, consider certain parameters. Your diet should be nutritionally safe. In other words, can you follow a low-calorie diet but also get all of the nutrients that your body needs. Any good diet should also promote a safe weight loss of approximately 1 to 2 lbs. per week. Quick weight-loss methods are not realistic in the long term. Your diet plan should be looked at as a lifestyle change, so that you not only decrease the amount of calories that you eat but also look at food in a new way.
References
- DukeHealth.org: Non-Surgical Management of Morbid Obesity
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription",Whaley, Mithcell H., PhD, Brubaker, Peter H., Phd, Otto, Robert M., Phd (Eds.), 2006.
- Weight-Control Information Network; Hypoglycemia; October 2008
- "Exercise Testing and Prescription"; David C. Nieman; 2007
- MayoClinic.com; Counting Calories; Dec. 19, 2009
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