Is It Too Hard To Go On A 500 Calorie A Day Diet?

Five hundered calories per day is a very small amount of food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that adult females eat between 1,600 to 2,400 calories and an adult male should consume between 2,000 to 3,000 calories to stay healthy. Of course, making an effort to lose weight involves eating less. But eating too little can cause adverse health effects and may even slow down your weight loss. Living on just 500 calories per day is not only hard, it may be unhealthy.

Malnutrition

One of the problems with eating such a small amount of calories is malnutrition. Your body needs a certain number of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals to maintain your health. Eating only 500 calories per day may not be enough energy to provide all that your body needs. Malnutrition is the condition in which your body does not get enough essential nutrients. If you are malnourished, you risk developing several vitamin and mineral deficiencies or permanent health effects such as mental or physical disabilities or even death.

Metabolic Rate

Eating such a small amount of calories is hard because your body needs energy to function. After eating only 500 calories, you still may feel hungry at the end of the day. This may be a sign that your metabolic rate has been affected. Your metabolic rate is the amount of calories that your body uses for all cellular functions. If you don't get enough calories, your body thinks you are starving and becomes more metabolically efficient. This means your metabolism slows down in order to conserve energy. While this is a good survival strategy, it contradicts what you are trying to do. A slowing metabolism means less calories burned per day and less weight lost. A 500 calorie per day diet can mean a slower metabolism.

A Very Low Calorie Diet

A very low calorie diet is defined by the National Institutes of Health as eating at or below 800 calories per day. This kind of diet is used under the supervision of medical professionals in order to decrease the weight of the morbidly obese. An individual who has only a few pounds to lose or who is not under the care of a doctor should not eat so few calories. The effects of a low calorie diet like this include fatigue, dizziness, gallstones, constipation or diarrhea. Unless your doctor has advised you to, eating 500 calories is not recommended for health.

The Right Balance

Instead of consuming only 500 calories, work to reduce your total intake by 500 calories per day. One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories, so reducing your total consumption by 500 calories daily over one week will equate to 1 lb. lost each week. To increase your caloric deficit, add regular physical activity, which burns fat and calories. Losing a substantial amount of weight is possible, but quick weight loss by eating too little can be hard and unhealthy.