The market is flooded with diet programs and diet books, all of which claim to have the secret to fast weight loss. While you may be anxious to lose weight as fast as possible, it is more important to lose fat, not muscle, and to stay healthy while doing so. The best diet plans prescribe exercise to burn calories in addition to reducing caloric intake and do not recommend caloric intake below a healthy level.
Types
Fast weight loss diets require you to reduce your caloric intake to lose weight. The number of calories each plan prescribes for fast weight loss can vary from as few as 500 calories a day to 1,200 calories a day. However, you should not reduce your caloric intake below 800 calories daily, except under medical direction and supervision, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Effects
When you have reduced your calories by 3,500, through a combination of reduced intake, additional activity or both, you will lose 1 lb. of weight. A safe rate of weight loss is 1 to 3 lbs. weekly. Trying to reduce or expend calories for a greater loss than that can lead to dangerous health consequences, including dehydration and malnutrition.
Significance
The human body requires a minimum number of calories to perform its basic functions, such as breathing and digestion. This number of calories is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR). If you reduce your caloric intake below your basal metabolic rate, two things occur. Your body will slow its processes in an attempt to conserve caloric energy, decreasing your metabolic rate. Then, your body will begin to take the calories it needs from your body.
Considerations
In cases of extreme weight loss, defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as 15 percent below normal body weight for an individual, medical complications can develop. These include anemia, cardiac and brain damage, personality changes and brittle bones.
Prevention/Solution
According to the National Institutes of Health, most women can lose weight safely on a diet that provides between 1,000 and 1,200 calories each day. Most men can lose weight safely on a diet that provides between 1,200 to 1,600 calories each day. Women who exercise regularly or weigh more than 165 lbs. may also lose weight safely on a diet that provides between 1,200 and 1,600 calories daily.
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