Your body uses calories to produce energy. Carbohydrates, fats and protein -- the primary macronutrients in the human diet -- all contain calories. Minimizing the number of calories you consume can help you lose weight, but it's important to not eat too few calories. Adverse health effects can result from not consuming an adequate number of calories, including malnutrition caused by too few nutrients in your diet.
Minimum
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests that most adult women can consume as few as 1,000 calories a day to lose weight at a safe rate. It also mentions most adult men can stoop to 1,200 calories per day in an effort to lose weight. Although this recommendation pertains to "most" adults, severe cases of obesity or related diseases may require that you consume slightly more each day.
Weight Loss
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you shouldn't exceed 1 to 2 lbs. of weight loss per week. This ensures your body properly adjusts to the changes. HHS mentions that 1,000 or 1,200 calories per day can help you achieve this weight-loss target while still providing your body with the nutrients it needs.
Potential
If you consume 2,000 calories a day without adjusting your level of activity and don't lose or gain any weight, that can be considered your weight maintenance caloric level. By cutting back to 1,000 calories per day, you would be creating a calorie deficit of 1,000 calories. A calorie deficit of 1,000 calories per day is equivalent to losing 2 lbs. of body fat per week. Cutting back 500 calories each day can lead to a 1-lb. weight loss per week, assuming your level of physical activity remains the same.
Very Low-calorie Diets
According to the National Institutes of Health, very low-calorie diets, or VLCD, are a doctor-supervised type of diet plan that mainly consists of liquids and meal replacement bars that total about 800 calories per day. This diet is designed for aggressive weight loss; many participants lose 15 to 25 percent of their body weight within the first three to six months. A VLCD plan should only be prescribed by a doctor and is only necessary in extreme cases.
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