Obesity is a national problem that affects more than 30 percent of the population. Taking steps to lose or maintain a healthy weight by reducing your calorie intake can help you prevent chronic diseases associated with obesity, including heart disease and diabetes. A 1,000-calorie diet is a very low calorie diet that should promote weight loss in both men and women and is not likely to cause weight gain.
Metabolism
Your metabolism is how your body turns the food you eat into energy. The energy created by your metabolism is used in three ways. It supports basic biological functions and provides the energy needed to digest food and to conduct your daily physical activity. You may think that most of the calories you eat are burned by physical activity, but in fact your basic biological functions consume the majority of your daily calorie intake.
Basal Metabolic Rate
The basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the number of calories your body needs to perform its basic biological functions, which includes breathing, blood circulation and tissue repair and maintenance. Your BMR makes up about 60 to 75 percent of your daily calorie needs, and stays fairly constant. It does, however, vary from person to person depending on age, gender and size. Mathematical formulas that take these factors into consideration are used to estimate BMR. According to the BMR formula from the Food and Agricultural Organization, even a woman over the age of 60 weighing just 100 pounds needs 1,070 calories a day to maintain her basic biological functions.
Calories and Weight
Eating more calories than your body metabolizes, or burns, causes weight gain. In general, consuming an additional 500 calories a day -- without making any other changes to your lifestyle -- leads to a 1 pound weight gain in a week. Based on the BMR formulas provided by the Food and Agricultural Organization, most adults need more than 1,000 calories to maintain their normal body functions, making it highly unlikely that you can gain weight by consuming less than 1,000 calories a day. For many adults, 1,000 calories per day is too few calories to maintain good health, even while following a weight-loss diet.
Weight Gain on Low-Calorie Diets
If you are following a very low calorie diet and gaining weight, consult your doctor to determine if there is a medical reason you are gaining instead of losing. Hormonal diseases such as Cushing's syndrome can result in unexplained weight gain. You may also want to take a careful look at the foods you are eating to make sure you are not taking in more calories than you think. Keep a food diary to track your intake.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: U.S. Obesity Trends
- MayoClinic.com; Metabolism and Weight Loss; How You Burn Calories
- Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: Energy Requirements of Adults
- FamilyDoctor.org: What It Takes to Lose Weight
- MayoClinic.com; Cushing's Syndrome; Symptoms
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