The world of weight loss is teeming with diet plans, ranging from high protein to low carbohydrate to Mediterranean-inspired fare. Despite a surplus of fads and crazes, the Mayo Clinic claims that weight management boils down to one single concept: calories consumed versus calories burned. Limiting your energy intake through a low-calorie diet plan can induce weight loss, or--alternatively--assist with weight maintenance during periods of reduced physical activity.
Description
By definition, low-calorie diets provide 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,200 to 1,600 calories for men, according to Guideline.gov. Some low-calorie plans restrict or emphasize a particular macronutrient, such as low-carbohydrate or high-protein diets, while others simply mandate a reduction in overall food intake. Because the primary goal of low-calorie diet plans is to consume fewer calories than you burn, calorie-restricted diets are not necessarily limited to specific food choices.
Effects
Because low-calorie diet plans provide fewer calories than most adults burn per day, they force the body to draw from its own fat stores for energy. A deficit of 3,500 calories results in one pound of weight loss. In addition to a reduction of body fat, low-calorie diet plans can deplete the body's carbohydrate stores (glycogen), resulting in a loss of "water weight"--a phenomenon that lowers the numbers on the scale but does not represent an actual loss of fat.
Benefits
Low-calorie diet plans facilitate body fat reduction for overweight and obese individuals, helping them reach a healthier weight. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, even a modest amount of weight loss can yield health benefits such as lower blood pressure, improved blood sugar levels and more desirable cholesterol profiles--which are risk factors for more serious conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. In addition, adhering long term to a calorie-restricted diet may have a favorable impact on longevity, provided the diet is also high in nutrients.
Considerations
Although reduced calorie intake is the only necessary element for inducing weight loss, some low-calorie diet plans may be more satiating and sustainable than others. Diet plans featuring bulky, high-volume foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables, salad and soup provide longer-lasting fullness than diets based on energy-dense foods. Because low-calorie diets require a reduction in total food intake, they may be lower in nutrition than normal-calorie diets and should be carefully planned or supplemented to prevent deficiencies. Even though low-calorie diets can minimize the risk of obesity-related diseases, other lifestyle factors--particularly exercise--are also necessary for achieving optimal health.
Warning
Individuals already at a healthy body weight should not follow low-calorie diet plans unless advised to by a physician. In some cases, such as with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, low-calorie diets can lead to an unhealthily low body weight, increasing the risk of serious conditions such as osteoporosis, heart arrhythmia, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and even death.
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