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Hypocaloric Diet & Metabolism

Every heartbeat and every breath you take depends upon the proper functioning of your metabolism, the mechanism that fuels these bodily processes. Hypocaloric (low-calorie) diets can alter your metabolic rate, resulting in life-threatening consequences.

  1. Minimum Caloric Requirement

    • A minimum daily caloric intake of 1,000 to 1,200 calories is suggested to maintain health and fitness while dieting, according to the Weight Loss Resources web site. Consuming fewer calories can result in a slowing down of the metabolic rate and impede weight loss.

    Glucose

    • Hypocaloric diets deprive your body of sufficient amounts of glucose, says Chemie.De's Encyclopedia of Chemistry. Glucose is the body's main source of fuel for brain, muscle tissue and red blood cells.

    Starvation Mode

    • A body deprived of sufficient glucose enters "starvation mode." Without enough glucose from food, protein in muscle tissue is broken down into amino acids and then converted by the liver into glucose.

    Muscle Mass Lost

    • Muscle mass is lost when the body enters starvation mode and begins to feed upon itself by consuming its own lean tissue. In extreme cases of insufficient caloric intake, the body also feeds on the cells of the lungs and heart.

    Other Health Risks

    • Electrolytes such as potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium become depleted with hypocaloric diets. This creates an imbalance in the body fluids that help regulate heartbeat, muscle contractions and brain function, according to WomenFitness.com.

    Recommendations

    • Eat a sufficient number of calories to ensure the body's health, and exercise to lose weight faster by replacing fat with lean muscle tissue. According to Weight Loss Resources, one pound of muscle burns 50 calories. Therefore, replacing 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of muscle can burn 500 extra calories a day without dieting.

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