1000 to 1200 Calorie Diet

Eating a 1,000 to 1,200 calorie diet can be risky for long-term weight loss. It can be used for short-term weight loss if some guidelines are observed. However, once off the diet the risk for rebound weight gain is great. A health care practitioner should always be consulted prior to beginning a low-calorie diet.

Guidelines

• For a severely restricted calorie intake diet to work you need to know some basic principles of how metabolism works. When you first begin the diet you will lose weight easily due to your caloric intake being far below your normal levels. This will not immediately affect your metabolism.
  After a few days your body will regulate your metabolism so that it slows down in order to fend off starvation. The body will try to preserve fat stores so that it can survive on limited resources until food becomes more available. This is a self-preservation mechanism that helps the body endure periods of little or no food consumption.
  Since your metabolism slows you will have to take in less and less calories to lose weight, which is what individuals with anorexia do. It is a deadly cycle if done in perpetuity.
  For a brief period of time a low-calorie diet can be done for rapid weight loss as long as you take precautions for your safety.
  One thing to keep in mind is if you are already an active person you need to scale back on the intensity and duration of your exercise. Exercising too intensely while on a low-calorie diet can lead to fainting.
  Another thing to strive for when on this style of diet is to eat every two and a half to three hours. This will keep your blood sugar levels even. This is beneficial not only in providing you consistent energy levels but also to keep hunger levels down. If you fast for many hours and create a strong sense of hunger you are more likely to binge at your next meal.

What to eat

• To ensure you get enough nutrients you should eat a variety of healthful foods. Include lean protein, whole grains, fiber rich vegetables and fruits. Avoid junk foods. Although you may be able to fit one high-calorie treat into your daily calorie allotment it is not a good idea for several reasons.
  Junk foods provide very little nutrients and by including them in a diet where there is tight calorie limit you are not going to be able to eat as many healthful foods to provide your needs
  Also, once you have one serving you are putting yourself at the risk of eating more than one serving, especially since you might feel deprived on this diet.
  To maintain your body's muscle mass and keep your metabolism high include some protein with each of your daily meals. This will keep the body from stripping your existing muscle for amino acids for daily functions. Supplementing with a multivitamin and an amino acid complex will further protect against losing muscle mass.

Precautions

• Restricting calories can be bad for your health in both the short and long term. Once you go off of this type of diet you won't maintain your weight loss. This can lead to yo-yo dieting, which is bad for your health.
  If you are only looking to lose 30 pounds or less, a severely restricted calorie diet will most likely result in a loss of muscle mass in addition to fat. According to an interview with Dr. Thomas Wadden, a psychologist at the Obesity Research Group at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine done by People magazine, when asked if very low calorie diets are safe for people with 5 to 30 pounds to lose, "No, and in fact they can be dangerous. The safety of these diets has been tested only in the seriously obese. A mildly overweight person is likely to lose more muscle or lean body mass, which could result in heart problems and damage to other organs."