Low Calorie Diet Information

There are many diets widely available to individuals, and low-calorie diets have been one of the most popular and longest-existing diets around. Low-calorie diets range from liquid diets to cabbage soup diets, and simple calorie counting and restriction. Oftentimes, individuals use these diets as a means for rapid weight loss, but dangerous outcomes may result.

Types of Low-Calorie Diets

• A traditional low-calorie diet is calorie counting where a dieter attempts to eat fewer calories than the number calories burned in a given day. The equation is simply calories in vs. calories out to create a deficit resulting in weight loss. This method requires careful calorie counting of any food intake and approximations of the calories burned including exercise and daily activities.
  Derivations of these diets have since been created to enable dieters an easier alternative to meticulous calorie counting. Liquid diets which limit intake to only liquids allows individuals to drink the calories and ban solid food consumption. The cabbage soup diet or cereal diets have dieters eating these foods for two out of the three meals during the day, allowing one free "splurge" meal where the individual can choose to eat anything.

How Effective are Low-Calorie Diets?

• Although low-calorie diets do promote rapid weight loss, most of the results are only temporary and can be unhealthy. If an individual is recommended to lose weight for medical reasons, a proper low-calorie diet can be safely derived by a certified dietitian or nutritionist. In addition, most of the initial weight loss comes from water loss and conversion of protein to fat since the body automatically breaks down protein when it initially goes under starvation mode. Protein also weighs more than fat, so it's not surprising that the number on the scale decreases.
  If done correctly and in a balanced manner, combined with heart-healthy exercise, low-calorie diets can aid in effective weight loss. It is mostly when individuals take these diets to drastic measures and extreme lows that result in unsafe and temporary results.

Examples of Healthy Low-Calorie Diets

• A healthy low-calorie meal plan should include a good balance of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fiber along with a multivitamin. One of the most efficient ways is to structure a meal around the guidelines set in a food pyramid which recommends larger rations of fruits and vegetables and few extra calories from processed snacks with added sugars and fat. Lean proteins like fish, beans, lean cuts of meat, and low-fat dairy products are healthy protein sources.
  A good example of a daily meal plan may be as follows:
  Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal cooked in water (150 cals), 3/4 cups fresh blueberries (50 cals), 1/2 cup skim milk (50 cals)
  Total: 250 cals
  Lunch: 2 cups of mixed greens, 1 cup of cooked vegetables (such as green beans, carrots), 4 oz. chicken breast or protein equivalent with 1 tbsp. light salad dressing (no high fructose corn syrup or added sugars) and 1 apple
  Total: 400 cals
  Dinner: 6 oz. of fish (250 cals), 1/2 cup cooked brown rice (100 cals), 1 cup cooked vegetables, 1 large side salad dressed with 1 tbsp. light dressing. Dessert: 1/2 cup fruit with 6 oz. of plain yogurt or light yogurt
  Total: 550 to 600 cals
  When hungry, a 200-to-250-calorie snack can also be added, allowing daily totals to be approximately 1,300-1,500 calories.

What is the Right Amount of Calorie Consumption?

• The daily recommended number of calories to be consumed by an individual ranges from 1,400 to 2,220 depending on the weight, height, activity level, age and gender of the dieter. On average, the human body needs at least 1,100 calories a day to keep vital organs functioning. Therefore, it is strongly encouraged that dieters do not go below a 1,200-calorie diet per day.
  In addition, drastic calorie cuts can cause the metabolism to slow down since the body senses "starvation." The result is an individual who may not be burning nearly as many calories as he was prior to the cuts.

The Most Effective Weight Loss Solution

• Low-calorie diets may be helpful for weight loss and necessary for some individuals who have been asked by physicians for weight loss. However, drastic cuts can be dangerous, especially for young girls, and lead to eating disorders.