400 Calorie Diet is Nothing New

It may sound like a quick and easy way to lose weight, but a 400 calorie diet may not be the weight-loss wonder you want it to be. The 400 calorie diet is based on a soon to be released book by Prevention magazine called the “400-Calorie Fix,” and advocates say it prevents hunger pangs while allowing your body to quickly adapt to getting less food.

The 400 calorie diet, which is being featured on the November 19 Rachael Ray Show, is reported to include a series of 400-calorie meals that people eat throughout the day, with the promise that they will lose up to 11 pounds in just two weeks. In reality, such weight loss is largely the result of fluid loss, which is a common occurrence when people go on crash or very low calorie diets. Once individuals return to their normal eating habits, the weight returns, and in many cases, extra pounds as well.

The 400 calorie diet plan is also reported to include 400 ways you can consume 400 calories, complete with recipes. Exercise is said to be an important part of the diet plan as well, as any reasonable weight loss program should. In reality, the 400 calorie diet plan is simply saying eat a low-calorie diet and exercise, and you will lose weight. This is nothing new.

Although this 400 calorie diet is not advocating eating only 400 calories per day, but instead eating three meals and a snack, each with up to 400 calories, dieters should be aware that trying to eat less calories per day can be dangerous. One major potential problem with following a very low calorie diet, which typically is one that includes 800 calories or less per day, is that individuals do not get enough proper nutrition.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, side effects of very low calorie diets can include dry mouth, headache, dizziness, fatigue, hair loss, gastrointestinal difficulties (e.g., constipation, diarrhea, flatulence), trouble with concentration, irritability, muscle loss, and intolerance to cold. The longer people stay on very low calorie diets, the greater the risk of experiencing these and other, more serious side effects, including anemia, gallstones, heart problems, osteoporosis, and kidney failure.

Individuals who want to lose weight should consult a medical professional and develop a sensible eating plan that fits their unique health needs. Perhaps a well-planned, doctor-supervised 400 calorie diet plan that includes an adequate number of 400 calorie meals and snacks plus exercise can fulfill a person’s goal of nutritionally sound weight loss. But there is basically nothing new about this 400 calorie per meal approach to losing weight.

SOURCES:
Dietinreview.com
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Rachael Ray Show website

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