Is a 1000 Calorie Diet Safe?
A 1000 calorie diet (yes, you read that right) is one of those fad diets that seems to make you lose a lot of weight very quickly. A normal individual requires much more than a meager 1000 calories to healthily sustain his daily activities and lifestyle. While that figure may vary a little according to the physical activity and lifestyle of the person, it is definitely more than 1000 calories. There are many dangerous repercussions of such a diet and they outweigh its supposed benefits. Read about them in this Buzzle article and you can decide for yourself if it is safe or not.
Lack of Nutrition
The first and most dangerous effect of being on a such a low calorie diet is that when you don't consume enough calories, you are putting your body through a precarious situation where you can fall short of the most basic nutrients that are required to sustain your body. People generally assume that lesser calories means lesser weight, by conveniently ignoring the fact that it also means lesser nutrition for the body. A daily diet, for a moderately active woman requires somewhere between 1800 - 2200 calories. If you suddenly bring that to a mere 1000 calories, your body will get severely affected by lack of adequate supply of daily nutrients like carbs, protein, fats and minerals etc.
Lack of Energy
If your body is accustomed to a high calorie diet of say 3000 calories per day, and you suddenly bring about the drastic change of fueling it with just 1000 calories, then your body is bound to react in a drastic way. How? Try exercising on a 1000 calorie diet. You'll be panting for breath in half your usual workout time. Sure it may make you lose a few pounds quickly, but it will leave you weak and unable to perform any kid of rigorous physical activity even for a short time. Exercise is one of the best ways to lose extra weight. And that's exactly what you won't be able to do when on this diet. So you can decide for yourself which is the healthier option.
Loss in Muscle Mass
Another cause for concern, if you go on this diet is that you constantly begin to lose precious muscle mass in the process of losing your weight. A general weight loss program requires muscle weight in order to burn calories. When you eat only 1000 calories, your muscles get weak and lose their mass. This makes your body more susceptible to quick weight gain, when you get back to your normal diet because the muscles will try to regain their lost mass when you begin to consume more calories.
Lower Metabolism Rate
The thing about the 1000 calorie diet, just like any other fad diet is that it is a temporary, if not unrealistic, fix to a weight problem. You cannot stay on it forever. What happens when you're on the diet is that you are consuming so little food that your body attunes itself to a slower metabolism rate. When you go off the diet, and start eating normal quantities of food, your body takes a while to adjust and hence, continues with its slow metabolism rate, which can be harmful.
Dehydration
One of the other major possible consequences of the diet is severe dehydration. Generally, people going on this diet are advised to drink a lot of water while on it. But this is a piece of advice that people, even when not on a diet, tend to ignore until something serious happens. So the minimal quantity or absence of water in the food plus the reduced amount of water that you drink in the entire day can cause severe dehydration in the body. Dehydration is one of the major causes of various illnesses which can turn out to be very dangerous.
The above points are sure to have helped you decide whether the diet is safe or not. If you're still contemplating going on it, then do so only after consulting a nutritionist or dietitian and be under his or her constant supervision.
Lack of Nutrition
The first and most dangerous effect of being on a such a low calorie diet is that when you don't consume enough calories, you are putting your body through a precarious situation where you can fall short of the most basic nutrients that are required to sustain your body. People generally assume that lesser calories means lesser weight, by conveniently ignoring the fact that it also means lesser nutrition for the body. A daily diet, for a moderately active woman requires somewhere between 1800 - 2200 calories. If you suddenly bring that to a mere 1000 calories, your body will get severely affected by lack of adequate supply of daily nutrients like carbs, protein, fats and minerals etc.
Lack of Energy
If your body is accustomed to a high calorie diet of say 3000 calories per day, and you suddenly bring about the drastic change of fueling it with just 1000 calories, then your body is bound to react in a drastic way. How? Try exercising on a 1000 calorie diet. You'll be panting for breath in half your usual workout time. Sure it may make you lose a few pounds quickly, but it will leave you weak and unable to perform any kid of rigorous physical activity even for a short time. Exercise is one of the best ways to lose extra weight. And that's exactly what you won't be able to do when on this diet. So you can decide for yourself which is the healthier option.
Loss in Muscle Mass
Another cause for concern, if you go on this diet is that you constantly begin to lose precious muscle mass in the process of losing your weight. A general weight loss program requires muscle weight in order to burn calories. When you eat only 1000 calories, your muscles get weak and lose their mass. This makes your body more susceptible to quick weight gain, when you get back to your normal diet because the muscles will try to regain their lost mass when you begin to consume more calories.
Lower Metabolism Rate
The thing about the 1000 calorie diet, just like any other fad diet is that it is a temporary, if not unrealistic, fix to a weight problem. You cannot stay on it forever. What happens when you're on the diet is that you are consuming so little food that your body attunes itself to a slower metabolism rate. When you go off the diet, and start eating normal quantities of food, your body takes a while to adjust and hence, continues with its slow metabolism rate, which can be harmful.
Dehydration
One of the other major possible consequences of the diet is severe dehydration. Generally, people going on this diet are advised to drink a lot of water while on it. But this is a piece of advice that people, even when not on a diet, tend to ignore until something serious happens. So the minimal quantity or absence of water in the food plus the reduced amount of water that you drink in the entire day can cause severe dehydration in the body. Dehydration is one of the major causes of various illnesses which can turn out to be very dangerous.
The above points are sure to have helped you decide whether the diet is safe or not. If you're still contemplating going on it, then do so only after consulting a nutritionist or dietitian and be under his or her constant supervision.
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