Tag: Low calorie diet risks

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025, adult women typically need between 1,600 and 2,400 calories daily, while men require 2,200 to 3,000. Establishing the minimum calories per day is crucial for maintaining bodily functions, as falling below a certain threshold can lead to severe health consequences and metabolic damage.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition, which includes undernutrition from a calorie deficiency, is a significant contributor to disease worldwide. While a calorie deficit is often pursued for weight loss, a severe or chronic lack of calories can trigger a range of symptoms as the body goes into 'survival mode'.

According to a study on participants of *The Biggest Loser*, extreme calorie restriction led to a 23% reduction in their metabolic rate that persisted for years, even after weight regain. This demonstrates how drastically cutting calories to levels like 1200 can trigger lasting, detrimental metabolic adaptations.

For most adults, eating only 1200 calories a day can lead to rapid initial weight loss, but it's often an unsustainable and potentially harmful strategy. While a calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss, a severe restriction can trigger negative metabolic adaptations, hormonal imbalances, and significant nutrient deficiencies. This drastic approach is generally not recommended for the long term and can result in weight regain and other adverse health outcomes.

According to numerous health experts, following an extremely restrictive diet like a 1200 calorie diet can, in fact, make you tired and lead to significant fatigue. This is because it is often an insufficient amount of energy for most adults to perform basic bodily functions, let alone daily activities.

According to guidelines from the American Heart Association, sedentary 17-year-old males typically require around 2200 calories per day, while females need 1800. These figures clearly indicate that 1300 calories is not enough for a 17 year old and can have severe health repercussions.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), the average woman requires around 2,000 calories per day to maintain her weight, while the average man needs 2,500. A 1,400-calorie diet is a significant reduction for most people, making it a viable short-term option for weight loss, but it is not suitable for everyone and carries potential health risks.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average adult woman needs between 1,600 and 2,400 calories daily to maintain weight, while men typically require 2,000 to 3,000. This stark contrast highlights why consuming only 1200 kcal a day is often an unsustainable and potentially dangerous approach for most individuals.

According to a study published in *The Lancet*, an 800-calorie-per-day diet can lead to significant short-term weight loss and type 2 diabetes remission, yet experts raise serious concerns about the broader application and long-term consequences of the program. This article explores the key criticism of Fast 800, examining the potential health risks and sustainability issues associated with this very low-calorie diet (VLCD) approach.

The body’s primary objective in a survival scenario is to conserve energy, drastically slowing metabolic processes to function on significantly fewer calories than normal. This mechanism determines what is the minimum kcal to survive, but this level of consumption is extremely dangerous and unsustainable.