It is very tempting sometimes when you are eager to find a quick and effective way to lose weight to turn to a low calorie diet. I am going to explain to you what a low calorie diet is, how it affects your body, and why they ultimately don't work for most people. Please note, very low calorie diets are sometimes prescribed to obese persons by a doctor to reduce medical issues and this article should not be used for medical advice.
A low calorie diet is generally a diet that consists of between 800 and 1,200 calories per day. Unfortunately, calories are not created equally and you could actually diet on chocolate cake alone while keeping your caloric intake between this level and actually lose weight. This approach wouldn't last very long and does not allow for proper nutrition. The idea of a low calorie diet is to eat nutrient dense food, such as soups and salads, which provide a large quantity of food with a lower level of calories. You can potentially lose weight even though you are actually eating more than what you are used to.
The main problem with low calorie diets is that although they work for the first week, ultimately your body will think that it is 'starving' and slow down your metabolism. When this occurs, your body will stop burning as much calories per day as it normally does, and will begin storing incoming calories as fat.
This reoccurring problem means that you would continuously have to keep cutting your calories back in order to keep seeing success. Then, because your metabolism has slowed down so much, you will notice that you have no energy and are extremely irritable. This is often the time when people cave into their cravings and end up stopping the diet. Your body will still be in starvation mode and all food you consume will go back to fat stores, sometimes making you fatter than you were before the diet.
The best plan of action for losing weight in a safe and effective manner is to do it slowly. I am sure that you've heard the best way to lose weight is at the rate of 2 - 3 pounds per week over the course of several months until you reach your goal. This not only ensures that you lose weight safely but will let your body become accustomed to the fat stores being reduced and acclimatize your metabolism to operate at its peak level.
Author Resource:
Richard likes to write about various interesting topics and has been doing so for years. His latest website is http://zebrablanket.org which provides information on what to look for in a zebra throw blanket .
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