To someone who is desperate to lose weight, a 500-calorie-a-day diet can be appealing because it promises significant weight loss in a short period of time. But unless they’re prescribed and supervised by a doctor, extremely low-calorie diets are unhealthy and potentially deadly. And as if that weren’t enough of a deterrent, consider this: they may actually cause you to gain weight in the long term.
A Healthier Way To Lose Weight
- Increase your daily calorie limit from 500. If you’re on a 500-calorie-a-day diet, stop it immediately (unless you’re doing it under medical supervision.) In general, men should consume at least 1,500 calories a day and women should consume at least 1,200 when trying to lose weight.
- Learn how weight loss works. The science behind weight loss is simple: burn more calories than you take in and you’ll lose weight. Cutting calories can help you lose weight, but the other major factor in weight loss is calorie-burning through physical activity. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you cut 500 calories a day you will lose about a pound a week, as 3,500 calories equals one pound of fat. Add calorie-burning activity into the equation and you could easily lose two pounds a week. One to two pounds a week is an ideal, safe rate of weight loss.
- Build muscle. One of the dangers of a low-calorie diet is that you will grow weaker and your muscles will shrink (atrophy). While you might look skinnier, you won’t be healthier and you could end up gaining weight in the long run as you lower your metabolism. Muscles burn calories and fend off fat. So if you’re losing muscle, you’re losing your ability to burn calories efficiently.
- Avoid “starvation mode.” When you eat too little, your body thinks you are starving it and goes into what is called “survival mode” and begins hoarding fat to use for energy in case of “famine”.