Low calorie diets, including 1200 calorie per day diets, have been shown to be effective for weight loss in some studies. For example, a study of 2093 people with obesity found that a medically supervised 1200 calorie per day meal replacement diet resulted in an average weight loss of 4.7% over 12 months.
If 1,200 calories a day is more than 500 calories lower than your weight-maintenance calories, you can expect to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds per week. If it's less, then you might lose fewer pounds a week.
“On a 1,200 calorie diet, your body has to make adjustments. You can't live optimally on that. If you are young and active, you would lose weight and fat over time, but your body would make metabolic adjustments. "You might get cold hands and feet more easily, and you would be preoccupied with food a lot of the time.
If you're a moderately active woman consuming closer to 2,200 calories a day, ingesting 1,200 calories is likely to result in the loss of around 2 pounds per week, or about 8 pounds per month. Every 500 calories you reduce from your daily diet can result in the loss of a pound per week.
So, if you're eating 1,200 calories and not losing weight, it could be that your body is really struggling to function on so little fuel and your metabolism is not functioning well enough to respond to a deficit in the way you'd like.
A 1200-calorie diet can help you lose weight by keeping you on a structured meal plan. This plan removes the extra calories you might get from snacks and sodas throughout the day. Yet, a diet isn't for everyone. People use this diet to eat fewer calories than they expend through exercise.
So, if you plan on losing 1 kg per week, you will need to reduce your calorie intake by 1100 calories per day.
A 1,200 calorie diet, according to most nutritionists or food experts, is a restrictive, unsustainable, likely unhealthy diet for any adult woman. So if it's so bad for us, why do we keep trying it — and failing — only to blame ourselves instead of the diet itself?
In a study of more than 2000 people with obesity, it was found that 1200 calories per day helped patients lose an average of 4.7% fat in 1 year. A year of dieting with 1200 - 1500 calories you can lose up to 7 kg of weight.
The Calorie Deficit
But consuming only 1,200 calories per day is simply not enough for many adults and can lead to consequences such as a slower metabolism and nutritional deficiencies.
In order to lose at least a pound a week, try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, and reduce your daily calorie intake by at least 500 calories. However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional.
Although the total number of calories can vary from diet to diet, eating fewer than 1200 calories is risky. When you limit your diet and eat fewer than 1200 calories per day, you usually do not get enough nutrients. You are not getting enough carbohydrates, proteins or fats.
What does science say about the 1200 calorie diet? Whilst the 1200 calorie diet can get you fast results, extending it past 2-4 weeks can often result in more harm than good. Over-restricting and under-nourishing yourself can often leave you feeling depleted of energy, fatigued and unable to get through your day.
One health resource suggests aiming for a 500-calorie deficit per day for weight loss over time. This will help you lose about 0.45 kg of body weight per week. That is almost 2kgs a month and 12kgs over six months. For an average woman, some guides suggest that number is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day.
According to WebMD, if you have a body mass index (BMI) of over 30, which doctors call obese, a very low-calorie diet like the 1300 calorie diet will allow you to lose around three to four pounds a week (11). That makes an average of about forty-four pounds in three months.
Some health conditions may be the reason why you are in a calorie deficit and not losing any weight. These mainly include hormonal imbalances such as hypothyroidism, illnesses that affect insulin response and glucose metabolism, such as diabetes, or a mix of the two.
People may try this diet to control their food intake and lose weight. Some research suggests that the average female can limit their daily caloric intake to 1,500 calories or less to drop 1 pound per week. The average male may consume up to 2,000 calories a day to lose the same amount of weight.
Effective At Weight Loss
If you need to shed pounds fast and don't expect the long-term result, the 1000 calorie meal plan may help you with that. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, this diet can help you lose 2-3 pounds (1-1.5 kg) a week, which is quite fast.
People on a 1,200 calorie diet need to eat nutrient dense food to avoid feeling hungry and prevent malnourishment. Lean proteins tend to be very dense in nutrients and low in calories. White carbohydrates, such as white bread, by contrast, contain more calories and fewer nutrients.
There are 7,700kcals (kcal=calorie) worth of energy in 1kg of fat. That means in order to burn 1kg of fat, you must have a calorie deficit of 7,700. Considering the average daily intake can be anywhere from 1,800-2,400kcals, it takes some time to burn that fat.
It is realistic, ladies. It is possible to lose weight quickly and safely, and keep it off.