Diets between 800- 1000calories are called very low calorie diets .I am raking this topic up as I feel a lot of people reach out to these very low calorie fad diets as a quick fix to lose weight. I know of companies that promise huge weight loss and people do see a lot of weight loss in 3 to 6 months. This comes with a lot of side effects like hair fall, dry skin, poor immune health, poor muscle tone etc. They are not allowed exercise too in this period. And once they lose this kind of weight the next question is how do you maintain it there?
Let us see when we should reach out for these diets and what the safe way to do it is.
# If you have weight related medical problems and you are not ready for weight loss surgeries then a very low calorie diet under proper supervision of a doctor and dietitian for a structured period of time(generally a maximum of 12 weeks) is recommended.
# This is also recommended for weight loss before some surgeries like transplants.
# The most important thing to remember here is that they are not ok for every one.
# The side effects include fatigue, constipation, diarrhea, loss of muscle tone etc
# It is important to move to balanced healthy eating within a short period of time ,generally between 4 to 12 weeks.
# Always take the help of a registered dietitian/nutritionist to maintain weight after the programme.
Remember, for a healthy and active life we need a meal balanced with all macro and micro nutrients. It is impossible to have a balanced meal with 1000 calorie diets. It is much safer move to a calorie deficit with the help of a dietitian and shed weight slowly and consistently. Like I always say, it took you time to get here, give it at least a year to get to where you want to be. Slow and steady helps!!