Don’t Get Caught In A Self-Sabotage Starvation Diet Fad

Are you wanting to lose weight very quickly? If you are, the starvation calorie diet may be just what you’re looking for.  These types of diets are considered an extreme form of  dieting and they are highly popular.  That still doesn’t mean they are the right diet for you.

A diet is considered low calorie if it involves taking in less than 1200 calories per day.  The idea of a low calorie diet is to lose weight quickly.  If not utilized correctly they can be dangerous and as such it is important to plan your low calorie diet with a professional dietician or nutritionist before starting.

The best form of dieting is to burn more calories than you take in. However a very low calorie diet can actually do more harm than good. When your body is craving more calories (energy) it can affect your metabolic rate.  This means your body actually starts to eat away at your muscle mass instead of burning your current fat reserves.

It is doing this for the purpose of converting the muscle mass to energy, because starvation mode to your body means holding on to the fat reserves it has since it doesn’t know when it will get more fat.

Consuming only a very limited amount of calories per day is almost like starving yourself.  Your body is more than likely used to taking in over 2000 calories per day and up to 5000 or more.  If you all of a sudden drop to say 600 calories or less your body moves into starvation mode. Your metabolism then slows down to conserve energy.

While you are on a starvation diet your body will learn to live with fewer calories. That means if you go back to your old high calorie habits (as all too many people do) you will have a sudden gain in weight. Think Oprah.

The only real way to determine your ideal daily calorie intake is by using a basal metabolic rate calculator. You will then know how many calories you need to be healthy and to support your lifestyle.  As men and women are obviously different their ideal calorie intake is also different.

In essence a super low calorie diet can be dangerous. What you really want is a diet that, while lowering your calorie intake, can trick your body into using up those fat reserves for fuel burning instead of using your muscle mass.