A 1,500-calorie diet fits the needs of many people who want to lose fat and improve health. Like any healthy diet it should include mostly whole, unprocessed foods. Reducing excess calories and using some of the simple tips in this article can help you succeed in your weight loss journey.
A prolonged 1,500 calorie-per-day diet can slow metabolism, so it is best to only do it short-term. Risks to consuming too few calories may include: Inadequate nutrition. Fatigue/tiredness.
According to the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most adult females require between 1,600 and 2,000 calories, and adult males between 2,000 and 2,400 calories, per day. Consequently, most people will lose weight following a 1,500- to 1,800-calorie diet.
If you're a man, woman weighing over 164 pounds or a female who regularly exercises and you aren't losing weight eating 1,200 to 1,500 calories daily, it may be time to see a doctor. Hormone imbalances – such as underactive thyroid – can decrease your body's metabolism and inhibit or prevent weight loss from occurring.
If you only allow your body to function on 1,500 calories for a month, your body will reset its metabolism to only use 1,500 calories. When you begin eating 2,000 again, your body will store the excess 500 calories as fat.
As a general rule, people need a minimum of 1,200 calories daily to stay healthy. People who have a strenuous fitness routine or perform many daily activities need more calories. If you have reduced your calorie intake below 1,200 calories a day, you could be hurting your body in addition to your weight-loss plans.
You can't lose weight on 1200 calories a day because you're no longer in a calorie deficit. Your body has adapted to what it's been doing and plateaued. If you start your diet with a 500 calorie deficit per day, your body adapts to this in various way so that over time your energy requirements are reduced.
Experts believe that 1500-calorie diet, which is 500 calories less than 2000-calorie diet, is enough to shed 0.45 kgs in a week. Reducing your overall calorie intake can help you lose weight with ease, but make sure it doesn't cause any more health problems like fatigue, headache, etc.
There are many reasons you can gain weight that have nothing to do with food. Sometimes weight gain is easy to figure out. If you've changed your eating habits, added more dessert or processed foods, or have been spending more time on the couch than usual, you can typically blame those reasons if you gain a few pounds.
Muscle Gain and Weight
If you've been consistently eating 1,200 calories and working out for at least a month, you may be trading fat for a bit of muscle weight. Check how your clothes fit -- you may notice that despite the lack of change on the scale, the waistband is looser and pant legs fit less snugly.
This is based on a starting point of at least 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day for women and 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day for men. It can be unhealthy to take in less than that per day.
It is possible to lose weight in a healthy way by consuming 1400 calories a day, but you should carefully design all your meals so as to not to miss out on indispensable nutrients. A deficit of 500 calories per day might yield a healthy 1 pound a week in weight loss.
'Whole fruits and fibre, fresh vegetables and foods rich in vitamins and minerals are perfect for achieving the 1500 a day calorie diet. These should leave you feeling satisfied, and you will soon notice the change in your wellbeing too.
Minimum Calorie Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that diets containing 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day can help most women lose weight safely, and weight loss programs containing 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day are often effective for men.
You should aim to create a safe daily deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories. But you need to keep your intake above a safe minimum. For women, 1,500 calories is enough to meet this minimum, but women should never consume fewer than 1,200 calories per day unless it's under a doctor's recommendation and supervision.
Poor sleep, sedentary activities, and eating too many processed or sugary foods are just some of the habits that may increase your risk of weight gain. Yet, a few simple steps — such as mindful eating, exercise, and focusing on whole foods — can help you reach your weight loss goals and improve your overall health.
The diet doesn't have enough calories
Eating too little — say, 1,000 calories a day — can prevent you from losing weight, too. "When you don't eat enough, your body is starving and it's not going to lose any extra weight" because it needs those energy stores to keep you alive, Fakhoury said.
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.
Number of calories needed to burn to lose 1kg
0.5kg of fat accounts for about 3,500 calories of energy. That means if you want to lose 1kg a week (a healthy and sustainable amount, although no more than this should be shot), you'll need to create a 7,700-calorie deficit over the course of a week.
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.
Lummus says that when your body goes into starvation mode, your metabolism slows to a crawl, burning calories as slowly as possible to conserve its energy stores. This is why people who cut their calories too much may reach a plateau and stop losing weight.
A 1,200-calorie diet is much too low for most people and can result in negative side effects like dizziness, extreme hunger, nausea, micronutrient deficiencies, fatigue, headaches, and gallstones ( 23 ). Furthermore, a 1,200-calorie diet can set you up for failure if long-term weight loss is your goal.
Your slower metabolism will slow your weight loss, even if you eat the same number of calories that helped you lose weight. When the calories you burn equal the calories you eat, you reach a plateau. To lose more weight, you need to either increase your physical activity or decrease the calories you eat.
Constant Hunger
Being hungry all the time is one of the more obvious signs that you're not eating enough food. Studies confirm that appetite and food cravings increase in response to drastic calorie restriction due to changes in levels of hormones that control hunger and fullness ( 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ).