Eating 700 calories a day should only be done under the guidance of a medical professional. Your body needs more than 1200 calories a day; consuming 700 is an extreme calorie restriction.
Obese people, that is, those whose BMI exceeds 30, can lose as much as 3-5 pounds weekly sticking to the low-calorie diet. Accordingly, following a 700-calorie diet plan for 12 weeks can result in an average loss of about 44 pounds (7).
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If this person were to go from eating a 2,000-calorie diet to a 700-calorie diet in an effort to lose weight — cutting 1,300 calories a day — they could conceivably lose about 2.5 pounds a week, or roughly 10 pounds in a month.
For most people, 700 calories a day is not enough nutrients to provide us the proper macro and micronutrients we need to live a healthy life. For some extreme obesity related disease issues this might be a good option but it's important to talk to your doctor before trying to eat this little of calories.
It has everything to do with your metabolism. The higher your metabolism, the more fat your body burns. If you have a low metabolism, then of course the amount of fat your body burns is reduced. Skipping meals or not eating enough actually helps your body to become really good at storing fat.
If you're not losing weight in a calorie deficit you may need to adjust your stress levels, diet, and sleep patterns. Other reasons for weight gain during a calorie deficit are hormonal changes, aging, and other health conditions.
The Risks of a 600-Calorie Diet
Here are the main risks one should expect if eating such a restrictive diet for a prolonged time: Malnutrition and deficiencies [4] Fatigue [5] Muscle loss [6]
Following a very low-calorie diet (500 calories) for more than a week makes your body weak and lowers your immunity and productivity. Hence, it is important to consult your doctor and dietitian before following a VLCD for a long time.
Eating 600 calories per day can lead to serious health issues and muscle loss. Additionally, it is not sustainable in the long-term, and weight loss will likely not be maintained once a person returns to a normal calorie intake. It is not recommended to eat less than 1200 calories per day for women and 1500 for men.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Even if your 800 calorie diet was not low in carbs, you could also not be consuming enough protein. A lack of enough protein in your diet could lead to swelling, fatty liver, skin degeneration, the increase and severity of infections, and muscle wasting (3).
A 1,000 calorie diet is a risky strategy for losing weight. While someone can safely follow the diet short-term, experts do not recommend that people follow extreme diets for extended periods because they can damage a person's health and cause them to regain the weight they lost and more.
As a general rule, you can expect to lose more weight in a month the more you cut back on calories: 500 daily calorie deficits: 1 pound per week. 1,000 daily calorie deficits: 2 pounds per week. 1,500 daily calorie deficits: 3 pounds per week.
Some people go on a very low-calorie diet for rapid weight loss, often consuming only 800 calories a day. This type of diet usually includes special foods such as shakes, bars, or soups to replace meals and for added vitamins. Very low-calorie diets can help a person achieve weight loss of up to 3 to 5 pounds per week.
Eating 500–800 calories a day may put people at risk of deficiencies. Specific groups of people may be at higher risk. Older adults, in particular, may be at risk as they are more like to have reduced nutrient absorption from the small intestine.
You will lose up to 10 pounds (4.5 kgs) if you consume 800 calories and exercise regularly. Make sure your doctor or nutritionist is aware of your diet pattern.
If you can eat 500 fewer calories every day, you should lose about a pound (450 g) a week. Always talk with your health care provider to determine a healthy weight for you before starting a weight-loss diet.
Side Effects Of Eating A 900-Calorie Diet
Some of them include fatigue, constipation or diarrhea, nausea, a dry mouth, cramps, headaches, and dizziness, as well as feeling of extreme hunger (21). While these symptoms may disappear in a couple of weeks, some people will have more severe side effects, such as gallstones.
In addition, consuming as few as 800 calories daily may not give you the energy you need for daily living and regular physical activity, especially if you eat the same foods every day. Talk to your doctor or dietitian to make sure you get the nutrients you need while on a very low-calorie diet.
Starvation calories are an intake of fewer than 600 calories per day, however; any caloric intake below the recommended minimum doesn't provide the body with the fuel it needs to function properly.
When you cut your food intake to 1000 calories and below, your body is forced to break down muscle so that it can provide your body with energy since your food intake does not provide it with enough energy. This results in a person losing their muscle and affects their metabolism as we've just highlighted above.
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.
Too few calories can hamper your metabolism, sabotaging any goal to lose weight. Although some combinations of macronutrients or types of foods may affect weight loss synergistically, when it comes to dropping pounds, there's no denying that calories matter.