It is often repeated that adults require at least 1,200 calories per day for basic bodily functions and to stay out of starvation mode, but that is a low amount. It is not necessarily healthy.
If you drastically slash calories and are eating a very low-calorie diet (Think: less than 1,000 calories for women and less than 1,200 calories for men), “starvation mode” can actually be starvation. Starvation from chronic undereating can be counterproductive to weight loss and dangerous to your health.
For those who need fewer calories, a 1,200 calorie diet is usually safe and potentially effective. The number of calories a person needs each day depends on several factors , including their age, sex, activity level, and body size.
The 1200-calorie diet is geared toward women. Men's bodies require a higher caloric intake. This means that a typical woman can eat between 1200 and 1500 calories a day to lose weight. A typical male body needs about 1500 to 1800 calories daily to lose weight.
For many people, it is safe to eat 1300 calories a day as long as you balance your meals well, and ensure each meal has the required nutrients. In general, people need a minimum of 1200 calories a day, as advised by Everyday health (4).
In other words, if you stick to the calorie intake recommended by WLR, you can be sure your body won't go into starvation mode. As a general rule though, most nutrition experts recommend never going below 1,000-1,200 calories a day if you're dieting on your own.
For weight maintenance, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 suggest a range of 1,600–2,400 calories for women and 2,200–3,000 for men — so you could consider anything below these numbers a low-calorie diet. But some popular diet plans take users to extremely low levels.
Consuming at least 1,200 calories per day has often been touted as the minimum for basic bodily functions and to stay out of starvation mode, but the amount is actually too low. A healthy amount of calories for adult women ranges from 1,800 to 2,400 calories per day and for men it's 2,000 to 3,200 calories per day.
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.
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. Eating too few calories can endanger your health by depriving you of needed nutrients.
But the average weight loss that most people see on the 1200 calorie diet is about one to two pounds per week.”
Consumption of under 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,800 calories per day for men can eventually lead to starvation mode symptoms.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult needs 1,600 to 3,000 calories per day. Although the exact number of calories needed vary based on age and physical activity, 700 is very low. A 2-year-old who engages in minimal physical activities needs at least 1000 calories in a day.
One of the main reasons that undereating can lead to weight gain is because consuming too few calories can cause your resting metabolic rate to slow down. This means you may burn fewer calories throughout the day.
However, other studies show that while consuming 1,000 calories a day may result in significant weight loss, most people cannot sustain it and often experience significant weight regain . The reasons include regaining lost muscle mass and increased appetite. Also worth noting is that the human body can adapt.
Not eating won't directly lead to weight gain -- in fact, you may lose weight as you'll temporarily eat fewer calories than you burn. The problem is that fasting is unsustainable, so any weight-loss benefit will likely be short lived and your health will pay the price.
Short-term risks of eating 1,000 calories a day may include dizziness, hunger, gallstones, nausea, fatigue, headaches, and nutrient deficiencies. It can lead to nutrient deficiencies, slow metabolism, and make bones weaker if you exercise along with a low-calorie diet.
Experts tend to recommend eating every three to four hours for optimal energy and health. Starvation mode happens over the long-term, so skipping a meal every once in a while won't permanently affect your metabolism.
If you don't eat enough, your metabolism switches to slow-mo. Severe diets, especially when you also exercise, teach your body to make do with fewer calories. That can backfire, because your body clings to those calories, which makes it harder to take weight off.