How many calories is too little?

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.

everydayhealth.com - Calories: How to Know if You Go Too Low - Weight Center

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Cutting calories is the approach most dieters must take to meet their weight-loss goals. But every once in a while people take calorie restriction too far, ultimately making weight loss slower and more difficult by slowing your metabolism. Figuring out the right number of calories for you on a daily basis depends on your age, gender, and activity level. In general, the younger and more active you are, the more calories you can consume. And men are able to eat more calories daily than women. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines says that women 19 to 30 years old should consume 2,000 calories if they have a sedentary lifestyle or 2,400 calories if they have an active one; for men of the same age the range is 2,400 to 3,000 calories.

Defining the Low-Calorie Diet

It seems logical that if calories are the problem, you would want to eat as few of them as possible to speed weight loss. 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. “The big picture is to consume enough calories with a balance of nutrients and engage in physical activity for good health management to achieve one’s weight goals. Consuming less than 1,200 calories per day may make it difficult to meet vitamin and mineral needs via food,” says nutrition therapist Andrea Spivack, MA, RD, LDN, with Penn Behavioral Health at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Tempting as it may be to continue with your low-calorie weight-loss plan and simply take a supplement, Spivack points out that there are some key nutrients which are only available through your diet. Occasionally, obese people will go on a very low-calorie diet — 800 to 1,000 calories per day — for a brief period of time in order to achieve a specific weight-loss goal, but then will switch to a diet with more calories to reach and maintain their desired weight. Such a diet is usually supervised by a doctor or nutritionist so that it is nutritionally balanced. Unfortunately, weight regain is common after these restricted calorie diets end.

Why Low-Calorie Diets Slow Your Metabolism

If you are on a very low-calorie diet, you may wonder why the numbers on your scale aren’t budging, but your diet buddy is slimmer by the month. The reality is that different people respond differently to low-calorie diets. When your body senses that food may not be in plentiful supply, it may slow down your metabolism as protection against the possibility of starvation, even if you are obese and deliberately trying to lose weight.

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Can you get thinner just by eating less?

You can lose weight by eating less, but adding physical activity allows you to burn more calories than dieting alone. Any weight-loss plan that includes regular exercise is not only more successful — it's also healthier. By eating a healthy diet and exercising, you're keeping your bones, muscles, and heart strong.

kidshealth.org - Is It Possible to Lose Weight Without Exercising? (for Teens) - Kids Health

Could you really lose weight just by eating healthy and not exercising?

– Karley*

Eating a healthy diet does not ensure that you will lose weight. Your weight is a balance between the calories you take in and the calories you burn. You will lose weight if you burn off more calories than you take in, and you will gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn off. You can lose weight by eating less, but adding physical activity allows you to burn more calories than dieting alone. Any weight-loss plan that includes regular exercise is not only more successful — it's also healthier. By eating a healthy diet and exercising, you're keeping your bones, muscles, and heart strong. You also lower your chances of getting certain health problems, like high blood pressure and diabetes. Rather than dieting, focus on healthy habits, like eating more fruits and vegetables and exercising. Even if you don't lose weight, you will be healthier and you will feel and look better too.

If you are concerned about your weight, talk to your doctor.

*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.

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