How low is too low? Prior to the low carbohydrate, high-protein diets, such as the Atkins or South Beach diet, the most popular way of losing weight was to limit your calorie intake. In fact, researchers know that weight loss is essentially the difference between calories eaten and calories burned. Even in the high protein diets the body is forced to burn a higher number of calories which results in the weight loss – again, higher number of calories burned versus calories eaten.
But there is a difference between a low calorie diet and a very low calorie diet plan. Dietitians and physicians agree that most individuals should not consume less than 1200 calories per day or they risk sending their body into starvation mode which actually slows metabolism and slows weight loss. In some instances, and under the care of the physician, individuals may attempt a very low calorie diet (900 calories or less per day) for a very short period of time in order to jumpstart their diet weight loss.
Physicians, fitness trainers, dietitians, researchers and scientists all agree that the ultimate goal is not weight loss per se but rather the achievements of an improved overall healthy body. For the most part, achieving this overall health will also include achieving a normalized weight.
In the past, researchers and doctors have relied on a body mass index in order to determine whether or not an individual would be considered overweight. And, while this determination continues to be useful in many circumstances, the body mass index does not take into account the differences between individuals who have high amounts of muscle mass versus fat. For instance, a person who has a high amount of muscle mass may have the same body mass index as an individual who has a high amount of fat but will have a lowered health risk for specific diseases, cardiovascular problems and diabetes.
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