By Bianca Grover

For some reason, something called the “1200 Calorie Diet” has made its way across the internet and in front of the eyes of individuals looking to improve their health (Eating Well, Good Housekeeping). This fad has gained popularity with claims such as “Lose 20 pounds in seven days.” I will say this right off the bat: this is not a healthy choice. Allow me to explain why.

In my most recent podcast episode I talk about resting metabolism and what it means for your body. Your resting metabolism is the sum of calories burned to simply keep you alive. No daily activities, no exercising…just existing. Typically, most people’s resting metabolism is over 1200 calories. Add calories burned doing dishes, going to work, taking a shower and exercising, and that is your daily caloric expenditure. That is the sum of all activities and processes in the body that burned fuel.

Only consuming 1200 calories or less a day is not sustainable for your body, as you’re not even eating enough to entirely fuel your resting metabolism. In fact, you should probably not eat less than 1500 calories a day.

While it is true that a caloric deficit can lead to weight loss, lowering your daily intake to 1200 calories is not the way to do it. This will put your body into starvation mode. This means your body tries to preserve itself, storing fat to try and hold on to additional sources of energy. Over time, your metabolism will slow down significantly and your body will get weaker.

On top of messing up your metabolism, you also risk serious nutrient deficiencies which will only lead to more health problems.

Psychological issues can arise as well. Due to a decreased caloric intake and nutrient deficiency, you will notice your body is more tired than usual and mood swings may become a frequent occurrence. Tightly counting calories will become a negative experience than can quickly turn into an obsession, unfortunately. Luckily, there is a proper approach to weight loss that can help you avoid these issues.

Sustainable Weight Loss

While it is true that a caloric deficit can lead to weight loss, you must keep in mind that healthy weight loss is not achieved through starvation. The healthy way to lose weight and keep that weight off is through regular exercise, a clean diet and consistency. A caloric deficit that is higher than 500 calories is advised against. This is why you should talk to a professional before cutting calories. You should still eat a balanced amount of macronutrients and take in all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Why even bother losing weight if you’re going to end up unhealthy and miserable?

Regular resistance training can help build muscle which will develop your metabolism. These larger muscles will automatically burn more calories at rest and with activity. But keep in mind, building muscle requires an adequate nutrient intake, protein especially. The good news is that your body burns more calories digesting protein so you kill two birds with one stone.

How Do I Muild My Metabolism Back Up?

Let’s assume you’ve been eating a low calorie diet for an extended period of time now and noticed all the negative side effects on your mood and energy levels. On top of that, your weight loss has stalled.

The bad news is, it sounds like the long-term low calorie diet negatively impacted your metabolism and your body is in survival mode. The good news is, you can slowly bring your metabolism to a healthier place if you’re willing to put in the work.

Resistance training and reverse dieting is something you might want to try. Slowly adding small increments of calories back to your daily caloric intake and being physically active should increase your resting metabolism. This is important, as a low resting metabolism fights against your efforts and makes the journey harder.

If you have falling victim to the 1200 Calorie Diet or have any questions on proper weight loss, contact me.