We have been told that the fastest way to lose weight is to cut down the calories. If you are trying to lose weight, you are probably looking for diets that will help you achieve your goal as soon as possible. You might have already come across blogs offering tips on losing an excessive amount of weight within a week or a month.
500-Calorie Diet Plan:
The 500-Calorie diet plan, as the title suggests, is a restrictive extreme form of VLCDs (Very Low-Calorie Diets). When put on the diet, the individual cannot eat more than 500 calories. Doctors may put an obese individual on this diet plan to help them lose weight faster. VLCDs can be done by consuming only liquids, eating one meal a day, or even by intermittent fasting.
Things to Know Before Getting on the 500-Calorie Diet Plan:
According to the National Health Service [1] the recommended calorie intake for an average adult is 2000 calories. Before you get on this diet plan, consult your doctor as it can pose a risk to your health if you have any medical conditions such as kidney issues, diabetes, anaemia or low blood pressure. You should especially avoid this diet plan if you are pregnant.
What to Eat during the Diet:
When you are going on this restrictive diet, it is important to eat a healthy and balanced meal. You can eat hard-boiled eggs, berries, oatmeal, bread, low-fat milk etc. It is recommended to intake left greens on this diet plan as they are non-starchy foods that can fill you up with reduced calories. However, if you feel hungry or crave a snack despite the calorie restriction, you can munch on celery to satisfy the cravings for the time being.
Effects on the Body After a Month: [2]
You can see drastic changes after a month of this diet plan. An average person can lose up to 8- 20 pounds within a month. Weight loss depends on the activity level and metabolism of the individual. If the individual has a fast metabolism and they are active, they can lose this weight faster. This weight loss can also be impacted by the maintenance of calories. If an individual had been consuming 1500 calories per day, then this diet can help them lose up to 8 pounds in a month. Similarly, if the person had been consuming 3000 calories per day, this diet will help them reduce a significant amount of weight in a month.
Benefits:
Rapid Weight Loss
Perhaps the most obvious and main benefit of this diet is rapid weight loss [3]. As mentioned above, you can lose up to 8 to 20 pounds on this diet. It is effective and the fastest way to lose weight.
No Need for Exercising [4]
Diets work when you are burning more calories than the intake. One way to ensure that more calories are being burned is through exercise. However, on this diet, the calorie intake is significantly low, which negates the requirement of exercise to lose weight.
Side Effects:
Nutritional Deficiency [5]
Losing weight fast can impose various health risks due to the lack of stable nutrition, such as fatigue, muscle loss, hair loss, and hormonal imbalance [6].
Decreased Metabolism and Hormonal Imbalance
When the body is not receiving enough calories to function for a prolonged period, it may start to burn fewer calories in order to survive. This can be done by decreasing or slowing down your metabolism. This can cause issues in the long run and it may affect your weight loss in the future due to the slow metabolism.
The 500-calorie diet plan is the fastest way to shed weight. Doctors would usually recommend this diet to obese patients. Losing weight fast without exercise may seem like a dream, but health experts advice against choosing extremely restrictive diets without consulting your doctor. The 500-calorie diet plan is an extreme method of losing weight. It imposes several health risks, and it may not be suited for everyone.