Does the 1200 calorie diet work for weight loss?

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Setting a menu to eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight is chosen by many people, is it really safe and effective? In fact, the amount of calories needed for a body depends on indicators such as height, weight, age, sex. Normally, the body needs more than 1200 calories, even up to 3000 calories. The following article would like to clarify the problem of weight loss with a menu of 1200 calories per day.

1. Learn about 1200 calorie diet for weight loss plan

Cutting calories in your diet for weight loss is a viable method. However, studies on the relationship between health and weight when consumed by energy sources have shown that a rapid decrease in calorie intake will cause the body to fall into a state of prolonged fatigue. . Therefore, a menu of 1200 calories per day is considered a fairly low calorie diet for a developing adult. Weight loss in adulthood will make the patient weak and physically inadequate to carry out vital activities of the body.
According to a number of studies and assessments about the energy the body needs and the level of fat accumulation in the body, nutritionists say that every day you should reduce 500-750 calories intake when performing weight loss. . That means adult women will eat 1200-1500 calories per day for adult women and about 1500-1800 calories for men. It can be seen that if men eat 1200 calories per day, it will lead to a lack of nutrients, increase the risk of body weakness and affect life activities.
Accordingly, the diet is sometimes even lower than 800 - 1000 calories to accelerate the results of burning excess fat accumulated for a long time. To ensure safety, when using a low-calorie diet, you should consult your doctor and have close monitoring to ensure safety. There have been many recommendations when implementing a 1200 calorie diet should only be chosen as a short-term plan, not long-term maintenance.

2. Benefits of applying a menu of 1200 calories per day

Establishing a menu to eat 1200 calories per day will minimize the continued accumulation of excess fat for the body. This helps the existing fats to be burned and released, they not only mean to help improve weight but also prevent the risk of diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver ....
Amount Calories provided to the body should only be enough to maintain our health and resistance. Many research reviews have provided convincing evidence for healthy weight loss when the body takes in fewer calories than usual. Reducing excess energy will lower cholesterol, reduce blood sugar and increase the body's anti-inflammatory ability.
It can be said that body indexes, especially weight, most objectively reflect health status. If the energy supply is maintained at a reasonable level, the body will always be full of vitality and improve the immune system. Besides, if you lose too much energy to promote weight loss, the opposite health will be threatened. Therefore, the diet needs to be reasonable for long-term use and suitable for each person.
Obesity was found to have 2 main causes: obesity due to excess energy and pathological obesity. If suffering from this disease, the process of low-calorie diet should be supervised by medical staff to improve blood sugar and lipids accordingly. At the same time, with the professional knowledge and understanding of doctors, the health of people with obesity will be comprehensively improved.
The more extreme the diet, the higher the dropout rate. For the same reason, you should learn and choose a low-calorie diet that's right for you and you can contact a nutritionist for more information to help improve your health. .
MORE: Happy weight vs healthy weight

3. Limitations to pay attention to when eating 1200 calories

Low-calorie diet helps to lose weight and prevent disease, but it still has many limitations due to objective or subjective reasons. Not all ages or subjects can maintain the 1200 calorie diet for a long time with perseverance.
In fact, this diet is difficult to apply for adults and women because their energy consumption needs are higher to ensure daily work.
In each different subject, the calorie requirement provided will also have its own formula. The most accurate way to measure this unit is to use high-tech medical machinery. According to the average calculation for the majority, adult women need an average of 2,000 calories per day to maintain weight, and men about 500 calories more than that.
This average number is only a partial estimate and it is reflected in the majority, not completely as a measure for low-calorie weight loss diets. However, this is considered a demonstration to show you that the 1200 calorie diet is really too difficult, because it is much lower than the average energy requirement of our body.
When blindly following the 1200 calorie diet without reference you will face a number of symptoms such as dizziness, appetite, nausea, weakness, headache, gallstones... Besides That said, you'll fail quickly if a 1200-calorie diet is your long-term goal.
When energy intake is limited, the metabolic capacity of the organs is also more sluggish. At that time, hormones like ghrelin and cortisol will create cravings, and make the burning of calories much less than the original.
Therefore, a low-calorie diet should be considered so that you do not lose weight immediately but the weight will be far beyond when you start to lose it. In fact, the fluctuating weight up and down will be a bad sign for your health in the long run.

4. Evaluate the results of eating 1200 calories and weight

With the same information, advantages and disadvantages, does eating 1200 calories lose weight? The answer is yes, but to evaluate in detail, this is a problem. In a study of more than 2000 people with obesity, it was found that 1200 calories per day helped patients lose an average of 4.7% fat in 1 year.
A year of dieting with 1200 - 1500 calories you can lose up to 7 kg of weight. However, according to the survey, 23% of individuals on the 1200 calorie diet gave up because they were not healthy enough to continue. Therefore, a low-calorie diet, although beneficial for quick weight loss, also makes you return to your original weight soon, even higher if you can't stick to it.
Rapid weight loss in a short time of 2-3 months will make you satisfied but if you want to not gain weight again, give a method to lose weight in a longer time from 9 months. When conducting research on obese people, scientists chose to reduce 500 calories in their daily diet and eat 1200 calories to evaluate the effectiveness of weight loss. After 5 - 12 weeks of the study, half were back to their original weight.
Thus, a low-calorie diet is unlikely to help us lose weight in the long run. The body's imbalance when applying a 1200 calorie menu makes the metabolism of energy conservation gradually worse. The body constantly appears cravings, weight is lost but excess fat is not burned..... Therefore, the diet should only reduce the amount of calories tolerated, not the diet. Low calorie for quick weight loss effect.

5. Alternative weight loss solution for eating 1200 calories

If it is not possible to eat low calories for long-term weight loss, what should we do to prevent the weight from gaining back after dieting? Usually wellness services tend to promote rapid weight loss to keep clients satisfied. Customers who do not understand the basic weight loss mechanism, the risk of disease when losing weight in the wrong way will increase.
When you lose weight too quickly by eating less calories, you will face the risk of losing muscle mass, affecting the health and movement of the functional organs. At the same time, nutritional deficiencies make it difficult for blood to circulate, making the nervous system less effective, which will cause serious psychological diseases. Here are some suggestions to lose weight safely and more effectively:

5.1. Choose healthy foods that are good for your body

Vegetables, tubers, fruits, fish, meat, eggs... are all necessary foods and provide energy for the body. In addition, the group of vegetables contains a lot of fiber and other nutritional components that help the fat metabolism process better.

5.2. Cut down on sugar and fat intake

Foods high in sugar and fat always make you attractive. Therefore, if you minimize it, your weight will improve and your risk of disease will also decrease. Some foods that contain high amounts of sugar and fat are common: soda, cakes, ice cream, candy....

5.3. Eat small meals to help the body digest easily

Home cooked rice is a good choice to control food quality and quantity. However, this is quite difficult if you are a busy person who often has to choose fast food. Cooking at home and eating smaller meals will make your body feel less hungry and eat more nutritious meals.

5.4. Actively exercise to burn energy

Increasing the amount of calories consumed through sports is what we should do. However, it is not necessary to exercise vigorously with high frequency. You can refer to some gentle exercises such as walking and climbing stairs...

5.5. Seeking information and advice from a leading nutritionist in the industry

Ultimately, all your weight loss efforts will benefit your mental health more if directed and planned right from the start. Please consult a nutritionist for advice and safe weight loss knowledge.
1200 calorie diet works to lose weight, but to ensure safety for health, you should follow a diet based on the advice of a doctor or nutritionist.

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References: healthline.com, medicalnewstoday.com