Understanding a 1200 Calorie per day Diet
1,200 calories a day is a tough program. This diet makes it hard to fill all of an individual's nutritional requirements. It is highly recommended one be supervised by an expert while on this diet.
In order for our bodies to function properly, they need a certain amount of calories. If the body is starved too much, it will automatically lower the rate at which it burns calories. This is not a healthy option. If the calorie intake is brought to an ultra low level, lowering intake further generates lower returns in terms of losing and managing weight.
The threshold varies from individual to individual but is often above 1,200 calories per day. Even if less calories are consumed, fewer calories will be burned by the body because its basal metabolic rate (BMR) also decreases. At this threshold, other negative physiological effects also begin so that the total effect on health can be harmful.
1,200 calories per day is perhaps best viewed as a guideline, not a firm target. It is best tweaked in line with a person's BMR (which varies according sex, height, age, weight) as well as a person's medical conditions and work-out patterns.
The BMR rate refers to the amount of calories a person needs just to stay alive with zero unnecessary physical effort. It is sometimes referred to as the stay-in-bed metabolicrate. The BMR for a healthy person can be calculated as follows:
BMR Formula - Imperial Units
Female: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight pounds) + (4.7 x height inches) - (4.7 x age yrs)
Male: BMR = 66+ (6.23 x weight pounds) + (12.7 x height inches) - (6.8 x age yrs)
The BMR goes down with age and up with height and weight. It is higher for a man relative to a woman of identical size.
Using the above formula, a 22 year old woman weighing 120 pounds and five feet eight inches tall has a BMR of 1,393 calories. A 50 year old man weighing 180 pounds with a height of six feet has a BMR of 1,635 calories.
These examples demonstrate that a 1,200 calorie per day diet is much less than the natural or stay-in-bed metabolic rate of most people. This is a key reason why the diet is considered a tough program and best undertaken in consultation with a dietitian.
A balanced diet aims to ensure a body's full set of nutritional requirements is satisfied. Maintaining a balanced diet becomes more important when dieting; decreasing calorie intake increases the risk that some nutritional needs are missed. It is very difficult to meet all nutritional needs under a 1,200 calorie per day diet.
In order for our bodies to function properly, they need a certain amount of calories. If the body is starved too much, it will automatically lower the rate at which it burns calories. This is not a healthy option. If the calorie intake is brought to an ultra low level, lowering intake further generates lower returns in terms of losing and managing weight.
The threshold varies from individual to individual but is often above 1,200 calories per day. Even if less calories are consumed, fewer calories will be burned by the body because its basal metabolic rate (BMR) also decreases. At this threshold, other negative physiological effects also begin so that the total effect on health can be harmful.
1,200 calories per day is perhaps best viewed as a guideline, not a firm target. It is best tweaked in line with a person's BMR (which varies according sex, height, age, weight) as well as a person's medical conditions and work-out patterns.
The BMR rate refers to the amount of calories a person needs just to stay alive with zero unnecessary physical effort. It is sometimes referred to as the stay-in-bed metabolicrate. The BMR for a healthy person can be calculated as follows:
BMR Formula - Imperial Units
Female: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight pounds) + (4.7 x height inches) - (4.7 x age yrs)
Male: BMR = 66+ (6.23 x weight pounds) + (12.7 x height inches) - (6.8 x age yrs)
The BMR goes down with age and up with height and weight. It is higher for a man relative to a woman of identical size.
Using the above formula, a 22 year old woman weighing 120 pounds and five feet eight inches tall has a BMR of 1,393 calories. A 50 year old man weighing 180 pounds with a height of six feet has a BMR of 1,635 calories.
These examples demonstrate that a 1,200 calorie per day diet is much less than the natural or stay-in-bed metabolic rate of most people. This is a key reason why the diet is considered a tough program and best undertaken in consultation with a dietitian.
A balanced diet aims to ensure a body's full set of nutritional requirements is satisfied. Maintaining a balanced diet becomes more important when dieting; decreasing calorie intake increases the risk that some nutritional needs are missed. It is very difficult to meet all nutritional needs under a 1,200 calorie per day diet.
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