The Secret Behind The 1200 Calorie Diet Plan

The 1200 calorie diet plan is basically about the lowest amount of calories that a woman should eat in order to lose weight safely and in a healthy way without going in to starvation. It is a great way to efficiently lose fat from the body with the results becoming evident within a few weeks from the start of the diet plan. With this diet plan, it is important to be well prepared before starting it out. Note that it may work well for some people compared to others, and the number of pounds you end up losing in a given time period may not be the same for everyone else.

1200 calorie diets

There are many low carb diets and diet plans out there, all claiming to show you how you will quickly lose weight eating this, and taking that. However, the bottom line is that you should eat less and exercise more while ensuring that what you eat is healthy and balanced. So, what’s the best approach?

The 1200 calorie diet plan breakdown

1. Eliminate hunger

The key to the 1200 calorie diet plan is to eliminate the feelings of hunger while at the same time giving the body just about enough nutrients to healthily survive on. To start with, ensure that you load your diet with a lot of proteins and fiber. These will maintain a feeling of fullness in your stomach throughout the day. Focus on fresh fruits, lean meats, fresh vegetables, whole grains and legumes. With these kinds of foods included in your diet plan, you will be less likely to feel hungry throughout the day.

2. Track your calorie intake

Keep track of all the calories you take in for each meal. Plan your snacks too so that you do not exceed the 1200 calories mark in a day. A food journal is a perfect way to help keep a record of this. Write down the meals that you will eat about a day or two before, as opposed to writing them as you eat them. A good suggestion is to plan for a meal that has 400 calories and then a snack of around 100 to 150 calories.  When you plan out your meals well, you will not have to worry about what to eat for lunch or supper, and this also helps you to keep up with a consistent calorie intake per day.

3. Go the nature way

As much as possible, eat all your foods in the form that nature provides them in. Take whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed nuts, and eat lean meat like chicken, shrimp and turkey. If any cooking is to be involved, make it as light as possible so that you do not compromise on your general health. These naturally eaten foods also happen to be the ones that contain the highest amount of fiber, leaving you feeling fuller for longer.

Is the 1200 calorie diet plan harmful?

It is important to note that as much as the 1200 calorie eating plan is an ideal way of losing weight, it also lurks with danger, and especially if abused. If you do not eat healthy foods during this dieting period, you may end up damaging your body, leading to serious health issues. Some of the dangers that may result from this diet plan include:

– Damage to your metabolism

The body metabolism plays a major role in helping you lose weight. It stays active and high enabling you to burn out fat in your body after an exercise, as well as after eating a meal. However, due to the low calorie intake during the 1200 calorie diet plan period, your body metabolism slows down. This is worsened by the possibility of you following some of the extremely unhealthy fad diet plans making rounds that recommend eating only one food type during the dieting period. Your body ceases to burn fat, storing it as energy. The result of this is that when you resume normal diet, you quickly gain back many pounds over.

– Dehydration

During the dieting period, your primary weight loss will be due to water loss. Make sure to drink water and healthy liquids like herbal teas to avoid this.

– Development of poor eating habits

All said, you can never beat a good exercising regime and a healthy and balanced diet for weight loss. Unfortunately, there are many 1200 calorie diet plan menus available in the public domain, and most of these end up introducing very poor eating habits to their users and followers.