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1200 Calorie Diet Plan - Why
A 1200 calorie diet plan is great for someone who cries "why can't I lose weight?"
If you're eating fewer than 1,200 calories a day, you're putting your body's health at risk. Not to mention that you're working too hard to lose weight!
But why do you need at least 1,200 calories a day to lose weight -- wouldn't fewer calories be even better?
No!
1200 Calorie Diet Plan -- Why So Many Calories?
If you're used to taking in 1,000 calories a day and you're still not losing the weight, you'll need to eat more to lose weight. Here's why.
When you don't eat enough calories on a daily basis, you're body goes into starvation mode. And what it does in starvation mode is very suprising.
You'd think that if the body isn't getting enough calories, it would just burn fat, right? Wrong!
When your body goes into starvation mode, it wants to:
- Conserve all the calories it can.
- Lower the metabolism to burn fewer calories.
Instead of burning fat, the body burns muscle! Because muscle uses calories, while fat doesn't. When the body is in starvation mode, fat is the last thing it will burn.
Help -- I Can't Lose Weight!
Does the above sound familiar at all? You eat fewer and fewer calories and still can't lose weight -- it's so frustrating!
You need to take your body out of starvation mode, and convince it that it will get the calories it needs to function on a daily basis.
The body will quit burning muscle for energy and start burning fat!
And if you start building back muscle, perhaps with easy at-home exercises, you can nudge the body to burn more calories, 24 hours a day.
1200 Calorie Diet Recipe
Here's a 1200 calorie recipe diet or two, to help you get started. These are 1,200 calories three day diets, and they will help you get used to eating more, a little at a time.
Now can you go below 1,200 calories a day -- will it send your body back into starvation mode? Everyone has those days once in awhile, but that's the key -- once in awhile. Not every day or even every week.
A special note for anyone who has 50 or more pounds to lose -- you'll want to up your calories even more, to get your body to lose the fat. Add an extra 200 calories a day in low-fat protein and raw or steamed vegetables. Once you're within 50 pounds of your weight goal, you can slowly drop back to a 1200 calorie diet plan.
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All information presented on this site is for educational purposes only, and is not meant for anyone under 18, pregnant, nursing or under supervision of a physician for a medical condition.
For specific weight loss and fitness questions, or for medical advice and treatment, always consult your medical practitioner.