7 things to know about the 500 calorie diet (2024)

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The 500-calorie diet is a very low-calorie diet that can help you lose weight. Doctors prescribe this diet pill to overweight and obese patients with a high BMI (over 30) and whose lives are in danger. Remember, this diet is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women. Here's everything you need to know about the 500-calorie diet.

1. What is the 500-calorie diet?

The 500-calorie diet is an extremely powerful and rigorous form. This diet only provides the body with an extremely modest amount of calories. It replaces normal eating habits with liquid supplements, meal replacements and bars for a specific period of time.
This limited calorie consumption will help the body use stored fuel, ie fat, thereby helping to lose weight quickly. This is also known as the 5:2 type of intermittent fasting plan (The 5-2 Diet) which involves maximum energy restriction on two intermittent days of the week and a normal calorie intake. in the remaining five days. This type of modified diet can meet 20-25% of energy needs on fasting days.
Studies show that intermittent fasting lowers calcium levels can help overweight and obese people lose weight. However, these studies did not draw specific conclusions and more studies are needed to confirm these findings.
The benefit of the 500 calorie diet is that it aids in rapid weight loss. Applying a 500-calorie diet can help the body improve metabolism, accelerate fat oxidation, thereby supporting weight loss very well. This diet is often applied to people who need to lose weight quickly to prevent the risk of adverse health effects due to weight.
However, not everyone can follow a 500 calorie diet because applying this method for a long time can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that an ultra-low-calorie diet recipe such as a 500-calorie diet can lead to severe micronutrient deficiencies.
The study showed a significant decrease in serum vitamin D, vitamin C and zinc levels in obese subjects on a 500-calorie diet for more than 12 weeks. In addition, a 500-calorie diet can lead to a number of conditions such as nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, more sensitivity to temperature, menstrual disorders and hair loss.... Besides, the A lack of fiber in the diet can also cause constipation. Your immune system will also be affected so your body will be more susceptible to many diseases.

2. 7 things to know about the 500 calorie diet

The 500-calorie diet is an extreme form of the very low-calorie diet (VLCD). It requires people to apply this diet to significantly reduce their food intake, up to 800 calories per day. The 500-calorie diet uses meal replacements such as drinks, shakes, and prepared foods in place of meals for at least two meals a day. With that said, this diet is also for people who are overweight and can't lose weight after trying many diet plans. This diet can be dangerous and requires medical supervision. Here are 7 things to know about the 500-calorie
2.1 diet. Do not arbitrarily adopt a 500-calorie diet Your doctor will decide whether to apply a 500-calorie diet if they really think you need to lose weight. The decision whether to adopt this approach will be based on how the patient's general health concerns are weighed against the potential risks and complications of drastic calorie reduction. If your doctor does not recommend a 500-calorie diet, you should not try this diet. A diet like this always has risks and precautions that come with it. And the implementation of a 500-calorie diet should be under the supervision of doctors.
2.2. The 5:2 diet plan Some people use the 500-calorie diet as part of the recently popular 5:2 interval diet plan. Under this plan, the practitioner would eat a balanced Mediterranean-style diet of about 2,000 calories five days a week and then limit themselves to 500 low-carbohydrate calories per day for two days. rest. The two days of “fasting” in a cycle are usually not consecutive. There is very little scientific evidence supporting the benefits of the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet for reducing daily calorie intake so it should be weighed before adopting this diet
2.3. How much is 500 calories? People who follow a 500-calorie diet can quite well know what 500 calories is when considering the calories of common foods. The United States Department of Agriculture calculates that two handfuls of peanuts or one slice of pepperoni pizza contain about 250 calories. One apple contains less than 80 calories, while two pieces of fried chicken contain about 400 calories. You may also want to consider how many calories you burn in a day. According to Harvard Medical School, a 84-pound person burns 72 calories just by sitting in an hour-long meeting.

2.4. Your body still needs nutrients. One of the problems with the 500-calorie diet is that it has no limits on how much fat and carbohydrate you can consume. One serving of chocolate chip cookies and one glass of milk adds about 500 calories. However, that serving doesn't even give you the nutrients you need, even if you only have to do light work during the day. Regardless of calories consumed, a well-rounded diet includes fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. The health of the body is not only calculated by the numbers that represent the usual calorie level.
2.5. Risks of vitamin and mineral deficiencies The biggest dangers associated with a 500-calorie diet are vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to many health problems. In fact, most people cannot meet their vitamin and mineral needs if they eat less than 1200 calories per day. For example, according to the Mayo Clinic, if your diet is deficient in the mineral zinc found in pumpkin seeds and beef, you may experience hair loss. Low iron intake can lead to anemia, while chronic low calcium and vitamin D levels can lead to osteoporosis later in life. If you don't get enough of the vitamin niacin found in tuna and dates, you may be at risk for a heart attack due to blocked arteries. So always consider the complete nutritional composition of the foods you eat, not just their calories.
2.6. Losing Muscle A 500-calorie diet can also put you at risk for muscle loss. Dr. Sharon Palmer, registered dietitian and author of the book "Plant-Powered for Life", points out, "Once your body has consumed stored fat, it also begins to burn. strong muscles." At first, losing muscle may seem like you're losing more weight, but keep in mind that not all body weight is bad. To keep your body healthy, you need to be able to build muscle. A healthy diet is one that burns fat, not muscle.

2.7. Altered Metabolism Another health risk to keep in mind when considering a 500-calorie diet is that your metabolism changes when you reduce your calorie intake for a long enough period of time. . Limiting bulk calories for long periods of time will slow down your metabolism. This can cause the body to burn fewer calories. In addition, when losing weight, the body may need fewer calories to maintain the new weight compared to the original weight. Dr Mindy Haar, of the New York Institute of Technology School of Medicine, says: “Many people think they can stick with a diet for a short period of time, lose weight, and then go back to eating. Drink like before. But if they do, they will regain their weight until they reach their original weight.” Usually people lose both fat mass and lean mass but mostly regain the fat, which is how dieting can make us fatter in the long run.
The 500 calorie diet is not a diet that can be applied to everyone and should only be taken under the close supervision of doctors or nutritionists. Although the 500kcal diet can help bring about rapid weight loss, people who follow this diet may also encounter some other problems such as malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency. ... A healthy weight loss diet is one that provides the user with a variety of nutrients from different food sources, limits food portions, and burns more calories than they take in. put into. Therefore, it is still important to control portion sizes and lead a healthy lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight.

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Reference sources: stylecraze.com, healthline.com