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Health
The Problems with Low-Calorie Diets BY LISA KILGOUR, rhn
This is a question I often get: “How many calories should I be eating in a day? Is it 1,200? 1,500? Even 1,200 calories feels like a lot to me some days.”
H
ave you ever been on a lowcalorie diet? Or, have you ever attempted an ultra-low calorie diet, like 1,200 calories or less?
Chances are high that if you have, then eventually you got ravenously hungry. Super ravenous. Or had crazy cravings. Or maybe your energy plummeted. Here’s the truth: 1,200 calories is way too low for the average human body to function properly. Waaaaaaaay too low. It’s actually the caloric needs of a toddler. Yes, I said that correctly—it’s the caloric needs for a 2to 3-year-old child, not a fully grown adult. But almost every diet and meal plan uses this number as the magic weight loss number. It’s so common that many people I talk to see 1,200 calories as something to strive for every day. They feel that 1,200 calories is the most they should eat in a day.
For many people, a 1,200 calorie diet is a starvation diet, So why is 1,200 calories seen as something to strive for every day?
In reality, your body needs at least 1,200 calories to function properly if all you did was sit on the couch and watch TV. If you, say, walked to the kitchen and prepared a meal, then you’d need to eat more to deal with that energy output. Add a walk around the block or a trip to the gym and
LISA KILGOUR, rhn is one of Nature’s Fare Markets’ nutritionists and sought-after speaker and educator who helps people heal from diverse and complex health issues. She has spoken at TEDxKelowna and is the author of Undieting: Freedom from the Bewildering World of Fad Diets. Check out the nutritionist schedule on page three and book your free appointment today at naturesfare.com. Learn more: lisakilgour.com
19 | September/October 2021
