Can You Lose Weight Healthily On A 1200 Calorie Diet Plan?

Calculating Your Calorie Intake

Before you begin any type of healthy eating program or diet, you should think about how many calories you actually need and what that means for your daily intake. There are lots of different online calculators, such as My Fitness Pal, that can estimate your calories using your height, weight and age. However, these have a wide range of error so using a more detailed equation is much better to find your correct amount.

The Harris-Benedict equation is one of the best methods to use, and the equation is as follows:

MenBMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age in years)

WomenBMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age in years)

This gives you your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of calories you need to sustain life at total rest, therefore once you have your BMR we need to multiply it by an activity factor to give the correct amount you need per day. Multiple your BMR by one of the following to get your total calorie demand.

• Little to no exercise:  = BMR x 1.2
• Light exercise (1–3 days per week) = BMR x 1.375
• Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week) = BMR x 1.55
• Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week)= BMR x 1.725
• Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts) = BMR x 1.9

For example, a female aged 35 weighing 65kg at 160cm tall would need:

447.593 + (9.247 x 65) + (3.098 x 160) - (4.330 x 35) = 1393. We then need to multiply this by her activity factor, let's assume she only exercises twice a week, so we multiply the result by 1.375:

1393 X 1.375 = 1915 calories per day to maintain her weight.

How Many Calories Do I Need To Lose Weight?

So now we know how many calories our female needs per day to maintain her weight, but how many calories should you take in to actually lose weight? 

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It is proven that to lose one pound of fat per week you need to burn or have a deficit of 3500 calories. This equates to 500 less calories per day to enable you to lose a pound a week. For a pound and a half you would need a daily deficit of 750 calories. There are various ways to get a daily deficit in your calorie's, either by restricting your diet to a much lower number — in the case of our example, if she was to lose 1.5lb a week, she would need to be taking in 1165 calories per day. She could also be burning at least 250 calories in the gym while restricting her diet to 1415 calories. 

The Pros And Cons Of A 1200 Calorie Diet

Why A 1200 Calorie Diet?

A low calorie diet is great for people who have a high amount of excess weight and generally speaking have a BMI of above 30, which is in the morbidly obese range. Cutting calories is a quick way to produce a larger deficit between the calories burnt and the calories taken in, which will aid in weight loss.

Here are some reasons to consider a 1200 calorie diet:

• Generally, low calorie diets tend to be low in fat because the primary source of calories needs to come from carbohydrates and proteins to allow the body the nutrients to survive and keep functioning.
• A 1200 calorie a day diet should only be a short-term solution for quick weight loss for people with potential health implications from excess fat. Therefore, they have a high level of adherence — meaning more people will stick to it, because it is not a long term solution.
• The body has no other choice than to burn fat that is stored around the body for energy because you are starving it of the essential carbohydrates that it needs to run the body organs.
• Combining exercise with a low calorie diet will help you lose a lot more weight than if you ate a higher calorie diet and then exercised.

Why Avoid A 1200 Calorie Diet?

These types of low calorie diets are not suitable for everybody and should only be started after seeking advice from a your doctor or physician if you have any pre-existing medical problems. 

Here's when to avoid going on a very low calorie diet:

• Anyone suffering with eating disorders should not start a diet like this because it will further increase their obsession with food and will not help with their mental health issues.
• Pregnant women or those breastfeeding should not undergo any kind of calorie restricted diet because the body relies heavily on your food intake to provide nutrients to your baby via breastfeeding or when in the womb.
• Low calorie diets can be dangerous if you train heavily, and anyone active more than four times a week for longer than an hour shouldn't start a low calorie diet because the body will be affected by the lack of nutrients.
• There is a possibility of feeling tired or lethargic when undertaking this type of diet because your body is being starved, particularly if your BMR is higher than 1200. Therefore, certain professions which require you to be fully alert or operate machinary may find it difficult to maintain this diet.

So, Is It Safe?

There are plenty of pros and cons for this type of diet, but everyone is different. Some people will read this and think, "great, this could work for me", and others will be the opposite. The important thig is to consider your own health before starting a diet that is restrictive. Always seek advice from a doctor before starting if you have any concerns. Quite often, doctors actually prescribe this kind of diet to those that are at a significant health risk due to their weight being too high. People who are overweight may, for example, be at risk of diabetes or coronary heart disease.

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