Best Daily Calorie Intake For Weight Loss – The 500 calorie diet plan is designed to help you lose weight. Doctors usually recommend this very low calorie diet (VLCD) to people with obesity (BMI – over 30), whose health is at risk due to excess fat.
However, breastfeeding and pregnant women should strictly avoid taking this diet. This article explains what this diet is for, what benefits it offers, and what potential risks it poses. Read more!
Best Daily Calorie Intake For Weight Loss

The 500 calorie diet is an extreme form of the very low calorie diet, i.e. very low in calories. It replaces the usual nutritional routine with liquid supplements, meal replacement shakes and bars for a period of time (1).
I Lived On 500 Calories A Day. Now I Don’t Restrict, I’m Happy.’
The availability of dietary supplements or meal replacements is widespread in the United States. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017-March 2020, more than a third of young people and nearly three in five adults consume nutritional supplements.
This limited calorie intake can help your body use its stored energy source, i.e. fat. This in turn helps you lose weight.
This is a type of 5:2 intermittent fasting plan that involves severe energy restriction on two non-consecutive days a week and an intake of 2,000 calories on the other five days. This type of modified diet can cover 20-25% of energy needs on fasting days (2).
Lifestyle blogger Jaya Jha managed to lose weight by following the 5:2 calorie deficit diet. He said: “Between September last year and May this year I lost more than 8kg from my peak weight.” However, he becomes frustrated on holidays, holidays and business trips. She considers this weight loss an important milestone and her goal is to maintain her current weight or lose more weight through the diet.
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Studies have shown that the hypocaloric diet is a very low calorie diet with very low daily food energy consumption. Also called half-starvation. Intermittent fasting can help overweight and obese people lose weight. However, these studies are inconclusive and further research is needed to confirm these results (3).
The 5:2 diet plan requires you to follow a low-carb diet for two days. But what exactly should you eat?
Tip: Drink water and, if hungry, a glass of coconut water or unsweetened vegetable juice.

You can choose from these options and create an ideal, customized diet plan that suits you. Be sure to consult your doctor and nutritionist before starting this diet.
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The main advantage of 500 calorie diets is that they can promote rapid weight loss. Following a VLCD can help change your metabolism. It accelerates fat oxidation and helps you lose weight (4). It is ideal for those who need to lose weight to avoid health risks.
But what if you follow this diet even though it’s not necessary? Or what if you’ve been on a 500-calorie diet for three weeks or more without medical supervision? In this case, is the 500 calorie diet healthy and safe? Find out in the next section.
No, 500 calories a day is not healthy, especially if consumed over a long period of time without medical supervision. Yes, you can lose weight initially. However, this is not sustainable as you may gain weight back when you go back to your regular diet. Additionally, a low-calorie diet can be mentally and emotionally draining and lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. Research suggests that calorie counting can trigger eating disorder symptoms such as binge eating and purging behavior (5).
In addition, a low-calorie diet is associated with an increased risk of malnutrition, muscle loss and gallstone formation. Learn more about these health risks in the next section.
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Obese subjects who consumed a low-calorie diet for more than 12 weeks experienced a significant decrease in serum concentrations of vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc (6).
A low-calorie diet can lead to nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, cold intolerance, menstrual irregularities and hair loss. A lack of fiber in the diet can also lead to constipation. It reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and makes your body vulnerable to various diseases.
Registered dietitian Jesse Feder says, “A person can only survive for a short time on 500 calories a day. This is very small and can lead to serious health problems over time.

Do you want to lose weight? Then you will lose fat, not muscle. If you take a VLCD for a long time, you will begin to lose muscle mass instead of fat mass, and your body may not like the change.
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A very low calorie, carbohydrate, and protein diet can lead to skeletal muscle loss (7). This can make you look “skinny fat” and make your skin sagging and weak.
A very low-calorie diet over a long period of time slows down your metabolism. This eventually leads to weight gain as you return to your original eating pattern.
Showed that a sudden reduction in body weight due to a low-calorie diet decreased resting metabolic rate (RMR), but not as expected (8).
Weight loss due to long-term calorie restriction reduces bone mineral density and weakens bone strength (9).
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One study showed that weight loss caused by a low-calorie diet was accompanied by loss of bone mass (10). Another study in 48 adults showed that calorie restriction (CR) reduced bone mineral density and bone mass (11).
Showed that VLCD resulted in cholelithiasis (gallstone formation) after more than a year. Many adults require a cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder) (12).
A low-calorie diet avoids healthy fats to limit unnecessary calorie intake. Controlled consumption of healthy fats keeps you full and helps you stay healthy (13).
A very low-calorie diet with limited intake of healthy fats reduces the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and leads to deficiency (14).
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You may be wondering who can follow this diet and who should avoid it. Below you will find the answers.
Following a VLCD diet plan can also be costly as healthy and low-calorie foods are more expensive than others. Meal replacement products are also more expensive than other foods.
People with a BMI over 30 (from obesity grade I to grade III) should follow a very low-calorie diet under the appropriate supervision of a doctor or nutritionist.
XA General term for gastric bypass and other weight loss surgeries that alter the digestive system to lose weight. or laparoscopic surgery
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XA type of surgery that uses a camera to make small incisions to access the abdomen and pelvis. , because fat loss can shorten surgery time, blood loss, and other complications (15).
According to Jesse Feder, registered dietitian, “The amount of time a person can survive on 500 calories per day depends on several factors, such as height, current weight, metabolism, and current health status. However, in general, you can’t survive.” Long 500 Calories a Day A popular 500 calorie diet plan is a variation of intermittent fasting. It’s called the 5:2 plan and it means eating normally and healthily 5 days a week and then only consuming 500 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week.” Who should avoid very low calorie diets?
Doctors generally do not allow people with medical conditions to follow a VLCD. It is not recommended to follow a calorie-restricted diet in the following clinical conditions:
There are many foods that are low in calories or marketed as low or no calorie drinks or foods but are harmful to the body. Therefore, you should be careful when choosing food. You should have a clear idea of what to eat and what to avoid when following a 500 calorie diet.
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Sticking to a 500 calorie diet isn’t easy, especially in the beginning. You’re more likely to give in to your cravings and end up passing out. But luckily, there are simple things you can do to curb these cravings.
In today’s world, fitness and a healthy lifestyle are essential to maintaining optimal health. One of the most effective ways to achieve a healthy weight is through a balanced diet. Counting calories and meal prepping are great ways to manage your diet. By following a 500 calorie weight loss diet plan, you can set and achieve your health goals. It boosts metabolism and promotes fat oxidation, which can help you shed stubborn pounds. This diet is usually recommended for people with obesity. People with diabetes, heart and kidney disease, or gout should avoid it. A sustainable diet should only be followed under the supervision of a doctor or nutritionist. Doing this for more than a week can lead to unbalanced diet, weakened immunity, fatigue, weakness, hair loss and gallstones. So be careful.
The 5:2 diet plan can help you lose 5 to 7 pounds per week, depending on your body type.
High-calorie and low-fruit foods can be included in the 500 calorie diet. You can make vegetable soup, vegetable salad, fruit salad with low-fat yogurt, or a side dish of grilled chicken or fish with grilled vegetables for lunch or dinner to satisfy your hunger.
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Following a very low calorie diet (500 calories) for more than a week weakens your body and reduces your immunity and productivity. So that
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