Eating 600 Calories a Day- Do You Lose Weight Or Worst Decision Ever?
People trying to lose weight use the 600-calorie diet as a type of intermittent fasting.
For those who don’t know what Intermittent fasting is, it is a diet that ensures you have brief fasting periods per day where you eat a small number of calories or stay away from food altogether.
You can also have unrestricted food consumption during intermittent fasting and this all depends on how you set up your plan.
[toc]
How does Eating 600 Calories a Day work?
The 600-calorie diet can also be called the 5:2 diet and this name has been widely accepted by the weight loss community.
The rules for this type of dieting are simple, it involves eating normally for 5 days every week and eating very little portions of food for the other two days of the week.
However, there are two important things to take note of in this type of dieting:
The days of fasting should not be consecutive. It is unhealthy to eat well on Mondays to Fridays and then carry out the 600-calorie plan on Saturdays and Sundays consecutively.
You should create a few days between the two fasting days. You can set your fasting days on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The main difference between this type of diet and natural fasting is that Fasting means you are to stay away from food during the days or hours of the fast but you can take about a quarter of the normal body calories in this type of diet.
What Happens if you only eat 600 Calories a Day:
Well, this type of diet can be healthy because it is not as strict as the 20:4 intermittent fasting or the juice and single food diet.
Also, you don’t have to worry about counting your calories every day, you will only worry about two days every week.
However, this is not healthy for everyone.
People who shouldn’t try the 600-calorie diet include:
- People with low blood sugar
- Anyone prone to dizziness
- Infants, pregnant or breastfeeding women
- Anyone suffering from conditions like diabetes, heart disease, under blood pressure medication, or having any chronic disease.
- Anyone who has a history of an eating disorder.
- Adolescents are also discouraged from going on the 5:2 diet or any other form of intermittent fasting.
Is Eating 600 Calories a Day Bad or Healthy?
This diet is not recommended because it has many nutritional risks and you may end up slowing your body’s metabolism.
You can decide to consume the whole 600 calories in a single meal or small meals spread across the duration of the whole day.
Opting for the former is known as OMAD (One meal a day) which many people are a part of.
Eating 600 calories a day is not a healthy practice.
How Much Weight Will I Lose by Eating 600 Calories a Day:
You need to understand the difference between weight loss and fat loss as this is very important in the 600-calorie diet.
If you do it incorrectly, you will end up losing lean muscle mass and this is bad for your body as you can only lose weight safely by losing stored body fat.
You will notice as much as 2.5 pounds of weight loss on your first day of the 600-calorie diet.
However, you will most likely regain weight when you eat normally the next day.
If you are doing the 5:2 diet you will lose about 2.5 pounds weekly which is about 10 pounds per month and 60 pounds in 6 months. That is pretty impressive.
Effects of Eating 600 Calories A Day and Exercising:
600 calories are just not enough calories for the human body to survive daily.
Your body will go into starvation mode and you will end up not losing any weight.
Naturally, a normal person should consume about 1200-1500 calories daily.
600 calories are way below the minimum and if you do this, your body will end up retaining the fat thinking that you are starving.
You can eat vegetables and fruits and also eat good lean proteins. They can help provide the necessary calories needed by the body.
Where to 600-Calorie Diet Plan:
If you are confused and you are trying to understand what a 600-calorie meal plan looks like, you can take a look at the examples below;
Option One:
- Breakfast – Oatmeal. Make sure you use only boiling water to cook the oats. Do not add any kind of milk.
- Dinner – Smoked paprika paella with cod & peas
Total calories for the day = 638
Option Two:
- Breakfast – Green Smoothie
- Dinner – Broccoli and cauliflower gratin with sausage.
Total Calories for the day: 580
Option Three:
- Breakfast – Garlic bread
- Lunch – Low-carb coconut pancakes.
- Dinner – Caprese Snack
Total Calories for the day: 601
600-Calorie Diet Before and After | Lost 40 Lb in 90 DAYS!
The amount of weight you lose depends on how much you initially weigh and how many calories you burn daily either by dieting, exercising, or just your body’s metabolism.
Conclusion:
The 600-calorie diet is an alternate diet plan that has been studied to help people lose weight.
Also, it is a very good tactic for those who want to lose weight gradually and you can use it as a stepping stone to achieving a much more healthy lifestyle.
If you want to get better results while on the 600-calorie diet, ensure that you don’t overeat on the days you are not fasting.
Also, try to keep your foods wholesome and healthy and if you fail to do this, you will end up gaining weight instead of losing them.
Also, you must work out daily so you can increase your body’s physical activity.
It is also important to see your doctor before starting a different diet plan or exercise routine.
Losing weight doesn’t mean you should put your health at risk and it is important that you talk to a trained professional first.
