Weight gain can impact the look and confidence of people of any age group. However, many cannot target stubborn fat since they find it hard to restrict themselves to a strict diet. But you can achieve weight loss benefits by taking care of your calorie consumption.
Calorie restrictions can help you stay fit and look young. You can restrict yourself to 500 calories a day for health and weight loss.
Do you want to know how it is possible? If yes, you are in the right place. We will support your weight loss journey in the following by covering all the possible aspects related to calorie reduction. You will know the benefits and how to make 500 calories per day achievable.
500 calorie consumption a day can enable you to target your stubborn fat. But if you follow it strictly every day from the beginning, you might experience some side effects. You might notice a drop in your energy level.
There is also a chance of malnutrition. Hence, you can consider using it intermittently. Follow this approach and observe the difference.
While restricting yourself to 500 calories a day, you might experience changes in your body and mind. You can keep reading and know how to feel full and manage with less calorie consumption. Your objective is to address the stubborn fat without experiencing any side effects.
Do I Need to Stick to 500 Calories a Day for a Long Time?
Many things will depend on your weight loss goal and your health. You can experience noticeable weight loss if you consume 500 calories every day. If you restrict your calorie consumption, your body will start using fatty acids and fat deposits for energy. As a result, weight loss will be fast and more effective.
Is it a good idea to have only 500 calories every day? It might not be a good idea for every day a week. Even if 500 calories per day can speed up weight loss, you do not need to follow it daily.
Calorie restrictions might offer you many benefits, but you might experience adverse effects, especially when you follow this diet strictly.
We can take a simple example. You can have more energy and reduced craving when you follow 500 calories rule for one day a week. However, you will experience muscle loss, fatigue, and stress if you consume 500 calories diet every day a week. Hence, you will have to know the difference if you want a better outcome.
While following any weight loss diet for consistent benefits, focus on something achievable. You can ensure the diet can offer you the desired energy and meet your weight loss goals. If you stick to 500 calories seven days a week, it will harm you instead of addressing stubborn fat.
There is no doubt that 500 calories a day can speed up weight loss. But there is no point in following this diet when the chance of continuity is minimal. Hence, you will have to know how to make it achievable and continue it for a long time.
You might have heard that excess of everything is not good. For example, you like to take caffeine to stay alert. But when your consumption is more, the effects will be adverse. You can experience sleeping issues, digestion problems, and lack of attention. Therefore, you will have to know how to make a healthy balance.
The same is about calorie consumption. We call it the hormesis effect that defines the dose-response balance. You will get a positive stimulation with a low dose, but high consumption can lead to negativity and inhibition.
Once you start taking 500 calories per day, you will feel good. However, you will have low energy levels and feel worse if you follow it every day per week.
Why Do You Get Such Feelings?
When you eat fewer calories for the short term, your body will burn fat to get energy and improve your insulin sensitivity. Hence, the immediate impact will be positive. But, when you follow the same restriction for a long time, your body will start creating metabolic adaptions.
They will help in the functioning of vital organs. Gradually, your gastrointestinal motility will slow down, your metabolic rate will decrease, and the muscle protein will break down. It will boost amino acid supply and keep essential functions running.
If you follow the same calorie consumption, your body will experience some changes. The most noticeable changes will be weight loss and lower metabolic rate. There are not many research studies on the calorie deficit. You will find a few studies conducted during World Wars 1 and 2.
In brief, we can say that restricted calorie consumption for a long time will offer adverse effects. It is not about changes in your physical health only. You might have some impacts on your mental health.
Severely restricted calorie consumption will make anthropometric changes, including body composition and weight. In addition to anthropometric changes, you will witness psychological changes such as anxiety and emotional stress. In brief, the impact will be on your physical and mental health.
Can Everyone Eat 500 Calories a Day for Weight Loss?
No, it is not achievable for everyone. Many want a fast and effective weight loss to get a dream shape. Some want to restrict calorie consumption and get weight loss benefits. But before going ahead, understand your body and eating habits.
If you spend a few hours in a gym and practice rigorous workouts, you will have to follow an appropriate diet to heal and recover from your workouts. You will have to understand your fitness goals and efforts, and then you can consider any diet.
You cannot simply reduce your calorie consumption and achieve your dream figure within months. It will not help much to get a dream shape. You should never follow such steps without knowing the positives and negatives.
Getting a fit body is the dream of everyone. But you cannot achieve it at the cost of your physical and mental health.
According to some studies, calorie restriction can cause eating disorders. Some also try hard for years or more than decades to address fat. But they cannot achieve this since they focus on their favorite foods.
They try to satisfy their hunger and eat food to feel better. Here food is not the issue. The issue is with your physical and mental condition.
If you observe people, you will realize that they eat a lot of things to satisfy their hunger. When they feel stressed, they end up eating something unhealthy. They eat to feel good, reduce anxiety, and handle emotional situations.
Your brain will not guide you to eat healthy foods when you are weak emotionally. All your focus will be on that particular emotional condition, and you will need something to feel good. Food is the easiest thing to grab and divert attention.
Many of us eat to deal with emotional stress and difficult situations. Some find a strict diet a hard thing to achieve. Hence, they avoid following it. They develop such feelings since they rely on food to deal with life’s complexities. But there are many better ways to stay happy and content.
Foods give a temporary solution but offer many adverse effects. Hence, you will have to understand your mental and physical conditions before planning to follow a weight loss diet.
You can ask yourself a couple of questions if you want to give 500 calories per day a try.
• Is it possible to restrict your calorie consumption to 500 for the next five to six months?
• Can you get the desired strength, positivity, and energy when your calorie consumption is only 500?
Find the answers to these questions to know your determination and ability to follow such a diet. It is worth mentioning that it is not easy to limit your calorie intake to that level. Since it will require determination, it might not be possible for all to follow it for a long time.
How Does It Support Your Weight Loss?
There are many positive and negative effects of consuming 500 calories a day. People have different views about this diet. Some find it achievable, and others believe it is impossible. Even research studies have limited results.
While eating 500 calories a day, some people do not experience any side effects. Also, they do not achieve any weight loss benefits. But some people notice immediate weight loss benefits. Hence, the result will vary based on the people. Why does it happen?
We all are different, and our body responds differently to a diet. We all cannot achieve the same benefits from a diet. You can start experimenting to know how your body will react to 500 calories.
It will help you to understand the ability of your body and whether you should go ahead or not. However, everyone can get some weight loss benefits by following these rules.
Experiment with One-day Rule
You cannot cover a thousand miles of the journey without taking the first step. Hence, you need to take the first step and visualize the journey. Know whether it is achievable to reach the final stage or not.
If you experiment, you can imagine the outcome. Do not expect any immediate result. Know where you are and where you want to reach. Also, you will have to choose the right day for your experiment.
• Find a less busy day and take two meals with 250 kcal each.
• Take a spoon of coconut oil the first thing in the morning to suppress your craving.
• Include highest satiety index foods such as potatoes to feel full longer.
• Consume zero-calories beverages and water to stay hydrated throughout the day.
• Focus on the starchy-fiber and protein-rich food to feel fuller fast.
You can also drink green tea and caffeine since they suppress your appetite. Even study reports support that green tea and caffeine work as appetite suppressants. Start the trial and notice the difference to know whether 500 calories per day diet is helpful or not.
Note Down Both Positives & Negatives
You will have to observe how your body reacts when you consume only 500 calories per day. Know how you feel physically and mentally. Check the following things and understand how the diet impacts your body.
• Do you feel irritated when you are hungry?
• Are you having difficulties focusing?
• Are you looking for food constantly?
• Do you feel anxious or stressed?
• Do you want to eat something?
Take a note and write down all your feelings. It will help you to know whether your body can follow this diet or not. You will have to observe your physical and mental reactions throughout the day.
See how you feel in the morning, afternoon, and evening hours. Also, you will have to consider your energy level. Write down everything and ask yourself: is it possible to follow this diet? Can you continue it for a long time? Document your emotion, food, and thought when you follow this diet.
Make a Decision
Go through the things you have noted down, and you can continue with the same diet the next day if the impact is minimal. But you cannot consider following it for the entire week. Instead, you can combine two days a week.
It might be Saturday and Sunday, Tuesday and Friday, or Monday and Sunday. You can choose any two days that you find convenient.
Follow it for days and notice the difference in your body. Many people find it effective for weight loss. They eat 500 calories two days a week and get the desired shape. But some need more effort to get weight loss benefits. Hence, they follow this diet five days a week.
You can decide based on your body and fitness goals. Whenever you notice any adverse effects, you can stop there. Wait for a few days and let your body recover. Once you feel confident, you can start again. When you try beyond your limit, you will experience adverse effects. Hence, know what works and then decide.
How to Feel Full While Eating Only 500 Calories Per Day
Many get this question while eating fewer calories. They feel hungry more when they restrict their calorie consumption. But you can feel full even if your calorie intake is less.
Follow a simple rule and take more time to eat. Chew every bite well, and take around half an hour to eat your meal. You can choose a calm environment for eating. There should not be any distractions, including TV.
Additionally, you will have to focus on fiber-rich and protein-rich foods. These foods will suppress your hunger and increase satiety. Hence, you will not be looking for food all the time.
You will feel satisfied even if the consumption is less. You can feel full by choosing some suitable foods and eating slowly. If you eat fast, you will end up eating more. Also, you will eat more calories when there are distractions.
Here are a few steps you can consider to feel fuller with less calorie consumption.
Chew Every Bite
You will have to eat every bite if you want to feel fuller. You can do this by chewing every bite well. If you chew every bite, it might take more than twenty minutes to finish your food. However, you can consume your meal within five minutes while watching TV.
If you spend five minutes eating your meal, you will feel hungry fast. When you spend twenty minutes, it raises amino acids. They will send signals to your entire body that you are full. Hence, the fullness will last longer.
You might be thinking about how to eat slowly. You can do this by chewing every bite, putting the fork down between bites, eating without distractions, and enjoying the flavor and taste. Also, you can set a timer.
Avoid Distraction
Mindless eating means eating while watching TV, listening to music, and working with your system. However, you will have to focus on mindful eating without any distractions. You will have to focus on your meal to eat less. According to study reports, we eat more calories while eating mindlessly.
What Is the Best Food to Consume 500 Calories Per Day?
You will have many food options to eat 500 calories a day. You need to focus on high-satiety foods to stay fuller for a long. We can take the example of meats, eggs, apples, potatoes, oranges, whole-grain pasta, legumes, lentils, beans, and non-starchy vegetables.
Can I Expect Fast Weight Loss?
Yes, the weight loss will be noticeable. You will lose one to three pounds per week based on your physical activity, gender, and age. Initially, you will notice fast weight loss benefits. However, you will lose more resting metabolic rate while losing weight.
Wrapping It Up
Restricting to 500 calories per day might help with fast weight loss benefits. However, it is not for everyone. Start your experiment and progress based on your body type and fitness goal. It might take time for a few. But you can achieve the desired benefits with consistency.
Hi, my name is Jim Yi and I am a Registered Respiratory Therapist / Respiratory Care Practitioner.
I have been earning experience within these fields for over a decade, learning all there is to know about cardio-pulmonary medicine and how to care properly for the body. Alongside my studies, I also trained to become a Fitness and Weight Management Expert.
I have created ShapeDown.com to teach anyone who is willing to listen how to take care of their body. This can be through exercise, nutrition, lifestyle changes, or supplements. We’ll look through it all here.
You can strengthen your body, enrich it, improve your energy levels, and boost your immune system by making some simple lifestyle changes. If you want to make a change and start honoring your body instead of weakening it, let’s start right now. I promise you won’t regret it!
