1200 Calorie Diet Plan

Assortment of tasty italian and french cheese.

The 1200 calorie diet plan is an effective way to lose weight. One can lose up to five pounds a week. Though, one needs to make sure they are utilizing this diet the right way in order to make this successful. The right way to execute this diet includes exercise, proper food intake and knowing the risks.

1200 calorie diet plan with exercise

Light exercise is recommended for this diet because the 1200 calorie diet plan does not give enough energy to go beyond moderate exercise. Performing heavy exercises on this diet causes the body to go into starvation mode, which can actually prevent a dieter from losing weight. Some examples of light exercises include walks, resistant band training and yoga.

While creating an exercise plan for this diet, the standard exercise prescription is encouraged in order to maintain fitness. This plan includes three days of cardiovascular exercises and three days of strength training and stretching.

Utilizing the proper foods

While planning meals, one needs to keep in mind the correct calorie consumption for carbohydrates, protein and fat. Ideally, no more than 55% of calories should come from complex carbohydrates. 35% should come from protein, and the rest for fat. There are foods to avoid while performing this diet, such as processed sugars and starchy vegetables, such as peppers, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Spaghetti is another food to avoid. Although it is considered a high protein food, the carbohydrate content is far too much, and typically involving simple sugars in the form of pasta.

Knowing the risks

Safety is the key to success regarding this diet. Knowing the risks is part of the safety component because it helps one identify what to change in this diet or to stop it entirely, if needed. One common risk is nutrient deficiency due to the limited calories. The symptoms of nutrient deficiency are weakness, confusion and loss of appetite. Other risks are ketoacidosis and damaged metabolic process. Variance in food intake and a multi-vitamin can typically provide all the nutrients that one needs for a healthy diet.

The 1200 calorie diet plan is an effective way to lose weight if done correctly. One needs to keep in mind the risks, correct exercises and food intake in reach weight loss and fitness goals.

The 1200 calorie diet plan is an effective way to lose weight if done correctly