Madeleine Hull
For most women, 1200 calories a day qualifies as a starvation diet. This number of calories is the minimum daily requirement for a four-year-old child, not a fully grown adult. Registered dietician Jamie Nadeau has said that while some of her clients have tried a 1200-calorie diet, they were either unable to stick to it or regained the weight they lost.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Caloric intake | 1,200 calories |
| Recommended minimum intake | 1,200 calories for women, 1,800 calories for men |
| Starvation intake | Fewer than 600 calories |
| Weight loss | Short-term only |
| Side effects | Hunger, poor relationship with food, weight gain |
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What You'll Learn
Short-term weight loss
For most women, 1,200 calories a day qualifies as a starvation diet. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the minimum caloric intake per day is 1,200 calories for women and 1,800 calories for men.
A person might lose weight in the short-term, but eventually, they get so hungry that they go off the diet, usually regaining whatever they lost, if not more. Jamie Nadeau, a registered dietician, said:
> A lot of my clients have tried 1,200 calories in the past. They either were not able to stick to it, because it is not enough food, or they did stick to it for a while, maybe even lost a significant amount of weight, but then either had a really poor relationship with food after that or gained all the weight back.
Nadeau also said:
> For most women, you need more than 1,200 calories just for your normal survival functions in your body.
This number was first proposed in 1920 by Dr. Lulu Peters, who recommended that every woman count every morsel of food she eats and to eat no more than 1,200 calories.
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Long-term weight gain
For most people, a 1200 calorie diet is a starvation diet. This is because the minimum caloric intake per day is 1,200 calories for women and 1,800 calories for men. A starvation diet is considered to be an intake of fewer than 600 calories per day.
Registered dietician Jamie Nadeau says that "a lot of my clients have tried 1,200 calories in the past. They either were not able to stick to it, because it is not enough food, or they did stick to it for a while, maybe even lost a significant amount of weight, but then either had a really poor relationship with food after that or gained all the weight back."
Nadeau also says that "for most women, you need more than 1,200 calories just for your normal survival functions in your body."
A 1200 calorie diet is not sustainable in the long-term, and can lead to a poor relationship with food and weight gain.
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Poor relationship with food
A 1,200 calorie diet is a starvation diet for most people, especially women. This number was first proposed in 1920 by Dr. Lulu Peters, who recommended that women eat no more than 1,200 calories a day. This is the calorie requirement for a four-year-old child, not a fully grown adult.
People who follow this diet may lose weight in the short term, but they will eventually get so hungry that they will go off the diet, regaining whatever weight they lost, if not more. This is because a 1,200 calorie diet does not provide the body with the fuel it needs to function properly. It can also lead to a poor relationship with food and serious side effects.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, the minimum caloric intake per day is 1,200 calories for women and 1,800 calories for men. Any caloric intake below the recommended minimum is considered a starvation diet.
Registered dietician Jamie Nadeau, who focuses on helping people repair their relationship with food, said:
> A lot of my clients have tried 1,200 calories in the past. They either were not able to stick to it, because it is not enough food, or they did stick to it for a while, maybe even lost a significant amount of weight, but then either had a really poor relationship with food after that or gained all the weight back.
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Metabolism slows down
Consuming 1,200 calories a day is considered a starvation diet for most women. While a person might lose weight in the short term, they will eventually get so hungry that they will go off the diet and regain whatever weight they lost, if not more. This is because 1,200 calories is not enough food for an adult woman.
Registered dietician Jamie Nadeau has said that many of her clients have tried 1,200 calories a day in the past, but they were either not able to stick to it or developed a poor relationship with food after doing so.
Nutritionist Lisa Kilgour agrees that 1,200 calories is a starvation diet. She points out that this number of calories is the recommended daily intake for a four-year-old child, not a fully grown adult.
Harvard Health Publishing recommends a minimum daily intake of 1,200 calories for women and 1,800 calories for men. Consuming fewer than 600 calories per day is considered a starvation diet, as it does not provide the body with enough fuel to function properly.
When the body is deprived of calories, the metabolism slows down. This means that a starvation diet does not promote weight loss. Instead, it leads to hunger and serious side effects, making it unsustainable and dangerous.
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Hunger and serious side effects
A 1200-calorie diet is a starvation diet for most people. It is the calorie requirement for a four-year-old child, not a fully grown adult. The diet was first proposed in 1920 by Dr Lulu Peters, who recommended that women count every morsel of food they eat and consume no more than 1200 calories.
Registered dietician Jamie Nadeau, who focuses on helping people repair their relationship with food, said: "A lot of my clients have tried 1,200 calories in the past. They either were not able to stick to it, because it is not enough food, or they did stick to it for a while, maybe even lost a significant amount of weight, but then either had a really poor relationship with food after that or gained all the weight back."
Nadeau added: "For most women, you need more than 1,200 calories just for your normal survival functions in your body."
Harvard Health Publishing states that the minimum caloric intake per day is 1,200 calories for women and 1,800 calories for men. However, any caloric intake below the recommended minimum doesn't provide the body with the fuel it needs to function properly. A starvation diet doesn't promote weight loss because your metabolism slows down in response to low caloric intake. Moreover, because hunger and serious side effects are associated with this type of eating plan, it's unsustainable and dangerous.
Consumption of under 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,800 calories per day for men can eventually lead to starvation mode symptoms.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, for most people, a 1,200 calorie diet is a starvation diet. For women, 1,200 calories is the minimum caloric intake per day, and for men, it's 1,800 calories.
People on starvation diets often lose weight in the short term, but eventually get so hungry that they go off the diet and regain the weight they lost, or more.
Starvation diets are unsustainable and dangerous. They can lead to a poor relationship with food, and serious side effects.
This depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and activity levels. For women, 1,200 calories is the minimum caloric intake per day, and for men, it's 1,800 calories.
The idea of a 1,200 calorie diet was first proposed in 1920 by Dr. Lulu Peters, who recommended that women eat no more than 1,200 calories per day.
