What happens to the body with only 500 calories a day?
If you only eat so few calories a day, you primarily lose muscle. On the other hand, drastic calorie deficits have no effect on fat reduction, as fat stores cannot be emptied beyond this due to the maximum energy transfer rate. So if you think you can lose all your fat with an extreme diet, you are mistaken and are instead overexploiting your body. This is never healthy because crash diets put the body under extreme stress.
With only 500 calories, it is practically impossible to meet the need for essential amino acids (proteins) and essential fatty acids, which can lead to the following deficiency symptoms:
Symptoms of protein deficiency
- Muscle loss
- Water retention
- immune deficiency
- Cravings
- Delayed or impaired wound healing
Symptoms of extreme low-fat diets
- Immune deficiency
- Poor concentration
- Hormonal imbalance
- Cracked skin
- Hair loss
Symptoms of extreme low-carb diets (e.g. keto diet)
- Constipation
- Headaches
- Bad breath
- muscle cramps
- Skin rash
- Disruption of the cardiovascular system
How many calories does the body need?
How many calories you need depends on various factors. These include, for example, age, gender, height and exercise. A woman who weighs 65 kilograms, has an office job and does little sport has a calorie requirement of around 2,000 calories a day. If the woman wants to lose weight, she should consume around 1,500 calories. The calorie deficit in this case is therefore 500 kcal.
The calories should be covered by healthy and nutrient-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables, pulses and wholegrain products. The intake of fat should not be forgotten either, as good fats are essential for the body. Sufficient protein helps to prevent muscle loss.