If you are overweight, you might think of committing yourself to a low-calorie diet plan to get rid of the excess weight. But before you start with the program, you need to be fully aware of what you are getting into. After all, you are going to be cutting down your daily calorie intake by more than half. Knowing how to physically and mentally deal with such low-calorie diets will help you in completing the program successfully.
Nutrition And Supplements
Remember that even though a low-calorie diet will require you to cut down on food intake, you still have to feed your body with sufficient nutrients. You cannot reduce your daily intake of iron, vitamins, minerals, and so on just because you are following a low-calorie diet. If you avoid giving your body the necessary nutrients for too many days, then you might end up developing serious medical conditions like anemia, loss of body control, muscle spasms, and so on. A good way to ensure that you give your body the required nutrients is by taking in supplements on a daily basis throughout the diet period. These can be vitamin, mineral, iron, or any other necessary nutrient. Check with your doctor to decide which supplements you should take while on the diet.
Fewer Calories Does Not Mean Less Food
Calorie restrictive diet does not mean you eat less food. In fact, the amount of food you eat will depend on the individual calories of each meal. For example, suppose that you decide on eating just 800 calories per day. Now, if you eat 100 grams of breaded and fried chicken, you will be taking in close to 300 calories. However, 100 grams of spinach only has about 25 calories. Even though both food items have the exact same quantity, the fried chicken almost has 12 times the calories compared to spinach. So, remember to create a calorie table of all the food items you usually eat. This will help you in creating a meal plan that can sufficiently fill your stomach without making you feel hungry all day long while at the same time ensuring that you stay within the daily calorie limits for the duration of the diet program.
Know The Side Effects
Be sure to know the side effect of a low calorie diet. Blindly following a calorie restrictive diet will only end up doing harm. Instead, knowing the side effects will help you prepare for it. You might even come up with a plan to overcome the side effects. For example, when researching about a low-calorie diet, you might come across the fact that some people suffer from constipation during the program. As such, you may decide to consume lots of water while on the diet to ensure smooth bowel movements. You can also plan on incorporating a few herbs into your meals that are known to help with digestion and constipation. Such detailed planning will help you overcome the side effects and help make the diet program a success.