Healthy Heart - Low Calorie Diet

By: Oey Piu Hian Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Calorie gives the energy to perform the daily activities. If the calorie intake id reduced then the body will burn the stored fat in your body to meet the calorific demand. So the basic principle of low calorie diet is to reduce the calorie intake burn the excess fat. For this reason it is also used to shed excess fat and reduce body weight.

Before going for a low calorie diet one is advised to consult a physician. This diet is meant for the excessive obese person, whose Bio Mass Index (BMI) is more than 30. Children and pregnant women should not go for this kind of diet as it may drastically reduce weight and can cause certain illness such as nausea, fatigue, constipation, diarrhea and headaches. If weight is lost very rapidly then it may result in severe complications such as gallstone

Before starting the low calorie diet observe the following tips
• Before going for the diet plan upgrade your knowledge about the calorie content of all types of foods. You can read different books or search the net for required information.
• Calculate the amount of calorie you will consume each day. This greatly depends on your lifestyle. For inactive people it is around 1800 to 2000 calorie per day. For people with active lifestyle it is around 2600 calorie per day.
• Create a habit of watching the labels of food to know its calorific value.
• Sort out the low calorie foods that you like. This will help you to select the menu at the beginning. Fruits, vegetables, cereals, whole grains, beans , meat, fish, low fat dietary products, skinless chicken are some of the options that can be explored while continuing low calorie diet.
• Distribute your meal into 4 to 6 small servings through out the day. Five servings of vegetables and fruits should be taken in a day.
• Don’t go for very low calorie diet. A very low calorie diet permits consumption of about 800 to 1000 calorie per day which is much less than the daily needed value. This rapidly burns the stored fat and loses weight drastically. So you will have to limit your food consumption strictly. If you don’t abide by the diet then your body will start storing the extra calories as fat in a fast pace and you will get no prominent result
• When following this diet you should also consume certain amount of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are rich in fibers which take longer time to be digested and delay the hunger. This helps in reducing your food intake and hence decreases the calorie intake.
• As because you are on a low calorie diet, it does not means that you can’t eat what you like. You can eat whatever you like unless you don’t exceed the daily calorie limit. Eat in small amounts and just avoid fat.

By observing the above mentioned tips you can greatly reform the eating habits. Dietary supplements are also needed in this kind of diet. However if you face any problem wont waste time to consult a doctor.