Looking to slim down in 2017? The 5:2 diet is all about sticking to a healthy 2000 calories for five days and fasting on no more than 500 calories for two days which means you can still eat your cake and lose the pounds! Not sure you can manage on 500 calories? Then read on to discover our favourite, filling 500 calorie meal plans for the 5:2 diet.
Losing 3 to 5 pounds a week may sound like a good thing, until you learn you'll only be eating 500 calories a day. Very low-calorie diets can help you lose weight fast, but limiting your intake to such extremes for any length of time can be dangerous, which is why some people may only do it once or twice a week as a weight-loss strategy. Before you start any weight-loss diet, especially one that limits your intake to 500 calories a day, even on an intermittent basis, consult your doctor to discuss benefits, risks and other alternatives.
This diet offers you a rounded meal plan where each meal is the same calorie count. In this meal-plan you will be eating 500 more calories than the recommended amount of calories to maintain your weight. Mind you, those 500 calories are to be carbos eating more fat is rather unhealthy and just plain hazardous to one's health. You can lose 12-15 lbs. in a week.
The Basics of a 500-Calorie Diet:
It's very difficult to get all the nutrients your body needs for good health on only 500 calories a day. Diets that provide fewer than 800 calories are called very low-calorie diets, or VLCDs. They generally consist of a liquid supplement that provides an adequate amount of protein, plus vitamins and minerals to help meet nutritional needs. VLCDs are usually reserved for people who are severely obese, and a person on such a diet requires close monitoring by his doctor. The diets are only meant to be followed short term, about 12 weeks, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
When you eat so few calories your body goes into what's often referred to as "starvation mode." Thyroid hormones, which are hormones that regulate your metabolism, decrease to help limit calorie burning. While your body does burn fat when you reduce your intake, it also breaks down your muscle. And because you're eating so little on your 500-calorie diet and not getting enough protein, you'll continue to burn muscle for fuel.
That being said, intermittent fasting is a recent diet trend that alternates between periods of normal eating and fasting to help promote weight loss. Some of these diets count a 500-calorie eating day as fasting. Although you still need to discuss the diet with your doctor, limiting your intake to 500 calories one or two days a week may allow you to use real food instead of a liquid supplement, since you'll be able to get the nutrients you need on the other days of the week.
In any event, you want to make wise food choices when you're limiting your intake and include low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods periodically throughout the day. And fill in with calorie-free foods and drinks such as sugar-free gelatin and ice pops, fat-free broth, black coffee, plain tea and sugar-free lemonade to help control hunger.
Intermittent-Fasting and the 500-Calorie Diet:
Not only is it easier to limit your intake to 500 calories only a couple of times a week, but it may also serve as an alternative way for you to lose weight, especially around your middle, according to a 2015 review paper published in Translational Research. This review found that although people lost more weight on regular calorie-restricted diets, intermittent fasting was just as effective at helping decrease belly fat. Restricting your intake for short periods of time causes your body to release hormones that help you burn fat and build muscle. It also releases hormones that give your metabolism a little boost too.
If you have a medical condition such as diabetes or low blood pressure, or if you take prescription medications, you shouldn't fast without your doctor's approval. Intermittent fasting is also not recommended for people who are underweight or women who are pregnant or nursing.
What You Might Eat for Breakfast:
To help keep hunger away when limiting your calorie intake to 500 calories, include a source of protein at each meal. Protein is more satiating than both carbs and fat. Also, try to eat about the same amount about 160 calories at each meal for a balance of energy throughout the day.
For breakfast, 1/2 cup of fat-free cottage cheese with a small banana makes a good option, or, have a hard-boiled egg with a slice of whole-wheat dry toast. A 3/4 cup serving of whole-grain unsweetened ready-to-eat cereal with 1 cup of nonfat milk also makes a good low-cal breakfast.
Sample Lunch Meals:
For lunch, you can fill up on 3 ounces of grilled chicken set on top of 3 cups of mixed greens with red wine vinegar added for flavor. A 6-ounce container of nonfat Greek yogurt with 1 cup of fresh blueberries also makes a good high-protein lunch option on a VLCD plan. Or, you can roll slices of deli turkey up to 2 ounces in lettuce leaves smeared with mustard, and serve it with two whole-grain fat-free crackers.
Ideas for Dinner:
Fifteen large boiled shrimp garnished with 1 tablespoon of cocktail sauce and 1 cup of steamed broccoli may help tide you over until the morning. Or, make a stir-fry with 3 cups of vegetables such as bok choy, carrots, mung bean sprouts and celery and 1/2 cup of cubed tofu. To save calories, skip the oil and saute in 2 tablespoons of broth and a teaspoon or two of low-sodium soy sauce. Have breakfast for dinner with a four egg white omelette filled with 1/2 cup of spinach, 1/2 cup of mushrooms and 1/2 ounce of low-fat cheddar cheese.
Meal Plan for One Day:
Breakfast:
eight ounce glass of skim milk
a cup of cereal
a pear
two slices of toast with butter or jam smeared on.
Lunch:
1 cup green salad
1/2 cup of yogurt
1/2 cup of grapes
8 ounce glass of orange juice
Dinner:
1 1/2 cup garden salad with two tablespoons of lite vinaigrette dressing
2 cups mexican chicken casserole
1 1/2 cup steamed veggies
1 cup baked fries
1 glass of peach juice
500 Calories Diet Results
VLCDs use meal replacements like drinks, shakes, and prepared food bars instead of meals for at least two meals a day. VLCDs are meant for people who are very overweight and have been unable to lose weight after trying many diet plans.
This diet can be dangerous and requires medical supervision. Read on to learn more about the risks and goals of the 500-calorie diet.
1. Don’t do it alone:-
A doctor will prescribe a 500-calorie diet if he or she has decided that it’s critical for you to lose weight. They do this by weighing your general health concerns against the risks and potential complications of drastic calorie reduction.
If your doctor hasn’t recommended a 500-calorie diet, you should not try this diet. A diet like this has risks and precautions associated with it. A doctor should supervise you while on this diet.
2. The 5:2 diet plan:-
Some people use a 500-calorie diet as part of the recently popularized 5:2 intermittent diet plan. Under this plan, you eat a balanced Mediterranean-style diet of about 2000 calories for five days of the week and then limit yourself to 500 low-carbohydrate calories per day for the other two days. The two “fasting” days are usually nonconsecutive.
There is very little evidence to support the benefits of 5:2 intermittent dieting over daily calorie reduction.
3. How much is 500 calories?
You can get an idea of how much (or how little) 500 calories is when you consider the calorie count of popular foods. The USDA calculates that two handfuls of peanuts or a slice of pepperoni pizza contains about 250 calories. An apple contains fewer than 80 calories, while two pieces of fried chicken contain about 400 calories.
You might also want to consider how many calories you burn in a day. According to the Harvard Medical School, a 185-pound person burns 72 calories by just sitting in a one-hour meeting.
4. You still need nutrition:-
One of the problems with a 500-calorie diet is that it places no limits on the fats and carbohydrates you consume. A serving of chocolate pound cake and a glass of milk adds up to about 500 calories. However, that so-called meal doesn’t even come close to giving you the nutrients you need, even if you’re just sitting in a meeting.
Regardless of calorie count, a well-rounded diet includes fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Being healthy is about a lot more than just a number.
5. Danger of deficiencies:-
The greatest dangers associated with a 500-calorie diet relate to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to many health problems. In fact, most people cannot meet their vitamin and mineral requirements if they eat less than 1200 calories per day.
For example, according to the Mayo Clinic, if your diet lacks the mineral zinc, which is in pumpkin seeds and beef, you can suffer hair loss.
Low iron intake can lead to anemia, while chronic low intake of calcium and vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis later in life. If you don’t get enough of the vitamin niacin, found in tuna and dates, you could be at risk for heart attack due to clogged arteries. Always consider the full nutritional makeup of the foods you eat, not just their calories.
6. Muscle loss:-
A 500-calorie diet can also put you at danger for muscle loss. Sharon Palmer, R.D., dietitian and author of “Plant-Powered for Life,” points out, “Once your body has consumed your fat reserves, it begins to burn healthy muscle.”
At first, muscle loss may seem like you are losing more weight, but keep in mind that not all weight is bad. To keep your body healthy, you need to be able to build muscles. A healthy diet burns fat, not muscle.
7. Metabolic changes:-
A well-rounded diet is more effective than cutting calories.
Low-calorie diets can lead to major vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
A very low-calorie diet can slow down your metabolism in the long term.
Another health risk to keep in mind when considering a 500-calorie diet is that your metabolism will change when you reduce the amount of calories you eat for a long enough period of time. Severe calorie restriction for prolonged periods of time will lead to a slower metabolism. This can lead you to burn fewer calories. Also, when you lose weight, you then need fewer calories to maintain your new weight than you needed for your original weight.
Dr. Mindy Haar, Ph.D., R.D., C.D.N., of the New York Institute of Technology School of Health Professions, says, “Many people think that they can stick with a diet for the short term, lose the weight, and then go back to eating the way they were before. But if they do so, they will regain weight until they reach their original weight.” Oftentimes people lose both fat and lean mass but regain primarily fat, which is how diets can wind up making us fatter in the long run.
8.The takeaway:-
You should only conduct a 500-calorie diet under a doctor’s close supervision. Though you may lose weight, you are at risk of malnutrition, which can cause many health problems. Healthy weight loss includes getting a variety of nutrients from varied food sources, limiting food portions, and burning more calories than you eat. Stick to that approach to get the pounds off and keep them off.
Thank you for sharing this information, I have been looking for this. It will help me to plan my diet chart as I plan to do dieting for few weeks to lose some extra pounds.
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