In the last few years, there’s been a lot of interest in calorie-restricted diets for weight loss. These can vary significantly, from intermittent fasting (where you restrict eating to a certain window of the day), alternate day fasting (where you consume limited or no calories on every other day) to the Fast 800 which promotes rapid weight loss by drastically reducing calories with the “Mediterranean diet”. The basic idea might seem obvious: reduce how much you eat, and you’ll theoretically lose weight.
And will you just put the weight back on if you stop? The amount of energy you need each day varies based on your age, sex, body composition, how physically active you are, and any background health considerations. Calorie-restricted diets aim to reduce a person’s overall energy (calorie) intake.
And in certain instances, when managed carefully by health-care teams, there is evidence for their benefits beyond weight loss, including as an intervention before surgery. The general aim is to eat less than the body uses, causing the body to draw on its stored energy—fat. Over time, this imbalance, generally using more energy than you eat, can lead to weight loss.
But these diets are not meant to be followed forever. Most involve a period of restricting calories, before transitioning to less restricted diet that helps you maintain a healthy weight long-term. For example, some diets recommend a moderate restriction: eating 500-600 fewer calories a day.
This is like subtracting one take-away hamburger from your normal daily intake. Very low calorie diets (also called very low energy diets) typically recommend eating less than 800 calories across the entire day. These are medically recommended diets—for example, where short-term rapid weight loss before surgery could reduce someone’s risk of complications.
They require very close monitoring and support from a dietitian, to make sure they still get enough essential minerals and vitamins and don’t get malnourished. Do Calorie-Restricted Diets Work for Weight Loss? Research consistently shows calorie-restricted diets can significantly reduce weight and waist circumference.
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