Dropping calories too low is never a good idea and an extremely dangerous practice. In addition to slowing down your metabolism, creating rebound hunger and causing muscle mass loss, it can also be harmful to bone health. Restricting the body from needed calories damages the body. The best way to lose weight and keeping it off is to eat foods that will burn calories and help in the body’s burning process.
People often get shocked when I tell them if they want to lose weight, they need to eat more food. Nothing can be further from the truth. If you want to compare yourself to a car, the more gasoline you put in a car the further you can go and the further you go the more fuel you burn. Restricting fuel to the body just causes damage that can be irreparable in the long run.
Studies have shown that diets providing fewer than 1,000 calories per day can lead to lower bone density in normal-weight, overweight or obese individuals. This is more dangerous as one becomes of age, because bone loss happens naturally as we age and restricting nutrients that would feed those bones just makes them weaker and more susceptible to breaks.
In one study, obese women who consumed 925 calories per day for four months experienced a significant loss of bone density from their hip and upper thigh region, regardless of whether they performed resistance training or not. So you can understand the importance of a good balanced nutritional program with the calories that the body requires to keep you healthy and perform correctly on a daily basis.
To build and maintain strong bones, follow a well-balanced diet that provides at least 1,200 calories per day. This depends on your height and weight and the amount of activity you perform daily. When you work out, you need more calorie intake. One of the biggest mistakes people do is getting on a workout program and diet on top of it. Your meals should include plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates and fat, and foods rich in vitamins and minerals that support bone health.
SUMMARY: Diets should never be part of your attempt for weight loss. A good nutritional program with plenty of nutrients for the body is essential for weight loss. Providing too few calories have been found to reduce bone density, even when combined with resistance exercise. Consume a balanced diet with at least 1,200 calories daily to preserve bone health.
©Copyright – Hector Sectzer
