How a Very Low Calorie Diet Can Make You Gain Weight

Hello, my dears! It’s Alla Sem here. The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry filled with meal plans that provide very low calorie levels. This is the magic bullet because if you follow these meal plans closely, you will absolutely lose weight. You’re happy, and the company can say they gave you what they promised.

Physiologically, we know that very low calorie diets work for short term weight loss. But the question is: what are we doing to ourselves in the long run?

The fact is, very low calorie diets (1,000 to 1,200 calories or less) are contributing to weight gain more than they are helping people find lasting weight loss. Many people feel they have to go on a very low calorie diet because this is the only way their weight will budge. Well… they’re right, and this is why.

When a person goes on a very low calorie diet, they are putting themselves into starvation mode. If they lose more than two pounds per week, they can end up losing muscle mass, which will negatively affect their metabolism. This is a topic that is worth spending a minute on.

Let’s look at what happened to Sally. Her story may be all too familiar to you.

Sally’s Story

Sally’s resting metabolic rate (how many calories she burns at rest) was 2500 calories per day. This means she was consuming around 2500 calories each day to maintain her weight where it was. She decided to lose weight by going on a diet. The diet program estimated her calories at 1000-1200. She lost 10 pounds in two weeks. She was, of course, very happy about this weight loss. This felt like success.

What she didn’t know is that part of that rapid weight loss was not fat but muscle. Sally then had a hard time staying on the strict routine after the first month, which is typical, and went back to her old eating habits.

So what happened to Sally’s body during this diet? She lost lean body mass along with body fat. Muscle is the most important factor in keeping your metabolic rate high. One pound of muscle burns 30-70 calories, while one pound of fat burns around 0-10 calories. During her weight loss in that month, Sally lost approximately 5 pounds of muscle mass (lean body mass).

Sally’s metabolic rate used to be 2500 calories for her weight to stay stable. Now it has decreased to approximately 2100 calories. So when she goes back to her old eating habits, which were landing her on an average of 2500 calories per day, she will gain her old weight back plus more.

The Vicious Cycle

What do you think will happen when she goes on the next low calorie diet? What will happen after 4-5 weight loss diets? You guessed it. She will continue to decrease her metabolic rate. This is why so many people feel that they don’t eat that much but still gain weight. It’s true.

To add insult to injury, there are also studies that suggest when people go back to their original eating habits, they gain fat tissue rapidly instead of lean body mass.

The Bottom Line

Don’t despair, dieters. There are steps you can take to get your metabolism fired up again, but the first step is to stop very low calorie diets. Many popular diet programs will estimate your calories using a calculation. This often sets you up for a lower calorie level than you may actually need.

On my journey from 110 kg to 80 kg, I learned that slow and steady wins the race. Losing weight too quickly backfires by destroying the very muscle that keeps your metabolism burning. Be patient with yourself. Your body will thank you.

With love and belief in you,
Alla Sem