A 1500 calorie diet plan is generally used as a weight loss strategy. This eating plan involves counting the number of calories that are consumed to ensure that consumption is limited to 1500 per day. This low calorie diet plan works faster than many other types of diets. However, embarking on such a diet is often a matter of controversy.
Calories are units of energy that are burned when people engage in activities and by normal body functioning. When a person eats more calories than she burns, the body usually stores the extra calories as fat. Approximately 1500 calories is less than most people are recommended to eat per day. The theory behind the 1500 calorie diet plan is to starve the body so that it will burn stored fat.
The 1500 calorie diet plan generally involves a person taking one of two approaches. Many people follow menus that have been developed by others. This eliminates the effort of having to calculate calories. If a person does not want to follow someone else’s menu, the second option is to exert the effort to find the calorie count for every item consumed, including beverages.
This diet is not likely to have the same effect on every person. To begin with, it is generally recommended that men should consume more calories than women. When a man embarks on the 1500 calorie diet plan, he is, therefore, likely to be starving himself more severely than a woman. The fact that results are achieved through starvation tactics is one of the reasons why this diet tends to be controversial.
There are side effects commonly reported by those who have attempted the 1500 calorie diet plan. These can include fatigue, constipation, and diarrhea. Some dieters do not experience these symptoms and many who do experience them only do so when they maintain the diet for long periods. Despite the immediate effects, many health professionals question the long-term effects of such diets.
Another reason that the 1500 calorie diet plan is controversial is because it is argued that the results are generally not sustainable. To maintain the weight loss a person would have to continue with starvation tactics. Since most people tend to eventually return to normal eating, this diet is seen as promoting false hope and yo-yo dieting. Furthermore, to restrict her daily diet to 1500 calories generally involves a person drastically reducing or wholly eliminating certain types of foods, such as carbohydrates. Health professionals commonly reiterate that any diet that makes such a requirement should be avoided.
