A drastic way to diet! Welcome to the most extreme diet in the world – starvation! In my previous article, ‘alternate day fasting,’ I advocated a simple way of reducing your calorie intake.
However, another option that reduces your daily food intake to only around 500 calories per day is the ‘starvation diet. This weight-loss programme was developed in the 1950s by Professor Ancel Keys, most famous for his ‘K ration’ used in survival packs during World War II.
Professor Keys believed that people might be faced with starvation under certain conditions, such as crashes of large aircraft and shipwrecks. So he wanted to develop an easy way of making sure he would still be able to function.
He decided that the caloric intake should not fall below 1500 calories per day, or his body would enter a stage known as a starvation mode which, in turn, might lead to muscle loss instead of fat loss.
Keys based this opinion on experiments with conscientious objectors during World War II when he noticed that most of these men survived on 1500-2000 calories per day for over six months.
These men lost weight, but the interesting thing was their average weight loss was only about one pound (0.5 kg) per week, a very safe way of losing weight slow and steady!
Keys also experimented with his wife at home by feeding her only 500 calories per day and limit her movement to less than 1,000 calories burned.
She stayed in bed and did very little all day and lost about 2 pounds (1 kg) per week while at the same time avoiding hunger pains that often accompany a diet.
What is a Drastic Way to Diet?
A drastic way to diet is an ‘extreme starvation’ diet whereby you reduce your calorie intake to about 500 calories daily by eating mostly protein foods.
While you might think this is crazy, keep in mind that it has been done safely for decades, and no one ever died because of this type of drastic dieting! Keys chose a low-calorie diet as a safe way of reducing weight because the body does not need those calories.
For example, if you stopped breathing for one minute or stopped exercising together. Your heart would continue beating without any external nutrients or caloric intake to keep it going.
In other words, your body does not require food to function and keep vital organs, such as your heart, lungs and brain going. However, this does not mean that you should go without food for days on end or you would die very quickly!
The key here is to eat just enough calories so that hunger pains are kept at bay. And let your body burn off your excess weight slowly but surely.
What Kind Of Food Can You Eat During a Drastic Way To Diet?
The kinds of food you can eat during this drastic diet are mostly protein with very little carbohydrate and fat.
For example, foods like boiled eggs (protein), dark chocolate (carbohydrate/fat), cream cheese (protein), milk (protein), beef jerky (protein), chicken or tuna salad (protein) with low-calorie dressing.
Although you can eat all types of protein foods during this drastic diet, be sure to read the labels carefully because many protein-rich foods have a lot of calories. So try and stick with the lowest calorie options.
Why Is This Type Of Dieting Extreme?
Well, if you have been following my previous articles on ‘how to diet’, you would notice that the usual advice given is to reduce your caloric intake to about 1800-2000 calories per day…which can lead to weight loss between 0.5kg (1lb) – 1kg (2lbs) per week.
However, during drastic dieting, you will be reducing your caloric intake to about 500 calories per day which will only lead to a weight loss of 0.25kg (1/2lb) – 1kg (2lbs) per week or even less!
This is why this type of drastic dieting is considered ‘extreme’ because you are reducing your caloric intake by up to 75% even though it should only be done under a doctor’s supervision!
Why Should You Consider Using a Drastic Way To Diet?
You should consider using this type of drastic diet because the body does not go into starvation mode. After all, your caloric intake will always be at least 1500 calories per day as long as you maintain this way of dieting.
In other words, you can lose weight safely while still maintaining a healthy metabolism and not going into starvation mode, where your body will start to hold onto excess fat instead of burning it off!
The only drawback of this drastic diet is that most people tend to quit after about two weeks due to hunger pains and very slow results.
What Are The Drawbacks Of a Drastic Way To Diet?
The main drawback of this type of drastic diet is that you will be very hungry and often find yourself thinking about food almost all day long, making it very difficult to stick to this way of dieting for more than two weeks.
Another drawback is that your body will start to go into starvation mode after about 2-weeks of this type of drastic dieting, which can lead to a plateau in weight loss and even weight gain if you have been very strict with your caloric intake.
Furthermore, once you return to normal eating habits, your body will be super-efficient at storing any food you eat as fat. Since it may have been under the impression that starvation mode is a ‘normal’ state in which to be after drastic dieting.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for some new and exciting diet tips, this article is not the one for you. We’ll be talking about the most extreme way to lose weight possible- fasting! Fasting can help with weight loss in many different ways.
For example, it’s been found that when your body doesn’t have food to digest, it starts burning fat instead of sugar at a higher rate than normal.
Plus if there isn’t any food available for energy use, then all those extra calories from alcohol or other sources will just pass right through without being absorbed by your body.
