We hear all the time that Americans are getting heavier and that we eat too much. That may be well and good, but the truth is that most of us need a certain amount of calories a day to stay healthy, and if we don’t get that we risk all kinds of medical problems, including death. And you don’t have to be either anorexic or bulimic to have problems in this regard.
There are many diets that work on restricting calories. That’s well and good, but there’s a limit. It’s not recommended for most people to have a diet of less than 800 calories a day. If someone is extremely obese and under a doctor’s care, it’s possible that they’ll be put on a diet that can be as low as 500 calories a day. But that’s under a doctor’s care and being seen at least every couple of days.
Those are extreme cases. Many doctors believe that eating less than 600 calories a day could not only make the body start breaking down, but that it will affect the brain in negative ways. Indeed, it could be the low calorie diet of both anorexics and bulimics that makes them believe they’re still overweight.
There aren’t many certified very low calorie diets (VLCD) in the United States, which shows how difficult this process is and how limited the government wants it to be. They restrict their clients to between 500 and 800 calories a day, but plan the foods they eat to work with each other to not only stimulate weight loss, but to work with each other to help keep their clients feeling as if they’re not hungry.
The idea is to use the process of ketosis, which is the body burning fat for energy, rather than doing it through the foods that are eaten, as fat storage is what the body does with an excess of food. It’s actually a process that’s encouraged through low carbohydrate diets as well.
This isn’t a diet anyone should undertake on their own. It can be very dangerous and life threatening. If you feel you need a diet this severe, go to a therapist or doctor and get yourself on a safe plan instead.
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Dr. Michael J. Murphy has been serving the East Valley communities of Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler at 2 locations since relocating from Wisconsin in the spring of 2006. Dr. Murphy graduated Magna Cum Laude from the prestigious Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport Iowa and practiced for over 20 years in the Madison area.