This would be my 750 calorie menu
If I were to do a 750 calorie meal plan, I would concentrate more on vegetables as they have a lot fewer calories than anything other available to us. I would eat a lot of vegetables, and with them, I will focus on the amount of protein because it is the one critical thing for these low-calorie diets. If you could increase the amount of protein in the diet (and add some resistant exercise as well), you could avoid some harmful effects of these diets but not all.[1,2]
In breakfast, I might take salad of cucumber, kale, and tomatoes. I could add some green chutney sauce to add taste(this is optional. I have not added this so don’t blame me). Then, I would take some protein powder, be it whey(raw or isolate) or protein from plant seeds like pea protein or anything else with ~80%+ concentration of essential amino acids(proteins). Let me create a chart for you on how this is going to look like–
- Tomatoes (1 kg) – 180 calories – 39 g carbs, 2 g of fat, 8.8 g of protein
- cucumber (500 g) – 75 calories – 8.2 g of carbs, 0.5 g of fat, 3.2 g of protein
- Kale (400 g) – 156 calories – 5.2 g of carbs, 6.4 g of fat, 30.6 g of protein
- whey protein (79% raw) (60 g) – 239 calories – 3 g of carbs, 4.8 g of fat, 47.4 g of protein
- carrots (250 g) – 103 calories – 23.9 g of carbs, 0.6 g of fat, 2.3 g protein
- Diet coke (optional)
- Black Coffee (minuscule)
Total – 753 calories with 89 g of carbs, 14 g of fat, and, 75 g of protein.
Now, this is not going to be easy, but this is the best I could think of if I would go on a 750 calories diet. I would focus on proteins a lot because these are the elements to look after on a very low-calorie diet plan, and avoiding these could harm you a lot.[3] You should eat at least two times to avoid extreme hunger. That’s why vegetables help a lot. Anyways, what would happen if you decided to do that?
What happens if you eat 750 calories per day?
This diet plan is going to lead to a massive weight loss. That was obvious. But, several side effects could happen with this. Firstly, you are likely to lose muscle mass early in the process. Then, you could start having severe fatigue and feeling of energy exhaustion. Also, you could likely suffer from the fallouts of immunity reduction with common diseases like common cold catching to you in no time.
In case you’re wondering why these things are going to happen, don’t worry when, after some seconds, you will be reading the details below, you will understand everything from the basal metabolic rate to the right calorie restriction process. So, let me explain.
You will see serious weight loss
Every diet that you see around the web depends on the main principle of calories reduction. Whether they want you to eat more carbs, more ferrets, or more protein, everything comes to the point of calories reduction. If you eat more calories than your essential requirement, you will gain weight, and if you eat fewer calories than your basic requirement, you will lose weight.[4.5,6] The basic requirement is known as the basal metabolic rate. This rate is the required energy for the basic functions of our body, including the functions of the heart, brain, and other vital organs.[7]
A human adult male requires 2000 to 2500 calories per day as his basic requirement.[8] So, here you are eating 750 calories which are 1750 cal fewer than the 2500 value. If you reduce 750 calories per day from your diet, you lose about a hundred grams of weight.[9] So, if you reduce 1750 calories per day, you are likely to lose more than 200 g of weight or half a pound per day. That’s a lot of weight. If you calculate that is going to be 15 lbs per month. Absolutely huge! But wait, every shiny thing comes at a cost. What’s the catch here?
You will feel empty
Within days of starting the 750 calorie diet, you will start feeling a lot of fatigue. You will feel like a low-energy person (not that low-energy person if you grab my pun :D). It will be hard for you to do any work, and the fatigue will remain all day. This is due to the lack of iron, vitamin B12 and other elements that you won’t be getting in ample amounts once you start the 750 calorie diet.[10,11,12] Also, your chances of becoming a parent might diminish.
Studies have found that the reproductive power of humans reduce as we reduce the calorie intake this is especially true for women.[13] For men, there are not many studies about it but the few available, point in the same direction.[14] Several studies have said that diets that restrict the number of carbs we eat are going to produce a lot of shakiness, a lot of fatigue in many individuals.[15,16,17] However, some studies have denied that. But, there are some even worse long-term effects.[18]
You will start losing muscles
You could start losing muscle mass.[19,20] Our body converts carbohydrates in the form of carbs and sugars into glucose, and that glucose is stored as glycogen. We then use that glycogen to produce energy.[21] Now, in the absence of elements like carbs and proteins your body is likely to produce energy through the fat, but as there is not enough protein to replenish dead muscle cells, you’ll likely suffer muscle loss[21]. If you have a bulky body, most of your muscles will likely suffer harsher damage under the 750 calorie diet process.
So, if you are into building muscles, stay away. Even if you are skinny guy, muscle mass is essential for our day to day functions and after losing that it’s not easy to regain. If you’re horrified, don’t worry, there is more.
In the long run, you could suffer from diseases
Not only you can lose your muscle mass, but your bones could start to become brittle. Your bone strength will reduce, and they can shatter easier than before.[22,23,24] And, remember, it is irreversible.[25]
Also, your immunity is likely to reduce. Several studies[26,27,28] have shown that people who are on very-low-calorie diets tend to suffer from immunity problems. So, likely you will get diseases more easily than before. You can suffer from the common cold, cough, or any other random transmittable disease. But, there are other considerations when thinking about the immunity system.
The immunity system prevents various kinds of diseases, viruses from harming us and that could include anything from diarrhoea to cholera to anything else. Our immunity system helps us in preventing those from harming us. Once it is weakened, anything can happen.[29] Luckily for you, there is a best-case scenario.
Most likely you will end dieting for good
Probably, you are going to revert to your old eating habits. This is likely due to severe fatigue and exhaustion your body is going to face on a 750 calorie diet. Not only that, once you revert, you will likely gain more weight than what you started with, a study of over 2000 people shows[29] You will eat everything that comes in your hand. You are likely to eat way more than your daily calorie requirement.
So, eventually, even if you lost around 10 or 20 lbs with extreme dieting practices like the 750 calorie diet, you are likely to gain more weight and be as even more miserable than before. So, what to do about it? I would suggest you follow a moderate diet like a 1200 or 1500 calorie diet plan.
Conclusion
I would not suggest the 750 calories a day diet plan to anyone who wants to reduce weight effectively and without harmful side effects. Not only it can harm your body in the short-term, but it could produce severe problematic diseases for you to tackle for your whole life. That is not a good scenario. Once you acquire these horrible diseases, you will have to live with them for the rest of your life. Not recommended at all!
Also, if you have any questions or queries regarding this diet, you can directly connect with me using the contact us page on this website. You can also post your opinions below so that I can read and reply to them. Have a very nice, productive day.
