Q: Will I lose weight on 1,500 calories a day?

Yes, you can. According to an article in the National Library of Medicine , the average calorie needs for the average woman and man is 2,000 kcal and 2,500 kcal respectively per day. This means that an intake of 1,500 kcal would count as a calorie deficit meal plan, which should lead to weight loss over time ( 4 ). However, to ensure this is your recommended deficit intake per day, please make sure to use any of the above calorie deficit counting methods to determine a more individualized goal.

Question 1

Will I lose weight on 1,500 calories a day?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can.

According to an article in the National Library of Medicine, the average calorie needs for the average woman and man is 2,000 kcal and 2,500 kcal respectively per day. This means that an intake of 1,500 kcal would count as a calorie deficit meal plan, which should lead to weight loss over time (4). However, to ensure this is your recommended deficit intake per day, please make sure to use any of the above calorie deficit counting methods to determine a more individualized goal.

Question 2

Is 2 meals a day a calorie deficit?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how many calories you eat in those two meals.

For example, if your recommended calorie intake to create a deficit is 1,500 kcal and you consume 750 kcal for each of the two meals, then yes, eating two meals a day can lead to a deficit. However, if you’re eating 1,000 calories for each meal, then having just two meals a day may not count as a deficit, depending on your energy expenditure.

You may have reduced the number of times you eat a day, but you haven’t reduced the amount of calories. A calorie deficit is the reduction of calories consumed a day, not necessarily the number of times you eat. You can eat 6 meals a day and still be in a deficit, or you can eat 2 meals and not be. The trick is to make sure all the meals together stay within your overall calorie target.

Question 3

Can I eat only 1 meal a day?

Accepted Answer

Some people can, but it’s not without risks. Eating one meal a day, which is also known as OMAD, is an extreme version of intermittent fasting. With this variation, people fast for 23 hours and only allow themselves 1 hour to consume all the calories they need for a day.

As the eating window is quite small, people often have to eat one huge meal all at once in an effort to consume all the required calories for the day. While some can manage this, most people cannot, which leads to undereating and as mentioned above, this can make weight loss even harder.

To reach their calorie intake for the day, some people rely on unhealthy fatty foods. While this could seem like a fun and tasty loophole, research has suggested that doing so could lead to an increase in blood pressure and cholesterol (1).

Eating only once a day also comes with potential side effects such as:

Feelings of extreme hunger, which could lead to binge eating
Shakiness or physical weakness
Fatigue and low energy
Brain fog and trouble focusing

While some swear by the benefits of OMAD, we suggest trying other variations of intermittent fasting such as 16/8, 14/10, or 18/6.

Question 4

Should I skip meals for calorie deficit?

Accepted Answer

No, you shouldn’t.

As explained above, being in a deficit simply means reducing what’s on your plate, not necessarily reducing the amount of times you eat in a day. One study published in 2020 stated that while skipping a meal can help reduce daily calorie intake, it also reduces daily diet nutrition quality and could impact health negatively over time (14).

Skipping meals could also lead to a slower metabolism, which means that your body burns calories slower. leading to slower weight loss and eventually fat gain over time. It also leaves you with very little energy, which could make you feel weak and sluggish.

Question 5

Should I do a 3-day juice cleanse for a calorie deficit?

Accepted Answer

No, you shouldn’t.

While a juice cleanse may look like a calorie deficit, it’s usually simply just undereating. Undereating can lead to health risks such as osteoporosis and bone fractures, infertility, developmental problems in children, a weakened immune system, malnutrition, increased risk of surgical complications, anemia, and chronic fatigue.

Instead of trying a 3-day juice cleanse, use the same fruits and vegetables to make healthy weight loss meals instead. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with lean protein, and the other quarter with complex carbohydrates from whole grains or starchy vegetables.

Question 6

What are the benefits of fruit fasting?

Accepted Answer

The purported benefits of fruit fasting include:

Creating a calorie deficit
Weight loss
Appetite regulation and increased satiety
Increased intake of antioxidants
System flush

While these alleged benefits may make you want to try such a diet, we advise against it.

Yes, eating only fruits for a couple of days may increase the amount of antioxidants you’re eating, but fruits have no proteins and a large number of them have little or no fat content. Doing this eliminates some major food groups from your diet, which is not healthy.

Consuming only fruits may create a calorie deficit, but you’ll most likely be undereating, which is really not a good health or weight loss option. Finally, you don’t need to go the extra step to detoxify or flush your body of so-called toxins. Your body already has a system set up to naturally do this through the kidneys, liver, lungs, intestines, and skin.

Yes, eating well may help improve the function of these organs, but you don’t need to go on a whole separate diet for this. As long as you’re healthy, eating a healthy balanced diet will keep these organs in tip-top condition where they can easily get rid of any toxins.

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