I read an article this week about the NHS enrolling 5000 participants into an 800 calorie a day soup and shake diet for 12 weeks in an effort to ‘reverse’ Type 2 diabetes. It will be interesting to see the results of these diets, however there should be concerns raised about the participants’ overall health when adopting one of these diets.

In this blog post, I have opted to diarise the life of someone on a slightly higher calorie amount - 1200 calories to be precise. I’ll also be breaking down the issues of these low calorie diets so you can hopefully understand what is going on with your body and mind if you try it. MyFitnessPal used to give me this amount as a daily target when I told them I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. I have lived this week more times than I can count, often only one week as my body just couldn’t work properly on those calories. The diary entries are a combination of my own previous experiences and those of friends and clients, this may all not happen in the first week but it is a fair representation of what can happen on a low calorie diet.

Sunday

“I weighed myself this morning and I cannot believe I have let myself get to this size. I need to change my lifestyle in order to lose the weight - new meal plan and lots of exercise. I have been to the supermarket and bought all the healthy food I need for my new lifestyle change, I’m so excited to start! I’m going to be back in my skinny jeans in no time. I didn’t buy any bad foods, I didn’t want to be tempted to eat them. I’m going to get a cheeky Chinese takeaway tonight for my last naughty meal before my new meal plan starts!”

Our dieter has chosen to follow this diet as a form of punishment - she is keen to get smaller and lose weight. The concern seems to be mostly about weight rather than overall health. It’s great that she is looking to do more exercise as this can be beneficial for both physical and mental health.

She has already started demonising certain ‘bad’ foods, she has purposely not bought these in order to save herself from eating them. This lack of access to these foods can create a sense of desire for them. I would also question whether she actually enjoyed the takeaway she had - or was it simply because it felt naughty? There is nothing wrong with enjoying a takeaway, but we shouldn’t be labelling them as good or bad - this moralising of foods can often we moralise ourself for eating them.

Monday

“I got up super early today and got in a high intensity spin class before work. I felt so virtuous as my tracking watch said I burned 400 calories! I had breakfast at my desk - I opted for a bowl of cereal with skimmed milk. I got hungry at about 11am but had a big bottle of water to fill me up. I had my chicken salad for lunch. My afternoon meetings kept me busy but I nipped down to the shop to buy a packet of sugar-free gum as I got hungry mid-afternoon. I got home and had veggie pasta for dinner, it wasn’t quite the same without the cheese!”

Our dieter has rigidly stuck to her plan, she even managed to fit in a gym session. She doesn’t mention whether she enjoyed the class, instead focusing on the number of calories she burned. She has used water and chewing gum to mask her hunger - this is common amongst dieters. I would say that if you are hungry then eat, your body needs fuel. It’s great if you can make some enjoyable snacks available, maybe rice cakes with soft cheese or some veggies and houmous? It also sounds like she already misses cheese!

Tuesday

“I got up early again for a circuits class - the teacher was great and my classmates were a right laugh. I enjoyed it much more than spinning but my watch said I only burned 200 calories so that’s disappointing. It was Jane’s birthday at work and she brought in doughnuts for the team - it was SO hard to not try one, they looked amazing! Karen had two doughnuts, I’m so jealous. I had the same breakfast and lunch as yesterday. I didn’t track my dinner today, I had a Moroccan couscous salad - it’s a little annoying having to track all the ingredients.”

Our dieter has done another exercise session which is wonderful! It sounds like something she could really enjoy, especially with the social aspects of the class. It’s disappointing that she is judging it solely on the calories burned - there are so many other benefits. She sounds like she is starting to miss those foods she has cut out, she also missed out on enjoying her colleagues’ birthday which is a shame. By not tracking her evening meal, she shows that the meticulous tracking of all food is already getting a little challenging.

Wednesday

“I went back to spin this morning, it felt a lot harder than Monday’s session - I don’t really like this teacher. I had the same breakfast and lunch AGAIN - it’s boring but least I know the calories without having to track it all again. We went out for Jane’s birthday drinks after work - I just had a soda water instead of my usual G&T, I didn’t want to drink my calories! I didn’t feel very involved, I wasn’t enjoying myself and left at 7pm, I grabbed a crappy ready meal on the way home so I knew what the calories are.”

Our dieter says that she struggled with the spin session - this might be down to lack of energy or a bad teacher, maybe both! She is struggling with the monotony of her breakfasts and lunches and she is missing the social aspects of her normal life, instead she is worrying about her calorie limit instead. She has stuck to her calorie limit but has missed out on a fun evening out and she is also not really enjoying her food either as she is focusing on calories rather than nourishment and enjoyment.

Thursday

“I woke up early to go to circuits, but I felt really tired and had no energy so I went back to bed and had an extra hours sleep. I felt groggy most of the day at work and had a headache mid-afternoon so had a hot chocolate to make me feel better. I took the dressing and cheese off my evening meal to make sure I kept under my calories.”

Our dieter is starting to struggle with the low calories - she is experiencing tiredness, low energy and headaches. She had a hot chocolate mid-afternoon in an effort to build some energy but then reduced her evening meal instead. I think it’s clear that she is eating too few calories and her body is starting to struggle a bit. If you have ever eaten off a low calorie meal plan then it is often a sign you aren’t eating enough calories.

Friday

“I have done really well all week, I have resisted the temptation to have anything sweet or fatty. But I’m so disappointed in myself for this afternoon - I was feeling a bit down so I went to Greggs, bought a sausage roll, a pizza slice and a doughnut and scoffed them in the car. I didn’t want the ladies at work to see me eating them. Why do I have no willpower? I feel like such a failure, I didn’t write them down in my tracker so this day is a total write off. I came home and ordered a takeaway. I didn’t enjoy it, ate too much and felt over-full. Urgh, I hate myself.”

Our dieter is really starting to struggle with the diet - the low calories mean that her body is calling out for food. She sounds really down on herself and is definitely feeling like a failure, especially as she is hiding her food from her colleagues. Let’s be clear - SHE IS NOT A FAILURE. The diet is doing exactly what it is designed to do - fail and make you feel bad about it. Eating outside of the plan is not due to lack of willpower, it is your body telling you it is hungry.

I have done this so many times it’s unreal - I have eaten a ‘bad’ food, written the day off, eaten to seek comfort then start the cycle again the next day. It’s not good for your physical or mental health to do this.

Saturday

“After yesterday’s debacle, I have started fresh today! I managed to drag myself to spin class in the hopes of making up for the food I ate yesterday, I burned off 500 calories on my watch because I pushed really hard. I met up with Mum for lunch, I didn’t have breakfast as I wanted to make sure I had enough calories left. I had looked up the menu online beforehand and I was going to have the vegetable tart with salad, but I was starving and ended up having the fried chicken french toast. URGH, why do I do this?! Where is my discipline? I skipped dinner in the hope of clawing it back before tomorrow’s weigh in.”

Our dieter is showing lots of symptoms of disordered eating - skipping meals, doing exercise purely to burn off food and obsessing about food. Due to the low calorie target, it is feasible that she is not fully meeting her nutritional needs, perhaps she chose the french toast as her body was crying out for salt, fat or carbs or perhaps she ate it as a punishment. Either way, she has not fully enjoyed the meal or the time with her Mum. This food shame spiral is a massive part of living on a restrictive diet and is the reason many of us continue to buy into diets as a way to ‘fix ourselves’.

Sunday

“Well, it’s weigh in day…I ONLY LOST A POUND. What?! All that hard work, I did 4 gym sessions and stayed on target nearly all week! I wish I had more willpower and kept on track on Friday and Saturday. I will do better next week…next week I’ll lose even more. Maybe I could try intermittent fasting or cutting out all carbs?”

I understand this disappointment - I have been there. There are many reasons for weight to change aside from diet and exercise, especially as a woman. It could be a certain time in your cycle and hydration also plays a big part. Our dieter has said that she will now try to restrict even further which is clearly not the right path for her based on how her week has gone. I would argue that if she truly allowed all foods without judgement then she could work towards a happy medium where she could eat to balance nutrition and satisfaction.

1200 calories is average required for a toddler, as fully grown adults we need far more than this for our bodies and minds to function properly. So, what is the alternative for our dieter?

I would encourage her to stop putting so much focus on weight - instead look at your overall health. If you insist on weighing yourself, maybe weigh yourself once a month and instead focus on how you feel in your body. Also stop thinking about food solely as calories, often calorie counting can be inaccurate anyway. Are you actually enjoying your meals, are they nourishing you? Think the same way about exercise - do you enjoy the exercise you’re doing? Finally, are you able to enjoy your life? Is there space in your life to enjoy a meal out or a few drinks?

In short, put less focus on external measures and more focus on internal measures - you know yourself better than any app, watch or scale could know. You have to learn to trust yourself and your instincts - only then can you start to make choices that balance out your health and life enjoyment.