The 1200-Calorie Cookie-Cutter Diet

It breaks my heart when I see people without a real background in nutrition making meal plans for people to lose weight. I can't tell you how often I see people create a meal plan based on a 1200 calorie cookie-cutter diet that they give to everyone, rather than tailoring it to a person's body and specific needs. Your body requires a certain amount of calories just to function...as if you were laying in bed all day doing nothing. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate. It is not recommended to eat less than this, as it can cause muscle loss and eventually even damage to your metabolism. There aren't many people out there who need to lose weight and have a BMR of 1200 calories, so a 1200 calorie diet is unnecessary. In addition to your BMR, you must factor in the calories you expend walking around doing your daily activities. Calorie needs are different for everyone. There is not a "one size fits all" meal plan because everyone's bodies are different. In addition to calorie needs, there are so many other factors that go into making a meal plan for a person. Special diets are becoming more and more common, whether it's because of a food intolerance or a choice not to eat particular foods (referring to vegans, vegetarians, Paleo, etc.). You can't just hand someone a generic list of foods to choose from and tell them to use it to create 5-6 small meals per day. Telling them to avoid carbs like bread and fruit isn't right either. Carbohydrates provide your body with energy, and if you limit your intake you will feel tired and sluggish. There are certainly better choices when it comes to carbs, such as choosing whole grain breads and pastas, fruit, and veggies, all of which contain fiber and will help you feel fuller. But to strictly limit your carbohydrate intake will not help you reach your weight goal in a healthy way.

I could go on for a while about all of the myths regarding nutrition and losing weight, but you get the idea. As a grad student obtaining my Master's degree in nutrition, it's frustrating to see people without the proper background giving people nutrition advice that could be potentially harmful in the long-run. If you want to lose weight, seek out professional help, or at least do your own research from reputable sources. As much as it hurts to see people out there that are misinforming others, it sure is motivating me to finish grad school and get my RD so I can help people achieve their goals the right way.