50 Meal Prep Recipes for Weight Loss | Under 500 Calories (2024)

FAQs

How much weight can you lose in a week by eating 500 calories a day? ›

If you can eat 500 fewer calories every day, you should lose about a pound (450 g) a week. Always talk with your health care provider to determine a healthy weight for you before starting a weight-loss diet.

14Salmon tacos with papaya salsa

Topped with fresh papaya salsa, these tasty tacos are under 500 calories per serve.

Applying a 500-calorie diet can help the body improve metabolism, accelerate fat oxidation, thereby supporting weight loss very well. This diet is often applied to people who need to lose weight quickly to prevent the risk of adverse health effects due to weight.

To lose 10 pounds in one week, you'll need to burn between 3,500 and 5,000 calories more than you consume each day by restricting your diet to small portions of nutritious yet low-calorie foods, and significantly increasing your aerobic exercise with interval training, sports, and other vigorous activities.

Danger of deficiencies

The greatest dangers associated with a 500-calorie diet relate to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to many health problems. In fact, most people cannot meet their vitamin and mineral requirements if they eat less than 1200 calories per day.

You need to burn 3500 calories a day to lose one pound a day, and you need anywhere between 2000 and 2500 calories in a day if you are doing your routine activities. That means you need to starve yourself the whole day and exercise as much as to lose the remaining calories.

Losing 5 pounds a week comes to reducing your food intake by 3500 calories over seven days. The value that represents the decrease in calorie intake is known as the calorie deficit. If you want to lose 5 pounds in a week, you will need to reduce your food intake by 17,500 calories, which is a huge calorie deficit.

In general, if you are a healthy adult and are eating a nutrient-rich meal for your OMAD, you can expect to lose anywhere from 4-8 pounds in two weeks. Of course, this number can vary from person to person, and those who are overweight may lose more weight compared to those with a healthy weight.

How much weight can you lose in 2 weeks eating 500 calories a day? ›

In general, if you cut about 500 calories a day from your usual diet, you may lose about ½ to 1 pound a week. But this can vary depending on your body, how much weight you want to lose, your gender and activity level.

We watched hundreds of videos on 3 day water fasts and people reported losing between 4.5 lbs to 12 lbs on their fast. This depends on a lot of factors including starting weight and height. The three-day water fast can be a powerful tool for natural healing, weight loss, and overall well-being.

In general, if you cut about 500 calories a day from your usual diet, you may lose about ½ to 1 pound a week. But this can vary depending on your body, how much weight you want to lose, your gender and activity level.

If you can eat 500 fewer calories every day, you should lose about a pound a week. Another easy way to figure out how many calories you should eat is to multiply your weight by 15, Harvard Health advises. That number will give you the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight.

Eating only 500 calories a day is not advisable for most people as it can lead to various health issues including nutrient deficiencies and muscle loss. Although it may result in short-term weight loss, a significant portion of it may be due to water weight and muscle mass instead of fat.

Generally to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular physical activity. Depending on your weight, 5% of your current weight may be a realistic goal, at least for an initial goal.