06/21/2026
Precision Nutrition has some of the most cutting edge relevant real world Nutritional information there is
I knew this 30 years ago, if you are not overweight do not eat like an overweight person eventually you will become overweight and losing muscle will lead to premature death
Precision Nutrition very easy to digest information bar none
The Smartest Coach in the Room
Every Saturday, The Smartest Coach in the Room delivers helpful takeaways on the hottest nutrition and health topics and the world’s most effective coaching techniques.
The 5-Second Skim: Why Eating More Might Help You Lose Weight
Recognize that ultra-low calorie diets can produce rapid weight loss, but often trigger intense hunger, cravings, and food preoccupation.
Understand that extreme restriction is difficult to sustain, leading many people to unconsciously compensate by overeating at other times.
Consider a more moderate calorie deficit, paired with adequate protein and minimally processed foods, to improve consistency and long-term results.
Are ultra-low calorie diets safe? (Or even effective?)
In general, an “ultra-low” calorie diet is one that has about half the amount of calories it takes for you to maintain your weight.
(For most women that’s around 1200 Calories, and for men it’s around 1500 Calories.)
Ultra-low calorie diets are pretty much guaranteed to cause weight loss, even for those with thyroid problems, and even when you take into account adaptive thermogenesis—or the “slowing” of metabolism after an extended period of caloric deficit.
Problem: Semi-starvation is brutal.
An undressed salad and you’re smiling? Lies.
About 80 years ago, researchers at the University of Minnesota published a study called “The Minnesota Starvation Experiment.”
In the study, 36 men voluntarily semi-starved themselves by eating about half their normal intake. After six months, every single one of them had lost about 25 percent of their weight—no exceptions.
However, they’d also gained something:
An outright obsession with food.
Food preoccupation became so intense for the Minnesota men that they would routinely lick their plates, and even rummage through the trash for scraps between meals.
Biology FTW
When people try an ultra low-calorie diet, they may get results at first, but over time—as the Minnesota study showed—biology makes it harder and harder to sustain.
If you or a client has ever tried to follow an extreme diet for more than a few weeks, you might notice you’ll start to “sneak” in calories—sometimes without even being conscious of it.
Then, of course, progress stalls.
Clients may think they’re still following, say, a 1200 or 1500 Calorie diet, but more likely they’re nailing their calorie targets some days, and wildly exceeding it on others.
“Clients say ‘I’m eating 1200 or 1300 Calories a day.’ That’s usually true-ish. It’s just not consistent,” says Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD, Precision Nutrition’s Director of Nutrition. “They’re in the ballpark four to five days a week, but they’re likely compensating with higher calorie foods on other days.”
Solution: Eat a little more.
If your clients aren’t losing weight despite being on an ultra-low calorie diet, it might actually be that the calorie deficit is too extreme.
So, the counterintuitive solution to stalled or no weight loss on an ultra-low calorie diet is actually to… increase your caloric intake.
By adding just a few hundred daily calories, you’ll reduce the intense hunger, cravings, fatigue, and food obsessions that make it so difficult to remain consistent.
“It feels as if you’re eating more because, on most days, you are,” says St. Pierre. “Yet, while you’ll eat more each day, you’ll likely consume less each week.”
Eating lean protein (at least 4-5 palm-sized portions daily) and focusing on minimally-processed foods, which are more satiating, can also help people eat a little less, feel satisfied, and—often ignored in dieting—maintain precious muscle mass.
Losing weight should feel tolerable sucky.
If someone’s priority is weight loss, a certain amount of hunger is inevitable.
However, if that hunger is so extreme that it’s starting to disrupt someone’s focus, energy levels, or psychological well-being, scale back.
Moderate approaches are almost always more sustainable—and, as a result, lead to better long-term outcomes.
For more wild and kooky ways your biology fights back against ultra-low calorie diets—and what to do about it—read: Is a 1200-Calorie diet (or any super low-calorie diet) actually realistic?
Take care,
Alex Picot-Annand, PN2, Holistic
Precision Nutrition is the home of the world's top nutrition coaches. Best-in-class nutrition coaching, nutrition software, and professional certification.
