If you want to lose weight, restricting calories is one way of doing this. And a 1000 calorie diet may just be the amount of calories that will help you lose that amount of weight.

But is it healthy to go on such a diet, and will it keep you full? As most of us probably have lots of questions about 1000 calorie diets, here is the 1000 calorie diet FAQ: All you need to know and more...

As you still need an adequate amount of calories to function, restricting your calories too much is never a good thing. You have to take the necessary precautions before going on such a diet, and be aware of the many side-effects it holds.

One of the most important things you have to do is to consult with your doctor first, before going on such a diet.

Any low calorie or fad diet may hold some dangers, and you should be aware of these dangers and risks before undertaking such a diet. Consider the following possible dangers and side-effects and decide for yourself if you are willing to take the risks:

• Damage to your metabolism - If too little calories are consumed suddenly, your metabolism may slow down and if this behavior is repeated for an extended period of time, it may increase the chances that you gain back all the weight after the diet is over.
• Dehydration - As most of your weight loss stems from water loss, you can easily become dehydrated. To avoid this, take in lots of fluids during your diet
• Fatigue and malnutrition - Consuming little (or less than before) calories can cause you to become tired easily. To avoid this, don't exercise too hard during your diet
• Learning of yo-yo diet behaviors and unhealthy principals - If you follow fad diets or any diet in general, there is a chance that you may learn unhealthy eating habit or that you may fall in the yo-yo diet trap. To avoid this, don't diet too long.

In my opinion there are some 1000 calorie diets that are more healthy than others.

To tell the difference, check if the diet is balanced and if it contains enough nutrients your body will need to function probably.

You have to decide for yourself if the 1000 calorie diet menu looks sound and healthy, and contains a balanced combination of foods.

Here are 6 precautions that are very important to take before, while and after your restrictive calorie diet:

• Always go see a doctor before undertaking any new diet or exercise plan
• Evaluate and understand the dangers and risks of going on such a diet
• Make sure that you take in a lot of fluids when you are dieting, to avoid dehydration
• Don't exercise too hard while you are on a restrictive calorie diet
• At any time if you have adverse side effects or if the diet have strange reactions on you, take a break and consider stopping the diet altogether.
• Make sure that you don't become obsessive about your body and that you don't pick up any unhealthy eating patterns.

Now that you know all about the various risks that a 1000 calories diet holds, let look at some of the different types of 1000 calorie diet plans that are available:

I think vegetarian is the easiest way to restrict your calories, as fruits and vegetables are usually lower in calories than other food.

Such a diet would include vegetarian foods and it would also contain healthy carbs and non-animal protein (expect for milk and eggs).

These are the best kind of diets. Most of them usually focus on teaching you healthy eating patterns. And that will help you to lose the weight permanently.

This is the type of diet you should try to avoid at most. The food content is usually very unbalanced and it mostly contains only foods from one food group.

As you need all the vitamins and minerals you need to function well, you should try to avoid being on such diets.

Examples of these diets include fruit only diets, cabbage soup only diets and other unhealthy liquid diets and egg diets.

If you want to know how a 1000 calorie per day diet menu looks, have a look at the following eating plan and decide if you will be able to eat that little:

• Breakfast: Cooked oats with fat free milk and artificial sweetener
• Snack: 100g fat free yogurt
• Lunch: tuna salad (low fat salad dressing) and 1 slice rye bread (no croutons are allowed in the salad).
• Snack: 1 small apple
• Dinner: 1 skinless chicken breast and mixed vegetables (carrots, baby marrows, onions, mushrooms and green beans)
• Snack: Diet hot chocolate drink

Whether you can follow a 1000 calorie per day diet or not will depend on your unique dietary requirements, your height and weight and your personal circumstances.

It is thus very important to check with your health advisers first before going on a restrictive diet.

If you do decide to follow a low calorie eating plan, do so safely and follow a healthy eating plan that will also teach you good eating habits.

That way you will be able to lose the weight even permanently.

But what ever you do, exercise regularly, eat healthy and stay dedicated to your weight loss goals.