You may think that if you are not as active as you used to be you don’t need to eat much. However, calories are important to maintain a healthy body whatever your level of activity. A calorie shortfall may, in fact, further reduce levels of activity and mobility.
The type of food you eat can also affect if you are getting enough calories.
Research indicates that an adult even if they do not have an active life still require 1500 – 2000 kcal per day to maintain a healthy body. This compares to normal average requirements of 2,500 kcal for men and 2,000 for women.
A dietitian can create a diet plan to ensure you get the necessary nutrition you need.
The NHS produces an excellent information sheet at the link below.
What are the implications of not getting enough calories in my diet?
A lack of calories may lead to muscle loss, which can in turn reduce the ability to get out and about, perhaps even to get out of bed or a chair independently.
This may mean that it is difficult to keep active and mobile. It may also lead to bed sores and social isolation. In turn, this can result in a lack of desire to eat.
This is condition is known as sarcopenia.
I first heard the term sarcopenia long after Stan had started to lose wight. His muscle strength deteriorated so that he was unable to get out of the chair without assistance.
Sarcopenia is a condition characterised by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Although it is primarily a disease of the elderly, its development may be associated with conditions that are not exclusively seen in older people.
It should be important to prevent or postpone as much as possible the onset of this condition, to enhance survival and to reduce the demand for long-term care. Interventions for sarcopenia need to be developed with most attention on exercise and nutritional interventions.
The following link from the National Library of Medicine, a USA origanisation, gives more details of this condition.
You should get advice from the GP if you’re underweight (your body mass index is less than 18.5).
A substantial lack of calorie has also been widely found to cause cognitive impairment, or ‘brain fog’, such as poor memory, attention, processing speed and concentration.