Drastic Weight Loss. Most people who finish fad diets lose all the weight they lost, and more than 95% of dieters go back to their old eating habits in just five years or less.
About two thirds of all American adults are dieting at any given time with the goal of losing weight or preventing weight gain. Only 5% of these dieters will keep the weight off.
With weight loss, experts say to make steady, long-term plans. This is what they say. People should also stay away from fad diets and programmes that make unrealistic promises, like dramatic weight loss in a short time with very little work.
You might not be healthy if you lose a lot of weight quickly.
There are two main things that happen when you go on a “crash diet.” In turn, this makes it hard for you to lose more weight and keep your weight loss over time. The Obesity Action Coalition says that cutting back on calories makes your body think you’re starving. Because your body doesn’t want you to lose any more weight, it slows down your metabolism.
When people go on “crash diets,” they tend to be too restrictive and hard to follow, so it’s common for them to break their diets.
It doesn’t work long-term because they go back to eating “as usual.” These two things together make people gain back the weight they lost. It also makes you gain more weight.
However, there are other, more dangerous, consequences to rapid weight loss. WebMD says that “rapid weight loss puts a lot of strain on the body,” which can lead to a wide range of health problems, including:
Gallstones. 12 to 25% of people who lose a lot of weight over a long period of time have them. A report from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Issues says that people who lose more than 3 pounds a week are more likely to get gallstones, which can be very painful.
Water loss. During extreme diets, many people cut back on how much water they drink and how many calories they eat. This could make you lose water.
Not enough food. Extreme diets often limit the types of foods or macronutrients you can eat, which can make it hard to lose weight. Reducing the number of foods you eat and how many calories you eat puts you at risk of not getting all the nutrients your body needs, which can make you sick.
A problem with electrolytes. Electrolytes are substances that your cells use to carry electrical impulses inside and outside of their own cells and to other cells. You need sodium, potassium, and calcium in order for your body to work right. The electrolytes in your body can be low if you go on a very strict diet. This can cause symptoms like muscle weakness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
It’s possible that heart problems could also happen when people go on a quick diet, CNN says.
For example, it talks about a 55-year-old man who started having heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and a feeling like he had a heart attack after he started eating very little and exercising very hard.
Drastic Weight Loss Plans
When people go on “crash diets,” they tend to be too restrictive and hard to follow, so it’s common for them to break their diets.
It doesn’t work long-term because they go back to eating “as usual.” These two things together make people gain back the weight they lost. It also makes you gain more weight.
However, there are other, more dangerous, consequences to rapid weight loss. WebMD says that “rapid weight loss puts a lot of strain on the body,” which can lead to a wide range of health problems, including:
Gallstones. 12 to 25% of people who lose a lot of weight over a long period of time have them. A report from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Issues says that people who lose more than 3 pounds a week are more likely to get gallstones, which can be very painful.
Water loss. During extreme diets, many people cut back on how much water they drink and how many calories they eat. This could make you lose water.
Not enough food. Extreme diets often limit the types of foods or macronutrients you can eat, which can make it hard to lose weight. Reducing the number of foods you eat and how many calories you eat puts you at risk of not getting all the nutrients your body needs, which can make you sick.
A problem with electrolytes. Electrolytes are substances that your cells use to carry electrical impulses inside and outside of their own cells and to other cells. You need sodium, potassium, and calcium in order for your body to work right. The electrolytes in your body can be low if you go on a very strict diet. This can cause symptoms like muscle weakness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
It’s possible that heart problems could also happen when people go on a quick diet, CNN says.
For example, it talks about a 55-year-old man who started having heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and a feeling like he had a heart attack after he started eating very little and exercising very hard.
Crash Diets
Another important aspect to consider is preexisting conditions.
Crash diets may be particularly\sharmful to diabetics because changes in diet and low food intake will affect your blood sugar.
In this case, you’d have to keep an eye on your blood sugar levels more often and change your medication, which you might have to do with the help of your doctor.
Fad diets can also have negative effects on people with diabetes, like making their cholesterol and blood pressure go up, which can make them even more sick.
As long as some extreme programmes like very low-calorie diets help some people, they may not work for all.
With the help of a medical professional, very low-calorie diets can help obese people who need to lose weight for their health.
Doctors say that in most cases, the best way to lose weight is to make changes to your diet and exercise.
The best way to lose weight is to lose at least 10% of your body fat and keep it off for at least a year.
The safest way to do this is to lose between 1 and 2 pounds a week.
If you want to lose weight quickly and don’t have to diet or exercise, don’t use pills, cleanses, or extreme diets. These things slow down your metabolism and make it hard to lose more weight.
More importantly, they can cause a wide range of health problems that can be easily avoided by making long-term, healthy lifestyle changes that lead to safe weight loss.
I'm J Hastings, your friendly fitness enthusiast with over 12 years of dedicated experience in the realms of fitness, diets, and bodybuilding. Join me on a journey towards a healthier and happier version of yourself!
