A lot of people want to lose weight nowadays as they see the importance of keeping their weight down at the appropriate level based on their gender and age. Unfortunately, we are hard wired to want things done fast which is why most of us are looking into diet programs that can let us lose up to 10 pounds easily in just a week. Although extreme dieting does deliver results, losing weight fast is not only scary but it is also unhealthy.
Before you even contemplate dropping weight fast, here are a few risks that you are putting yourself into when you choose this path.
- It can trigger gall bladder problems. When you follow extreme dieting and fasting, biliary sludge tends to appear. This, in turn, can transform into gall stones. More often than not, these stones appear after going on an extreme diet which can cause discomfort and pain on your part.
- It can make you lose lean muscle mass. Our body usually burns the fats that we have stored in our body last which is a bit unfair. Unfortunately, going on a crash diet where your calorie intake is reduced significantly can actually cause your body to go after lean muscle tissue which is unhealthy.
- It can make your energy go down. Most rapid weight loss diets ditch carbohydrates but you need to keep in mind that your muscles work better when there are carbohydrates available. If the diet program that you are following doesn’t have any grains, vegetables, fruits, and even breads then there is a huge chance that your store of energy will dip severely. What’s more, you are at risk of suffering from constipation because there isn’t enough fiber and fat to make your wastes bulk up for easy elimination.
- It can trigger eating disorders. Those individuals who are overweight tend to eat more calories than they can actually burn. However, it is so easy to slip into an under-eating disorder when you want to lose weight immediately. Anorexia and bulimia are just two types of eating disorder that affects a lot of people, mostly teenage girls who are quite critical of their body weight. And it appears that this trend is still rising over the years.
- It can cause vitamin and mineral deficiency. Vitamins and minerals are important to our body as they help make sure that all our organs are functioning properly. Sadly though, when we go to a restricted diet, we are actually eliminating essential foods in our diet that can provide us with important nutrients hence we begin to lose energy quickly and are prone to suffering from common illnesses like colds, cough, and the like.
Losing weight is all well and good as long as you lose one to two pounds a week. Any more than that can already put you at risk especially when you keep at it for months. Keep in mind that rapid weight loss comes with dangers that you should take into consideration right from the start.
