Crash Dieting... Nope.. sorry it's not the answerCrash dieting goes against everything I have tried to communicate on this website. All the way through, I have tried to get across how I believe the only way to achieve lasting weight loss is by a solid, realistically achievable and easy to follow weight loss plan. I am sure you can already guess what I am going to say about these kind of diets. Keep away from them. Whilst I can fully understand and appreciate you want to lose weight quickly, but these diets really are not the way to go. What exactly is a crash diet?They are diets that are one of the most drastic forms of dieting. In many ways, it is similar to the starvation diet. Many of these diets that promise quick weight loss involve dramatically reducing the number of calories that you eat, often to a level considerably less than you need to sustain yourself. This is often coupled with extreme exercise regimes and/or the use of diuretics or weight loss pills. These pills often help to reduce the amount water in your body. My how to lose water weight page looks into these pills in more detail. Can I lose weight with crash dieting?Essentially no. Let me explain. If you follow a crash diet, a lot of the time you will initially lose weight very quickly. Several lbs in the first few days is possible. Whilst this may sound very appealing, it is ultimately doomed to failure. Why? The weight you have lost is likely to be mostly water weight. The reason for this is because a very low calorie intake often results in the body absorbing more fluids than it would usually. If the crash diet suggests you take diuretics this will add to the problem. It is quite possible that physical symptoms could result from this such as dehydration. The problem with most diets that promise extremely quick weight loss is that after the initial weight loss, you usually stop losing weight. You may find your weight plateaus for a while. After the plateau, you will probably end up putting the weight back on due to the fact you only lost water weight in the first place. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for you to end up even heavier than you were to start with after a rapid weight loss diet. Is these diets safe?This is an easy question, the only answer is absolutely not. There are many predictable consequences of persistent extreme dieting including: Nutritional Deficiencies Persistent drastic yoyo dieting can result in you not getting enough of the nutrients that your body needs to function. Wrongdiagnosis.com looks at this in more detail. Mental Health There can be many mental health problems that arise from a lack of adequate nutrition. These include depression, low self esteem. Even eating disorders can develop too including anorexia and bulimia. Physical Health Many physical health problems can also develop such as heart attacks, stroke, kidney malfunction or even kidney failure, liver failure. Bone problems such as osteoporosis can also develop. If you are not taking in enough calcium, the body has to “steal” it from your bones. Making them more brittle and more prone to fractures. The yoyo dieter If you are persistently following quick weight loss diets, you are very likely to be a yoyo dieter. This is where you constantly lose weight successfully only to gain it again. ConclusionIn conclusion, I would suggest avoiding crash diets at all costs. Nothing is worth risking serious health complications. You can lose weight and keep it off by having a realistic weight loss plan that is tailored for you personally. |