Rapid Weight Loss: Its Ill Effects to Your Health & Other Important Information
Over the years, how many diet plans have you tried following? Or maybe you have a collection of the latest exercise machines which are supposed to help you get ripped abs or a lean body – but they’re only left gathering dust in your closet. There are even some who slave away their hours in the gym without experiencing any real, satisfactory results with weight loss.
Although it is true that the road to effective and permanent weight loss is teeming with challenges, you should not opt for rapid weight loss plans, either. Sure, some Hollywood stars do it for a particular role that they’re playing – but the drastic reduction in their caloric intake may affect their health, so it is done under the guidance of a nutritionist.
When you go online to look for rapid weight loss solutions, some of the plans include eating only one particular food item for three days. Most of these rapid weight loss plans are restrictive, requiring you to limit your food intake and not give in to any food cravings.
Although you might experience rapid weight loss at the beginning of the program, it could be something that you cannot sustain over time. As such, it is better to opt for a weight loss plan which combines proper diet with exercise so that you can lose weight the healthy way – and keep the excess pounds off permanently.
The Not-So-Pleasant Effects of Rapid Weight Loss
To give you more of an idea about why it does not pay to go for a rapid weight loss program, here are a few consequences that you have to face:
- Decreased or slowed down metabolism
The minute that your body goes into starvation mode, it uses up the energy stored in the muscles rather than the ones reserved in fatty areas. The drastic reduction in your caloric intake will not do your body good at all, because it will decrease or slow down your metabolism. What’s more is that the minute that you get back to your normal eating habits, you are bound to gain weight faster than you did before.
- Loss of muscle
As mentioned earlier, the drastic depletion in your body’s caloric intake will lead your system to use up the energy stored in the muscles. Muscle loss is the result because the body slips into ‘ketosis’ mode wherein actual muscle is burned as a substitute for energy use.
- Loose skin
Sudden weight loss will lead both men and women to have loose, sagging skin. Although the skin is naturally elastic, it needs time to adapt to the changes in your body so sudden weight loss is uncharacteristic and might cause you to develop loose skin in your thighs, arms and belly.
- Nutritional deficiencies
Again, most rapid weight loss programs only require you to eat one or a few specific food items for a certain period. This will lead to nutritional deficiencies because diets like low-calorie ones or liquid diets sorely lack in nutrition.
- Possible hair loss
Lastly, those who shed their excess pounds a bit too suddenly might find themselves to be victims of possible hair loss.
As you can see, there are plenty of not-so-pleasant effects of rapid weight loss – so it really is better all the way round to stick to a proper program which combines proper weight loss with exercise. It will not just make you look good on the outside but also make you feel good and healthy on the inside.
