What Impact Can Fast Weight Loss Have on Your Health?

Most people today follow a sedentary lifestyle owing to which our physical activities have witnessed a steep decline in comparison to some decades ago. Even our consumption pattern has changed and people are opting more junk foods, ready to eat foodstuffs, etc. Many studies have found that inactive lifestyle plus unhealthy food consumption has become the major reason for rising percentage of obese and overweight people around the world.

However, no one likes to be called overweight, obese or ‘slightly chubby’ in a humbler tone. Most of us want to lose weight and though we find it difficult to push ourselves for workouts, we know that only this would help in getting rid of extra pounds. Many people even rely on diet pills or thrive only on salads as they are desperate to lose weight fast. Losing weight actually requires patience. You haven’t gained weight in a day, so don’t expect fast results. It is important to understand why losing weight in a healthy way is being hyped now and then.

Medical experts have revealed that in a bid to lose weight fast, people are somewhere compromising on their health to an extent that they might suffer from chronic diseases too. It has been studied that the safe amount of weight to lose in a week is 2 to 5 pounds. If you are losing more than this, then it can have retrogressive effect on your health.

Studies have also found that people who participate in quick weight loss programs tend to lose loads of water weight during the initial phase and in the later phase when their body gets accustomed to the changed calorie intake, then the slower results starts frustrating them. In fact, there are many physical and mental health risks associated with fast weight loss that may convince you to go slow and steady when it comes to shedding your extra fat. Before you think of opting for a quick weight loss program, have a look at these disadvantages of losing weight fast:

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   Bizarre Results

Initially, you feel great about losing weight fast as you have drastically declined your calorie intake.  But in this process, your body goes into survival mode, wherein not only your body fats but also water content and lean muscle tissues are lost. While you will be highly motivated during the initial weeks, later when the rate of weight loss will decrease, then this will demotivate you to an extent that you may even quit your weight loss program.

2. Loss Of Lean Muscle Mass

The sad part about fast weight loss is that when you reduce your calorie consumption remarkably, your body will start burning lean muscle mass instead of stored fats first. This is the reason why strength training tends to improve your basal metabolism rate. Losing this lean muscle tissue is actually unhealthy and inappropriate for weight loss programs that are not being carried because of a more serious health condition, where proper care of the person’s nutrition and calorie count is monitored.

3. Fall In Energy Levels

In a bid to lose weight fast, if you are starving, then probably you are not giving adequate calories for your body to perform the routine activities with same vigour. Unhealthy way of losing weight will make your body weaker and your metabolism rate will fall. You will start facing headaches, dizziness, low blood pressure, fatigue, etc. Instead, reduce the calorie intake to the level that is healthily sustainable and which provides you energy to perform your routine activities along with ensuring steady weight loss. This also will help in keeping your motivation levels up.

4. Nutritional Deficiency

Fast weight loss programs can make your body deficient of essential nutrients, mainly carbohydrates. When you have reduced the amount of calorie intake, you are somewhere cutting down essential nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, etc., from your daily platter that assist in smooth performance of your internal organs. When your body is deprived of such nutrients, then your immune system may get adversely affected and you may become highly prone to serious diseases.

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5. Eating Disorders

Obesity mainly is a result of consuming more calories than the body burns. If you have meagre physical activity, then even the standard calorie consumption can be high for your body as you don’t indulge in physical activities that can burn them into energy. If you are going in for a weight loss program, then ditching your over eating habit for adopting an under-eating habit is a bad idea. Medical studies have confirmed that people who adopt the habit of under-eating are highly susceptible to suffer from anorexia or bulimia. In fact, during the Covid-19 lockdown, women with an eating disorder have reported that their condition worsened during the lockdown because of all the added stress and tension.

6. Fast Weight Loss Doesn’t Have Lasting Results

You must be very cautious before adopting fast weight loss methods. Now when you know that initial results may amaze you but as your metabolism slows down and your body gets adapted to this new calorie consumption, the results may not be fast. Moreover, after the program, since your body is not adapted to the temporary changes, it may again reverse to the previous mechanism and soon you will find yourself back with loads of weight. Rather you must seek for lasting weight loss solutions and the best way is jogging, going for evening walks and working out for at least 5 days a week. Maintain the standard calorie consumption and avoid sugary and oily food stuffs. You will steadily lose weight and it will last till you keep following a healthy lifestyle.

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7. Sleep Disorders

In your endeavour to lose weight fast, your body may get quickly tired as it is low on calories and carrying out routine tasks is now more difficult. Low calorie consumption slows down your metabolism rate, which further lowers your energy and makes you feel tired soon. This has a direct impact on the secretion of sleep hormones called serotonin. Your body’s changed mechanism affects the production of serotonin and you may feel less sleepy.

8. Triggers Production Of Stress Hormone

Starving yourself or forcing yourself to have less calories can affect you mentally. Even your reduced metabolism rate can make you feel tired. This may induce the production of stress hormone known as cortisol. Owing to the secretion of this hormone, you may feel physically, mentally and emotionally tired, which may further impact your health in the long run.

9. Metabolism Disruption

When you decide to lose weight fast, you start consuming lesser calories and this signals your body to slow down the metabolism rate. But when you return to your normal routine, your slow metabolism rate causes sudden weight gain. To counter this effect, you may again decide to go on a crash diet and your body juggles between gaining and losing weight. This frequent disruption in your metabolism rate can affect the functioning of your internal organs.