Fast Weightloss - the dangers of losing weight too quickly

Trying to lose ten pounds before bathing suit season sets in can be an achievable goal; trying to lose ten pounds by next week is not. One of the reasons why many dieters fail to successfully lose weight (which means keeping it off) is because they set unrealistic goals by aiming for fast weight loss.

Fast weight loss is unhealthy for a number of reasons:

• The pounds that you shed are mainly water weight and not from fat, which can cause you to easily dehydrate and then rapidly regain the weight.
• Fasting or using detox diets can cause diarrhea; the resulting dehydration can cause constipation.
• Rapid weight loss leads straight to fatigue, draining your energy levels and stamina.
• Restricting your calories means risking malnutrition, or not receiving the right amount of vitamins and minerals.
• Your sodium and potassium levels will drop, contributing to a greater chance of cramping and a feeling of illness.
• Losing weight quickly takes it toll on your appearance, causing your skin to dry out, your hair to lack luster and your complexion to appear gaunt.

Not only is fast weight loss unhealthy, but your body is actually designed to prevent itself from losing weight. If you try to lose more than the recommended one to two pounds of fat per week, your body will turn to and burn its own muscle for energy. The loss of lean muscle mass negates any weight loss you might be trying to accomplish, as muscle is what makes your body healthy, toned and in motion. Having more muscle makes your resting metabolism work harder, which means you burn more calories while you're at rest. You must consume at least 1,200 calories a day to prevent the loss of muscle.

When a body consumes too few calories it will actually slip into 'famine mode,' where it purposefully slows down its resting metabolism, or basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body burns when at rest), in order to avoid expending energy. Your body will strain to save calories, preventing weight loss and even harming your metabolism's natural functions.

Striving for fast weight loss usually means entering a nasty pattern; dramatically lowering your caloric intake only starts a cycle of yo-yo dieting and bingeing, all of which leads you further in the wrong direction. The subsequent feelings of guilt are enough to bring anyone more mental grief than they deserve.

Some of the more popular diets that promote fast weight loss are in fact nutritiously deficient, as they rely on liquid shakes or diets built around restricted food to cut calories and shed the pounds. These are not only unhealthy, as a healthy body requires a well-balanced diet incorporating all the food groups, but losing weight the right way means exercising regularly in order to keep your muscles and blood moving and to maintain an active metabolism, all of which contribute to losing the weight for good.

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Weight Loss

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