According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, achieving sustained weight loss requires a commitment to positive lifestyle changes that will result in the loss of one to two pounds each week. Committing to regular physical activity and a healthy, well-balanced diet takes determination, but the mental and physical health benefits make the effort worthwhile. Unfortunately, many individuals resort to unhealthy, even stupid, weight-loss measures. As tempting as quick weight-loss may seem, you will not be able to sustain your efforts, and you will likely regain whatever you lost, compromising your health in the process.
Fad Diets
Fad diets come and go, promising quick weight-loss so that you can "lose 10 pounds in 10 days!" or "lose 12 inches in a week!" Often, these fads promote limiting your diet to a single food or food-group. They might make claims based on a single study or they will reduce a complex study to a single result. Particularly tempting, fad diets often claim that you can see results without having to do any exercise.
The cliche "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" comes to mind when considering fad diets. Few people can commit to eating only grapefruit or cabbage soup for the rest of their lives. They may successfully restrict their eating patterns for a few weeks, and they will probably see weight loss results, but in the end, they will return to their prior eating habits and will regain the lost weight.
Compulsive Exercise
Despite the fact that most Americans fail to get enough exercise, compulsive exercise, or anorexia athletica, constitutes a stupid way to lose weight. According to the website KidsHealth, compulsive exercise describes a disorder where you feel obligated to exercise in spite of injury, illness or even plans with friends. You no longer feel you can choose to exercise, but you must exercise, and if you miss a workout, you become plagued with guilt and anxiety.
Compulsive exercise may lead to weight loss, but in addition to the detrimental psychological effects of excessive exercise, your physical health may be at risk as well. If you exercise excessively you could overstress your tendons, joints, muscles, bones and even your heart. Because compulsive exercise is often psychological, if you are concerned that you or a loved one is over-exercising, consult with your doctor or a mental health professional to discuss treatment options.
Tapeworm Infections
A truly disgusting and inarguably stupid way to attempt weight loss involves ingesting the larvae of a tapeworm. A tapeworm consists of a head, neck and a chain of segments making up the body of the worm. When a tapeworm infests your intestines, the head attaches to the intestinal wall and grows, competing with your body for nutrients. Some intestinal tapeworm infections don't result in any symptoms, but serious infections are accompanied by nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight-loss. If your infection becomes invasive you might suffer from neurological side effects like seizures.
While tapeworm infections in humans usually occur from accidental ingestion of tapeworm-infected meat, purposeful ingestion for weight-loss has occurred despite the fact that it is illegal in most countries.
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