For the 66 percent of Americans who are overweight or obese, weight loss represents a way to reduce risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions, according to MedlinePlus. While slow, steady weight loss---for those who need to lose weight---is beneficial, losing weight too quickly can result in several harmful health effects. To reduce harmful symptoms, physicians recommend a weekly weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. per week.
Sustainability
To lose significant amounts of weight quickly, you may turn to drastically reducing calories or exercising excessively to lose the weight. While you may be able to sustain this lifestyle for a few weeks, this weight-loss method is difficult to sustain over the long-term, according to Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist. "Successful weight loss requires making permanent changes in your eating habits," Dr. Hensrud states. Chances are, any weight you have lost, you will gain back.
Appearance Changes
Rapid weight loss often requires restricting calories, which means restricting nutrients. When your body does not receive enough vitamins and minerals in your diet, it cannot perform all the functions of a healthy body. This can lead to changes in appearance, including hair loss. Your skin may appear more sallow, making you look tired. You also may experience bad breath.
Gallstones
Gallstones are small, stone-like objects that can block the movement of bile from the liver to the small intestine. The result can be pain, infection, fever and jaundice. If you lose weight too rapidly, gallstones can be one of the side effects. This is because the body is forced to metabolize fat stores when you do not ingest enough food. As a result, the liver emits added cholesterol, which causes cholesterol stones to build in the gallbladder. A diet for rapid weight loss also may affect gallbladder functioning, meaning it does not move bile as quickly through the body.
Affected Muscle Function
Your body relies on the consumption of minerals, including potassium and sodium, to maintain fluid balance. This gives your muscles what is needed to move and function properly. Without these minerals, you can experience heart muscle weakening and irregular heartbeat. Because much of rapid weight loss is losing water weight, rapid weight loss takes away even more fluid from the body. The result can be reduced muscle function.
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