A crash diet is an unhealthy diet, such as the Cabbage Soup Diet, that promises rapid weight loss. These diets are sometimes called fad diets, because they become popular quickly as a result of the manufacturer's claims, before and after photos featured on the program, and the "expert" testimonials provided. While the exact specifications of these diets vary greatly, they all have some negative effects associated with them.
Loss of Muscle and Water Weight
Crash diets, which usually are very low-calorie diets, often lead to a weight loss of more than 2 lbs. per week, which is part of the lure of these diets. A weight loss of more than 2 lbs. per week means you aren't losing fat weight -- instead, you are losing water weight and muscle weight. A better option is to eat a diet that is healthy, balanced and based on the food pyramid.
Yo-Yo Diet Cycle
Because these diets are meant for long-term use, you are likely to regain the weight you lost once you start eating a normal diet. When you regain the weight, you are likely going to start dieting again. This cycle is considered yo-yo dieting, which causes your body to go into starvation mode because of the limited number of calories you eat while on a crash diet. When your body enters starvation mode, your metabolism slows down, which means it uses fewer calories for vital functions. This also means that you will gain weight despite eating a reduced-calorie diet. The effect on your metabolism can continue for months or years after you stop the yo-yo diet cycle.
Health Concerns
Crash diets don't provide you with all the nutrients your body needs to function properly. This can lead to malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies and other health problems. Sodium deficiency, potassium deficiency and anemia may occur when you follow a crash diet. Other serious health effects that may occur include stroke, heart attack, osteoporosis, kidney failure and other organ damage. These are usually the result of the body feeding off the organ muscles to get energy. Less-serious effects include gastrointestinal upset, flatulence and depression.
Physical Fitness Problems
Most crash diets include unhealthy exercise suggestions. Some diets don't require any exercise, while others require you to exercise obsessively. Exercise, when done properly as part of a healthy weight loss program, can help to reduce your risk of chronic health conditions, such as heart disease. Since crash diets don't include appropriate exercise requirements, you won't reduce your risk of these diseases and may risk injury if the crash diet you choose includes extreme exercise requirements. A healthy weight loss program encourages at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week.
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