A weight loss rate of between 1 and 2 pounds per week is generally considered optimal for long-term and permanent weight loss. Although it may be tempting to lose weight more quickly than this, there are inherent dangers and negative side-effects associated with overly fast weight loss. Consult your doctor before starting a weight loss plan, and for help determining a safe and healthy rate of weight loss for you.
Metabolism
If you lose weight too quickly, your body may perceive that it is being starved, and slow the speed of your metabolism. This in turn may make it more difficult for you to lose weight in the long run. Other negative side effects of a state of starvation include feeling tired, irritable and low on energy. Dizziness and fainting are relatively more likely if you are starving and losing weight too fast.
Diabetes
Even if you have no prior history of diabetes, losing weight too quickly can potentially cause diabetes mellitus. A small 1996 study reported in the "Journal of Diabetes and its Complications" indicates that all seven patients studied developed diabetes mellitus after losing weight too fast. Five of these patients developed the condition without insulin dependency; the remaining two developed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In this study, the cause of the diabetes mellitus developing was believed to be an increase in stress hormones, as a result of crash dieting.
Impermanent Weight Loss
Overly fast weight loss is likely to be only temporary in nature. Crash dieting can generally only be tolerated -- physically and psychologically -- for a limited period of time. Therefore a crash diet is not sustainable in the long term, and when you stop dieting this way you are likely to return to your old eating habits and regain the weight lost. Permanent weight loss typically requires a permanent change in eating habits and lifestyle.
Side Effects
The Medline Plus medical encyclopedia indicates that crash dieting, starvation or sudden weight loss may cause hair loss. The condition Telogen effluvium, in which more than half of the hair on your head may shed, is believed to be caused in some cases by crash dieting, insufficient dietary protein, and an increase in stress hormones. Another negative physical side effect of fast weight loss is the development of excess or loose skin, where weight -- and therefore physical bulk -- has been lost more quickly than your skin can adjust and reshape.
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