Every day, advertisers scream about how their products will help you lose large amounts of weight in short periods of time. There's a problem with quick-fix programs. Except for special circumstances, if you lose weight quickly, it can cause a wide variety of health problems, including undesirable metabolism changes and chemical imbalances.
Metabolism Changes
Rapid weight loss often requires starvation dieting, an unhealthy, self-defeating practice. When you don't get enough calories to sustain basic functions, you body starts burning fat for fuel, but it also slows your metabolism in an effort to conserve energy and keep you from dying of starvation. When you return to your normal eating pattern, your slower metabolism causes you to gain back everything you lost.
False Weight Loss and Nutrient Defficiency
Another problem with rapid weight loss is you might not be losing fat. Since the body naturally resists taping into its fat reserves, weight lost in a short time period is often water weight, but might even be lean muscle mass. Weight-loss plans based on cleansing can also cause loss of muscle tissue, according to Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, as quoted by MSNBC.
Hormonal Imbalances
A third problem with losing weight fast is that it can mess up your hormonal balance. As previously stated, rapid weight loss increases your odds of regaining the weight, and you may try another crash diet. Repeated crash dieting increases your levels of insulin and estrogen, hormones connected to increased risk of certain types of cancer, type II diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Considerations
Though losing weight quickly is a problem for most people, there are times when it might be required. For individuals who are so obese that their weight poses an immediate threat to health, doctors may prescribe a very-low-calorie diet consisting of meal-replacement beverages. With close medical supervision, these types of diets are safe and effective, but aren't something you should try on your own.
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