Is It Bad To Lose Or Gain Weight Too Quickly?

Quick weight loss or weight gain may seem like a great idea if you're not within a healthy weight range, but they're rarely the safest ways to change your body. Because such rapid results require significant, swift changes in your lifestyle, they're not likely to be sustainable and may pose serious health risks.

Weight Loss

It's tempting to try extreme measures such as fad diets or appetite suppressants to lose weight quickly, but unhealthy weight loss methods may cause fluctuations in your blood sugar and metabolism levels, making it tougher for you to drop pounds. If you follow a crash diet plan that isn't balanced, you may lose weight quickly, but could also develop nutrient deficiencies and suffer fatigue or other health problems. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that people who lose more than 2 lbs. per week are less likely to keep the weight off than people who proceed at a more moderate pace, and the Weight Control Information Network states that quick weight loss raises the risk of developing gallstones.

Weight Gain

Rapid weight gain also comes with a list of downsides. If you gain so much weight that you become obese or surpass the normal healthy weight range, you'll increase your risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and respiratory problems. Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado also points out that rapid weight gain puts you at an elevated risk for injuries, since you have less time to adjust to the changes in your body. Aside from the obvious cosmetic effects, quick weight gain can also result in your skin taking on an "elastic" effect or developing stretch marks that are tough to get rid of if you lose weight at a later time.

Healthy Pacing

A healthy pace of weight loss and weight gain is slow and steady. MayoClinic.com preventive medicine specialist Donald Hensrud, M.D., places it at between 1 and 2 lbs. per week for weight loss, and CNN.com's physician nutrition specialist, Dr. Melina Jampolis, recommends gaining weight at a pace of half a pound to one pound per week.

Exceptions

In some cases, gaining or losing weight at faster than the recommended pace isn't as likely to have negative effects. For example, according to the NIH, patients who undergo successful gastric bypass surgery routinely lose 10 to 20 lbs. each month in the year following the operation. Dr. Hensrud also points out that obese people who follow medically supervised, very low-calorie diets may safely lose up to 5 lbs. per week by eating about 800 calories or fewer each day.

Considerations

Some quick weight loss methods carry more risk than others. It's always advisable to speak with your physician before you begin any weight loss regime, especially if you suffer from any kind of chronic health condition.