Crash dieting is sometimes called yo-yo dieting or weight cycling, according to "Fitness" magazine, because you tend to put the pounds back on as soon as you lose them, only to start dieting again at some point in the future. Continual weight fluctuation is not good for your body or your self confidence. Crash dieting may even lead to an eating disorder, which can cause vitamin deficiency and early bone-mass loss. Consult your health-care provider before you go on any diet. He can give you a plan that will yield a lasting weight loss and ensure your long-term health.
Weight Cycling Effects
Various dangers are associated with weight cycling, such as increased hormone production and insulin resistance. "Repeated crash dieting increases metabolic hormones, such as insulin, and elevates levels of sex hormones, including estrogen," Dr. Andrea Pennington, author of "The Pennington Plan for Weight Success" said in "Fitness" magazine. "These changes cause you to start putting on weight around your middle, which research has linked to insulin resistance, diabetes, high-blood pressure and heart disease."
Vitamin Deficiencies
Crash and fad diets tend to restrict or limit the types or quantities of food that you eat. If you go on frequent crash diets or follow a crash diet for a long time, you increase your risk of developing a vitamin deficiency. Certain nutrients are needed to make blood cells, repair tissues, maintain bone strength and help deliver oxygen to cells and tissues. This is the reason it's important to eat a variety of foods on a regular basis. A lack of calcium, for example, can cause your bones to become weak, which can lead to early bone mass loss or osteoporosis.
Self-Esteem Issues
Crash dieting, yo-yo dieting and weight cycling can severely lower your self-esteem. The continual failures can make it seem that you will never win your struggle. Your disappointment may cause you to eat in an even unhealthier way and become heavier and more dispirited. For weight loss to be effective, you must embrace a permanent change. This means permanently changing your diet and exercise habits. Eat healthy on a daily basis, not just when you need to lose weight, and make exercise part of your daily routine.
Regaining Weight
It's likely that you will regain the weight once you go off a crash diet. Because you've felt deprived, you will probably begin eating the high-fat, calorie-filled foods that you've missed all along. Too many days of high-fat, calorie-filled foods, and you will soon begin to put on the pounds. A healthy diet allows you to eat nutritious food that you enjoy and lets you have an occasional indulgence. You will not eat more calories than you can burn, so you will be able to maintain your weight once it's off. Best of all, you may find that you actually like your new eating regimen and want to stay on it long term.
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