Why is it harmful to suddenly lose weight – the consequences of rapid weight loss?

What harm can be from rapid weight loss and strict diets. The consequences of rapid weight loss for health and beauty?

If you want to become slimmer, it is important not to rush things. Some strive to lose weight in the shortest possible time, especially if any important event is coming. But severe food restrictions and diets that are contrary to common sense are not the best option.

Science and doctors are categorically against the sharp collection of weight. And there are certain justifications for that.

Negative consequences of express weight loss

  1. Decreasing the number on the scale is not necessarily fat loss. A sharp drop in kilograms usually occurs due to a decrease in muscle mass and the removal of fluid from the body. And extreme dieting also causes bone loss, according to a study published in Appetite.
  2. A pronounced calorie deficit leads to the destruction of muscles and their further use as the missing fuel. A rigid diet leads to a decrease in muscle tone, metabolism slows down. As a result, as soon as a person removes all food restrictions, the lost weight returns again.

Attention! To prevent loss of muscle mass, it is necessary to play sports and consume protein in sufficient quantities (at least 30 g for each meal). But the deterioration of the quality of the body and the high risk of re-gaining kilograms is not so bad. There are even more unpleasant and even dangerous consequences of rapid weight loss.

Decreased immunity

Most low-calorie diets involve the exclusion of valuable nutrients from the diet, and this leads to a decrease in the body’s resistance to pathogenic viruses and bacteria; a decrease in life expectancy (with systematic adherence to strict diets); an increase in the production of cortisol, a hormone that suppresses natural defense reactions to the invasion of foreign agents.

Psychological instability

With rapid weight loss, a serious blow is taken by the nervous system. The lack of a number of valuable substances leads to a disruption in the production of the hormones oxytocin, dopamine, leptin, which are responsible for psychological stability. With hormonal imbalance, those who lose weight have an unstable emotional state (depression, stress, anxiety, irritability, etc.).

Appearance of cosmetic imperfections

Extreme diets contribute to the intensive removal of fluid from the body, as a result of which the skin becomes dry, flabby and unattractive, tissues lose their elasticity. Due to the lack of fats in the menu, the hair stops shining, and the nails become brittle. With prolonged adherence to strict diets, problems with teeth are not excluded.

Diseases of the digestive tract

Perhaps the most unfavorable consequence of rapid weight loss. In the absence of good nutrition, constipation, bloating, and slow digestion are not uncommon. There is a risk of developing pathologies such as stomach ulcers, cholelithiasis.

The situation is aggravated when taking various diuretics, laxatives, fat-burning drugs, synthetic appetite suppressants against the background of a strict diet. Kidney stones with sudden weight loss are formed due to the fact that during intensive fat burning, the liver releases too much cholesterol into bile, which crystallizes and turns into stones.

Heat transfer disorders

Very rapid weight loss is accompanied by a constant feeling of cold, as the body did not have time to adapt to the thinning of the fat layer and the decrease in muscle mass. The body becomes more sensitive to temperature changes, which often causes discomfort.

The main dangers of sudden weight gain 

  1. Rapid weight loss (up to 20 kg per month) is especially dangerous for people with a high degree of obesity. A sharp weight loss provokes the release of toxic elements into the blood, the body is poisoned by the decay products of the fat layer.
  2. To avoid the negative consequences of a sharp weight gain, nutritionists advise losing weight no more than 1 kg per week. To keep the body in good shape and to avoid flabbiness of the skin, physical activity is necessary.

The path to the desired figure is a difficult and long process, in which you need to carefully monitor your diet and not expose the body to unnecessary stress. Only with a properly designed nutrition and training program can you achieve a stable result.

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