Many who are faced with the problem of excess weight, try to get rid of it as soon as possible. But this approach can be very dangerous.
The doctor explained the danger of rapid weight loss.
- Reason № 1. Reduced immunity
Diets that involve a large calorie deficit and the exclusion of essential nutrients from the diet increase our susceptibility to infectious diseases.
- Reason № 2. Failure of the reproductive system
Fans of express diets face failures in the reproductive system.
- Reason № 3. Mood swings
Rapid weight loss can cause a serious blow to the nervous system. Any extreme diet leads to a deficiency of nutrients and an imbalance of certain hormones: serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, cortisol, and leptin. Because of it, a losing weight person has frequent mood swings, he becomes nervous and irritable. And the endocrine changes that accompany rapid weight loss cause depression and anxiety.
- Reason № 4. Weakened skin and wrinkles
Many fast diets provide weight loss by removing fluid from the body. Possible consequences include headaches, fatigue, dehydration, and the death of nerve cells. Moreover, due to lack of water, puffiness appears, tissues lose elasticity, skin becomes dry, nails become brittle, and hair becomes dull and weak. In addition, the weight that has gone due to the loss of water, as a rule, returns quickly. If a person sheds several tens of kilograms in a short time, his skin does not have time to react to changes and sags, and wrinkles become more pronounced.
- Reason № 5. Decreased muscle tone
During stressful diets, survival becomes the main task of the body, and muscles for it are an extra ballast that consumes too many calories. So, it “eats” muscles and triggers lipogenesis — the process of fat formation reserves for a rainy day.
- Reason № 6. Fat accumulation
The body will continue to increase the volume of adipose tissue – reserves of energy, even returning to the usual diet. That is why it can be so difficult to keep the results after grueling diets: the weight almost always returns to the original or becomes even larger. The stress hormone cortisol also promotes the formation of adipose tissue.
- Reason № 7. Gallstones
The lack of proper nutrition can cause various disorders in the gastrointestinal tract — bloating, constipation, slow digestion, gastritis, and ulcers. The consequences can be even sadder if a low-calorie diet is accompanied by laxatives, fat burners, or special stimulants that suppress hunger. Most of these drugs deplete the body’s resources and negatively affect the central nervous system. Moreover, rapid weight loss increases the likelihood of gallstones. During fat burning, the liver secretes cholesterol into the bile. If its concentration becomes too high, the bile crystallizes and turns into stones.
- Reason № 8. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
An equally common problem with rapid weight loss is the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and digestive system.
There is a risk of an eating disorder when a person restricts himself very strictly in nutrition for a certain period. In the future, he has a breakdown, and he begins to eat, practically without controlling the volume and amount of food.
According to the nutritionist, the optimal rate of weight loss for an adult is the loss of 2-3 kg per month.
