Rapid weight loss is what many concerned individuals desire, but is it really healthy? Losing or gaining weight is a gradual process. It takes time, and there is a logic behind it.
If the process takes place too quickly, it can impact your health. As one never gain weight in just one day, so weight loss should also be slow and healthy.
It takes a while and though you can easily shed those extra kilos through various ways such as- crash diets and hectic exercise schedule, it is not healthy to do so.
Table of Contents:
- Knowledge of Calorie Intake
- Harmful Consequences of Losing Weight Too Quickly
- Losing Weight Quickly Can Impact Your Muscles
- Organs Absorbing Energy from muscles
- Fewer Proteins & More Muscle Loss
- No Scope for Building New Muscles
- Take your time and lose weight gradually
It can damage your muscle mass and seriously damage other vital organs of your body.
So a better way is to do it over a period of time. Here are some facts regarding losing weight rapidly and its impact on your health.
Knowledge of Calorie Intake
The body needs calories to do basic functions like- breathing, digesting food, cellular repair and so on. This calorie count needed for your body is called BMR or Body’s Basal Metabolic Rate.
People who have larger bodies have higher BMR, the same as with muscular bodies. This is because muscles need extra energy to maintain themselves.
Weight loss happens when the body consumes fewer calories or when you burn more calories as compared to calorie consumption.
Harmful Consequences of Losing Weight Too Quickly
It may seem like a miracle to lose weight too fast, but it can have serious effects. Some common side effects are-
1. Excess Hair fall than Normal
While it is normal to shed strands between 50 to 100, it can increase in case of rapid weight loss.
Low-calorie diet results in excessive hair loss because the body is getting minimum nutrients and hair isn’t getting its share of nutritive calories especially protein.
2. Cold or Irritable Feeling
Low-calorie diet means reduced energy. This means the body is now deprived of the extra layer of insulation and protection from cold feeling due to loss of body fat.
There is a difference between the necessary fat and extra fat. With abrupt weight loss, the essential fact is also lost which reduces the insulation capacity of the body. Hence, we feel cold.
Also, it is undebatable that calorie, in a specific amount is required for heat production. With extreme calorie restriction, we make our body devoid of that essential calories.
This, in turn, affects our metabolism and slows it down. Hence, one might face a shivering sensation.
It is of utmost importance to follow the dietician recommendations as she knows the difference between essential calories and extra calories. Therefore, can suggest diet accordingly.
3. Electrolytes Getting Out of Balance
One of the major effects of rapid weight loss is an electrolyte imbalance. So if you are on weight management without supervision from an expert, it can lead to serious consequences.
Electrolyte imbalance takes place when naturally occurring elements in the body get too low or too high.
It can cause serious problems such as irregular rate of heartbeat, seizures, weakness in muscles and many other issues. This is the reason why an expert recommends to lose weight gradually.
4. Irregular Periods
In the case of women, it is a normal thing for them to lose their periods or face irregularity, in case of rapid weight loss. This is because of the stress that the body has undergone during weight loss. Also, with an insufficient supply of nutrients, the production and regulation of the hormones get affected.
In medical terms, one starts to miss their periods after weight loss is because the body starts starving hormonally and this results in periods getting stopped or irregular.
5. Reduced Energy and Lethargic Feeling
No wonder if you are on a crash diet and are cutting on calories which are a source of energy, you will start feeling sluggish.
The way you lose weight is directly related to how your energy levels go down. Overdoing exercise and crash dieting can affect energy levels severely. The stress levels on mind and body due to loss of weight also results in reduced energy levels.
Doing dieting doesn’t mean starving at all. And therefore, stopping the intake of even little carbohydrates should be completely discouraged.
Nutritionists recommend that while dieting, one must take care of vitamins and carbohydrates which is a preferred source of energy for the body.
Fiber-rich carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help you in avoiding reduced energy levels.
Losing Weight Quickly Can Impact Your Muscles
Losing weight quickly can impact the body in many ways. If you don’t intake enough calories, the body is unable to meet its energy needs. It uses the stored energy in your body such as fats.
During the weight loss process, the body loses fluid, tissues and fats. In case you are losing weight at a faster rate, the body will slow the metabolism and from all such consequences, muscle is not spared.
Muscles in our body require more calories than fat in order to function properly. The body starts to metabolize muscles to save energy in case you are losing weight at a faster rate.
This leads to severe consequences like muscle weakness, pain, cramps, and sprains owing to the easy damage of the muscle tissue.
Organs Absorbing Energy from muscles
When the body starts losing weight too quickly, the vital organs of our body such as the heart, brain, kidney, and liver starts absorbing energy from muscles. They metabolize muscles in order to derive energy and continue functioning in the same way.
In case the body no longer has stored fat or muscle mass, it will start metabolizing organs. In such cases, it can lead to heart attack, or a stroke, even kidney or liver failure.
Fewer Proteins & More Muscle Loss
Going on a low-calorie diet in order to lose weight faster directly impacts your muscles and results in muscle loss. Proteins provide amino acids to the body which helps in building and maintaining your muscles.
In the absence of proteins, your body is not getting the raw material to build those muscles and thus, you will start feeling lethargic and subsequently, muscle loss.
No Scope for Building New Muscles
Going on a low-calorie diet and not doing resistance training stops stimulating the muscles. Due to this reason, the body is unable to build muscles. After a period of time, your body will experience muscle loss.
It is therefore recommended that you involve yourself for intense weight training sessions at least twice a week. This will help in stimulating muscles and help in building or maintaining them.
Take your time and lose weight gradually
Losing weight in a healthy way isn’t a distant dream if you do it properly. Shedding extra kilos slowly will help you inculcate healthy habits such as mindful eating, choosing healthy food items in your diet, and living a healthy lifestyle. Set goals for every week and exercise regularly.
In the beginning, it may not show up in numbers on your weighing scale but you don’t have to worry as it is a gradual process and for you, to get sustainable results in the long run, it is better to take baby steps. This ensures your fitness and well-being.
With smart planning, you can easily lose weight.
I get your point on how important is for us to have a great diet during our exercise plan to get fit, I try to add some carbohydrates and proteins after my workouts because that way I fell better after a routine and also I see better results like weight loss and muscle gain, I really liked your post because it shows the importance of a diet plan so we can lose weight without loosing muscle. thank you.
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