Increased weight and obesity have been linked to serious long-term medical issues like high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dropping a few pounds in a steady, healthy manner can be greatly beneficial to your overall health if you are overweight. But many people get tricked or convinced into using suspicious products and ‘health hacks’ from the internet to lose weight quickly. Rapid weight loss side effects are real and can affect anyone. It takes patience and hardwork to lose weight properly, without suffering from additional damage due to the side effects of fast weight loss. Let’s take a look into them.
Common Rapid Weight Loss Side Effects
Listed below are some of the most commonly experienced side effects of rapid weight loss:
1. You Risk Gaining It all Back
That’s right. More than half the people who rapidly lose weight end up gaining more weight than they initially lost. People are unable to maintain smaller diets and exercise after they rapidly lose weight; they usually revert to their original lifestyles. So, you may think you are helping yourself out with ‘overnight’ diet pills or starvation techniques but you are probably causing yourself more problems down the road.
2. Malnutrition is Real
Many diets for losing weight rapidly call for avoiding entire food types to help cut down on calories or carbs. With these types of weight loss plans, the risk is very high for experiencing some form of nutrient deficiency. For example, cutting out all dairy products may result in a dangerous calcium deficiency, while cutting out all carbohydrates could unintentionally lead to a lack of fiber. While nutrient deficiency is typically mild, many extreme diets can cause you to become malnourished. Both malnutrition and nutrient deficiency are bad for your health long term, so stay safe and avoid this one of the most common rapid weight loss side effects.
3. Muscle Loss
Among the most potential side effects of fast weight loss, muscle loss is something most gym-goers should pay attention to. Rapidly losing weight (through diets, not eating, or pills) can cause your body to start using muscle tissue for energy. Normally, excess energy is stored in the form of fatty tissue. When your body needs energy, it breaks down your fat stores. But when you rapidly lose weight, you may not have enough fat for your body to function normally. Hence, it starts using your muscle tissues instead. So, anyone who wants to adjust his/her muscle to fat ratio, be wary of rapid weight loss side effects since it can eat into your hard-earned muscle gains.
4. Dehydration
Losing weight too quickly with a restrictive diet can lead to an extreme reduction in your water intake. Food sources also make up a large chunk of our daily water intake. Some diets simply guide users to certain foods without focusing on water intake. This causes weight loss because the body is losing a lot of water but it isn’t really true weight loss. Dehydration has a host of issues associated with it, including cramps and constipation.
5. Hunger
When we are full, the body releases leptin. Leptin levels allow your brain to know that you are full and your brain does not signal you to eat more. But dietary pills and sudden weight loss can mess with the levels of leptin; this can create an intense desire for food. It may lead to binge eating, desperate hunger, and continuously obsessing over food. Needless to say, this is not good for your mental health. This is the major reason why rapid weight loss side effects include relapsing and gaining weight again.
These issues can further lead to external signs of the side effects of fast weight loss. Gallstones, electrolyte imbalance, headaches, getting irritable easily, dizziness, feeling low energy, constipation, and hair loss are just a few potential effects. Sometimes, rapid weight loss can cause long-term side effects too.
Conclusion
While this is all scary news, don’t be afraid to lose weight. There are many healthier, safe alternatives to losing weight in a timely manner. Apart from the risk of gaining it all back, you can suffer serious health conditions too if you persist in extreme measures like starvation diets and diet pills that are not regulated. Remember – it’s not about how fast you lose weight but that you keep a fixed routine in place. This benefits you with long-term results that last and is usually a mix of a balanced diet along with an appropriate exercise routine. Staying mindful of these facts will help you keep rapid weight loss side effects at bay.
