The consequences of extreme dieting are not pretty, as they all involve
debilitating effects on your body.
On the physical side...physical fatigue; continuous hunger pangs; sinus
problems like post-nasal drip; bloodshot eyes;
gallbladder disease; rashes; atrophy of your muscles; seizures; malnutrition
that may lead to dying; dehydration; acidosis; constipation; and a regaining of
the lost weight after the diet.
On the mental side... consequences are irritability, depression, lower
sex drive, and the risk of being vulnerable to more eating disorders like
bulimia and anorexia.
Your Looks
Limited calories will deprive your body of vital
nutrients. Body will use those nutrients for vital organs so tissues such as
hair, skin and nails are the first to miss out, leaving you looking less than
glowing.
Added to that, rapid weight-loss leads to
stretchmarks as the skin loses elasticity. Added to that, hair goes dry, thin
and may even fall out.
But it's not just the hair on your head that's
affected. Your temperature drops when you're under-nourished so the body
compensates by growing an extra layer of hair on your cheeks and back, Nice!
And to finish the look, a lack of calcium will
eventually weaken teeth, leading to decay.
How you Feel
It's no surprise that if you're hungry all the
time, you're not going to be on top form. This leads to confusion, poor
concentration, dizziness and low energy levels.
Vital
Organs
When you go on a crash diet, it's not just fat you
lose. Losing weight rapidly results in muscle loss but it's not just your
biceps that are affected.
The same thing is happening to your heart muscle.
Because your body isn't getting energy from food, it converts body tissue into
glucose for energy. If the heart loses too much muscle, it can't pump properly.
Also filling up on too much water to stave off
hunger, or on the other hand being dehydrated from a lack of food, may alter
the body's balance of fluids and electrolytes (minerals such as sodium and
potassium), triggering kidney and heart failure.
In the long term, it's also bad news for the brain.
"The brain tissue shrinks, showing similar changes to those in dementia
sufferers.
Eventual Weight Gain
The challenge with unhealthy
diets is that they usually cannot be sustained in the long term. You may be
able to survive on a short term basis on an extremely low-calorie diet, but
eventually you will have to resume eating regular meals. When you go on an
extreme diet, you don’t have the opportunity to gradually develop habits that
will sustain you in the long haul.
Challenge to Mental Health
Unhealthy dieting is challenging
for your mental health. Many people feel grumpy and irritable when they are
hungry.
Unhealthy dieting generally leads to greater weight gain in the long run. Extensive juice
fasts, extreme calorie reduction, and an overuse of diet powders and pills may
lead to immediate weight loss. These results, however, are often hard to
sustain on a long-term basis.
Fad diets are bad because they don't address
the problems that caused you to gain weight in the first place. Once you're
through with the fad diet, you'll probably gain the weight back when you
reestablish old eating habits. Fad diets are also bad because they usually
require the elimination of foods that normally aren't bad for you.
How do you know you are looking at a fad
diet? Typical signs include:
- Claims of fast and easy weight loss.
- Elimination of certain food groups or bad foods.
- Includes dietary supplements impressively labeled
as fat burners, weight loss aids, hoodia,
and metabolism boosters.
- Tells you that foods need to be specifically
combined for proper digestion to occur.
- No need for exercise.
- Highlights specific foods, such as grapefruit,
maple syrup and lemonade or special soup.
So what’s the solution......
REAL meal
plans and advice
EFFECTIVE
exercise programs
MENTAL
support, change the way you feel about food
Make it
LIFESTYLE not weight loss
SUPPORT,
enlist REAL support
facebook.com/pages/Real-Fitness-for-Real-Women
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