A crash diet may indeed help you to lose weight quickly but they might crash land you in the field of fitness.
A crash diet can have adverse effects on your health. In the most severe cases, these diets can even put a person at risk of death or other serious health issues. So, before you even think of starting a crash diet you should know what a crash diet is, how it works, how it affects your health and why must avoid it.
What is a crash diet?
"Crash diet has no scientific definition."
A crash diet simply means slashing down a large amount of calories right from the beginning, usually below your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR- the rate at which the body operates its daily functions).
How does it work?
A crash diet is a tool for rapid weight loss. Nowadays it has become popular for quick weight loss. It is a short-term solution, but not at all an advisable option to lose weight.
Cutting down a large amount of calories from your food will help you to shed some extra amount of weight, but there are several problems with this dramatic way to lose weight.
Fitourney suggests not resorting to crash diets to lose weight. Instead, adopt a lifestyle that helps you live a healthy life.
Why crash dieting is bad?
Slows down metabolism: When you start a crash diet to lose weight, you tend to lose weight quickly. However, this does not mean your weight loss is healthy. A higher metabolism is the key to weight loss, which means your body burns more calories at relative rest. On the contrary, when you eat less, your body slows down your metabolic rate to save energy. So, while you might experience initial weight loss, in the long run, you start putting on extra weight due to a slow metabolism.
Weakens your immunity: A crash diet means cutting down large amounts of calories from your diet. This might adversely affect your health. One of the severe adverse effects is that it affects your immunity and the capability of your body to combat certain infections and diseases. You should think twice before going on a crash diet or consult a dietician if you plan to do so.
Loss of muscle mass: By restricting daily calorie intake there are a lot of chances to lose lean muscle mass. You need protein to preserve healthy muscle mass. One should follow a healthy weight loss plan, which includes exercise and a balanced diet. Exercise will keep muscle mass healthy and higher metabolism gives you a good amount of weight loss.
It can make you feel lethargic: Calories are the fuel for your body. Your body needs calories to function properly. You get these calories in the form of macronutrients. To get major weight loss crash diet cuts a large amount of calories from your diet. It results in weakness and a lethargic feel.
Nutrient deficiency: A balanced diet includes a range of nutrients, including all macronutrients and micronutrients. Your body needs all these in a balanced form to carry out its daily functions. In a crash diet, there are major chances that you are missing one or many of the nutrient that helps your body function.
You’ll feel hungry: For those who are new to the dieting world, it is tough to do a crash diet. From a person with full-fledged eating to large calorie restrictions, it is difficult for the newbies. All day they feel hungry which results in weakness, sickness and some other health problems.
Conclusion
Dieting is beneficial if done healthily. A crash diet is all about reducing large amounts of calories, even sometimes cutting down an entire meal and staying on one thing the whole day. It may give you quick weight loss but also affects your health in negative ways. Prioritise your long-term well-being over depriving yourself of food. Be kind to your body and make healthy, nourishing food choices.
