New Delhi:The pressure of wedding dates, social media trends and celebrity transformations has increased the desire for rapid weight loss. In pursuit of quick results, many people opt for crash diets that promise dramatic changes within a few days or weeks.
The weighing scale can reflect changes almost instantly, but experts caution that crash diets can negatively impact metabolism, muscle health and even recovery from surgery. Dr Ashish Gautam, Principal Director, Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgery, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, New Delhi says, "Crash dieting is not good for health.
What is crash dieting exactly?
Crash diets are generally either very low in calories or exclude entire food groups, in an effort to shed pounds quickly.
Some people like to eat only liquid foods . Others cut out all carbohydrates from their diets or eat very low-calorie diets . This method may seem to work at first, but a lot of the weight you lose in the beginning is water and glycogen.
How Your Metabolism Goes Wrong
The human body is designed to protect itself when it is starved.
When food intake is suddenly reduced, the body conserves energy by decreasing its total energy expenditure. It slows down your metabolism so it becomes harder to burn calories . It also starts to burn muscle tissue for energy .
This may lead to a person experiencing:
WeaknessDizzinessFatigueConstipationAcidityInsomniaIrritationFrequent crash dieting can also cause hair loss in women due to hormonal imbalance.
The hidden danger of losing muscle
One of the most significant risks of crash dieting is the loss of muscle mass.
Muscles play an important role in metabolism, movement, regulation of glucose and immune function. As muscle mass declines, the body’s metabolism slows, even at rest.
This is one reason that many people gain weight back quickly after extreme diets. Sometimes people may even weigh more than they did before they went on a crash diet.
Metabolic disorders and crash diets
Extreme dieting can be especially harmful for people living with obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease, thyroid disorders or PCOS.
However, the article says severe calorie restriction can cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate, which can negatively impact metabolic function, causing headaches, mood swings and fatigue. Long gaps between meals and a low-protein diet may also contribute to overeating later in the day.
The effects are to be especially cautious with those with diabetes or hypertension.
The surprising effect on recovery from surgery
Many don’t realize crash dieting can impact surgical results as well.
Patients who are scheduled for procedures such as hernia surgery, gallbladder surgery, bariatric surgery or orthopaedic surgery sometimes attempt to lose weight quickly in the run-up to surgery without proper medical supervision.
Rapid weight loss can cause:
Protein malnutritionPoor healing of woundsA compromised immune systemSlow regenerating tissue.Higher risk of infectionLonger recovery periodsExperts generally recommend a slow, medically supervised weight loss before elective surgery.
Why slower weight loss is the better way to go
Dr Gautam says the human body does much better with moderation than extremes.
Generally, healthy weight loss involves:
Calorie controlled dietA balanced meal planSufficient protein intakeRoutine physical activitySleeping goodSleeping goodLosing a little weight can make a difference to blood sugar levels, blood pressure, joint health, sleep quality and fatty liver disease.
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