In today's society, people are consistently attempting to lose as much weight as possible in the least amount of time, without considering the ramifications of losing too much weight too quickly. This article explores the effects of rapid weight loss to reinforce the importance of proper nutrition.
Causes
Rapid weight loss is usually caused by extreme low calorie diets, medically referred to as fasting, which consists of 800 calories or less per day. Famous low calorie diets include the cabbage soup diet, various detox diets and any other "crash" diet that restricts the amount of calories you can intake. Other causes could be from stomach restricting surgeries, which also require a lower calorie intake.
Physical Effects
1. Decreased Metabolism
After embarking on a low calorie diet, the body reacts in various ways. First, the body's metabolism will decrease in response to a lower calorie intake. Once this occurs, the body goes into what is often referred to as "hibernation mode," conserving energy and calories and burning muscle mass for missing protein and nutrients. The resulting slower metabolism thus requires calories to gain weight, so if you accidentally slip and eat more than intended on your calorie plan, it is easier for your body to horde those calories and retain weight easier than it had previously. This makes it easier than ever for people to gain weight, and since most low calorie diets do not last long, most people end up putting on more weight than where they had originally started.
2. Gallstones
Another common side effect of low calorie dieting is the body's creation of gall stones. Because of the limited calorie intake, there is a decrease in flow and increase of bile, often resulting in gall stones in the gallbladder. These are often too small to be painful, but could cause problems with continued low calorie dieting; thus, medically induced low calorie dieters are encouraged to drink a minimum of 5 liters of water a day.
3. Nutritional Deficiencies
Nutritional deficiencies also become apparent on low calorie diets. Because of these food restrictions, many necessary nutritional requirements become absence in the diet, such as iron, vitamin B12, sodium and potassium, especially in low carbohydrate or low fat diets. Lack of iron can result in anemia, while vitamin B12 has been linked to decreased mental health states. Sodium and potassium are instrumental in regulating heart function, and serious deficiencies with these nutrients could potentially lead to a heart attack if the levels are low enough. Additionally, osteoporosis is also common among long term low calorie dieters due to a lack of calcium.
4. Loss of Muscle Mass and Vital Organ Deficiencies
When you go on a low calorie diet, your body is severely lacking required nutritional elements to function. In order to keep your body functioning, it must utilize and convert protein from your muscles to keep your vital organs functioning. If continued, low calorie diets are continued, the liver, kidneys, gallbladder and heart could be severely damaged.
Additionally, muscle mass weighs twice as much as fat. If your body starts burning muscle mass to make up for lack of a good nutritional diet, then it would seem that you are losing an incredible amount of weight on the scale. In reality, however, you're not really losing fat, and instead, are further aiding a decreasing metabolism and lack of proper nutrition.
Also during the burning of muscle for protein, "water weight" is also lost quickly (since water is a primary component of muscle composition), often leading to dehydration.
5. Excess Skin, Shivering and Hair Loss
If you continue to lose weight rapidly, the fat layer closest to the skin is usually the first to go. When you lose this weight rapidly, the skin does not have time to tighten or firm, leaving excess flaps of skin. This is most common with restrictive stomach reducing surgeries.
Because of the rapid loss of this outer fat layer, especially in weight loss surgery, shivering becomes commonplace. This is due to the fact that the outer layer of fat was previously used for insulation, and the body has not yet replaced this layer with new muscle tissue.
Lastly, because protein intake is usually limited in low calorie diets, the body stops providing required protein to hair follicles, instead providing the limited protein it can burn from muscles to vital organs. This often leads to hair loss.
Mental Effects
Depression and Mood
Because of nutritional deficiencies, particularly in the vitamin realm, it's common for the mind to become depressed or unhappy. Also, because of the varied effects, people often become depressed from lack of proper long term results, increasing the probability of eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia.
Prevention/Solution
In order to prevent the effects of rapid weight loss, it is important to ensure that you are following the advice of a certified doctor. It is recommended that you lose no more than 1 to 2 lbs. per week for effective, healthy weight loss.
Warning
If you are concerned about any potential symptoms or side effects that you may be experiencing, be sure that you consult a doctor immediately.
Tags: calorie diets, your body, burning muscle, calorie intake, muscle mass, weight loss, become depressed
