Did you know losing too much weight too fast can be harmful for your health? Losing weight is not always a euphoria moment, sometimes it can be bad for health. Thus, it is important is to understand the relationship between health and the correct body weight.
The market is flooded with options to lose weight (crash diets, supplements, pills, etc) all promising a rapid weight transformation. But are these quick fixes the right choice?
“Losing weight too fast means putting your health at risk. A slow and steady weight loss plan is always a good idea.
This way you can lose the unwanted weight without any side effects. A lot of us get tempted with the lucrative promises of quick weight loss and end up harming our health drastically. This issue needs attention and a lot of emphasis should be put on this problem,” said Dr Pooja Chaudhary, wellness consultant, Healthians.
It is important to understand the concept of rapid weight loss. Losing weight around 0.45 kg-0.9 kg per week is a safe bet. But, losing more than that can be considered as rapid weight loss which can have an impact on the health.
The common ways by which people try to lose weight are:
• Starvation diets
• Consumption of diet pills or supplements
• Opting for very-low-calorie diets
• Over-exercising
At the start of exercise plan or diet plan, people witness a sudden weight loss of 2-3 kg. This is actually the water weight. The initial sudden weight loss is normal. But after this initial loss, anything more than 0.45 kg-0.9 kg per week could brew trouble for you in the long run.
Here are various health problems, as suggested by Dr. Angeli Misra (Co- Founder of Lifeline Laboratory), that sudden weight loss can trigger.
Disturbing the Body’s Equilibrium: Our bodies can adjust to the minor dietary changes and run smoothly but rapid and drastic changes can wreak havoc. Sudden weight loss causes electrolyte imbalance in the body. A sudden decrease in the food intake (by following crash diets) will lead to an unexpected reduction in the electrolytes level, particularly potassium and magnesium.
Heart Problems: Sudden weight loss can damage the blood vessels which further leads to fluctuations in heart rate, blood pressure, irregular heart rhythm, thus increases the risk of heart failure. Although exercises aid in weight loss, they can be dangerous for heart health.
Gallstones: The quick weight loss can cause the cholesterol in the liver to seep in the bile which can lead to the formation of stones. It is always wiser to lose weight slowly and follow a proper weight loss plan. Completely avoid those crash course diets and severe fasting as the greed of losing weight quickly can seriously affect our health.
“If you are losing weight quickly without even trying, it can be an indication of serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, celiac diseases, etc. Sudden and unexplained weight loss needs immediate and proper attention. It is extremely important to seek medical advice. Therefore, the key to a healthy weight loss is maintaining a balance and losing weight slowly and steadily,” concluded Chaudhary.
