The Dangers of Rapid Weight Loss

Although losing weight is important, it is important to make sure that you are not losing weight too rapidly. There are many dangers that can come with rapid weight loss, and while some may not be health threatening, they can impact your overall self image, and your mental state. Let’s take a look at why slow and gradual weight loss may be better for you over the long term.

1. Your skin needs time to adjust.

This is one of the biggest problems facing those who have weight loss surgery. They rapidly drop weight, and as a result, their skin does not have the time to shrink along with the rest of them. The result is a lot of excess skin that isn’t going to go anywhere. This typically requires tucking procedures, and there are real risks that come with any type of surgery.

Your skin does lose elasticity as you age, and there is no guarantee that you won’t end up with at least some loose skin after losing weight. However, rapid weight loss does lead to excess skin and those with this condition often feel unattractive and they cannot enjoy the changes in their body.

When you lose weight gradually, you are giving your skin time to get use to the changes and contract naturally. While there is no magic pill that can guarantee your skin will spring back to its original shape pre-weight gain, gradual weight loss greatly reduces the risk of having this problem occur.

2. An imbalance in your body.

This is actually quite common, particularly with those that rely on liquid diets to shed weight quickly. Your body needs a set amount of potassium and sodium to function properly. If you are losing weight at an unsafe pace, these levels may be affected. This can lead to numerous problems, such as heart failure and other unpleasant side effects.

Dehydration is another common issue with weight loss, particularly with fad diets. Many of these are designed to help you lose water weight, and this can be an almost instant change of more than eight pounds. However, your body needs a lot of that water – and when it’s suddenly taken away, you can become dehydrated. Couple this with the displacement of nutrients and you’ve got a real problem on your hands.

Last but not least, rapid weight loss can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels, and this may have lasting effects. Your body and your brain need blood sugar in order to keep functioning. If you have too little, you can have a dangerous reaction that has the potential of leaving you in a coma.

3. Excessive fatigue.

Fad diets that promote rapid weight loss usually leave you feeling fatigued, and worn out. This is mainly due to the imbalance in your body’s normal levels, as mentioned above. You do need food to survive, even if you think you could live off your own fat for a few months.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2009-01-06 05:50:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • waterWater's Role in Weight Loss Water is an extremely important element that is absolutely vital when it comes to losing weight. Most people are aware of the fact that cutting down on calories and exercising are necessary for weight loss, but they often eventually run into a plateau, which can occur for a number of......
  • fishOmega 3s and Weight Loss Many celebrities that appear to be losing a lot of weight right now are attributing a good portion of their weight loss to adding more fish to their diet. The truth is, anyone that adds more of certain varieties of fish to their diet is going to benefit from a......
  • wakeboardingSurfing and Wakeboarding for Weight Loss Are you looking for a way to lose weight that doesn't involve running, walking, aerobics or going to the gym? Most people would categorize surfing and wakeboarding as fun activities rather than weight loss activities, but this is not necessarily the case, because you can easily lose weight through surfing,......
  • tennisTennis for Weight Loss When most people think of weight loss, they immediately start to think about running mile after mile, sweating to outdated aerobics videos, or otherwise engaging in activities that they simply do not enjoy. This is not necessarily the case anymore, however, as people are beginning to see the virtue in......
  • swimmingSwimming for Weight Loss When planning the fitness aspect of one's weight loss plan, most people immediately feel forced into aerobics, running, walking, and going to the gym. These are not your only options. In fact, if you limit yourself to these options, you will get burnt out and end up giving up far......
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites
  • Calcium and Weight Loss “Milk: It does a body good.” This advertisement slogan might have been promoting more than they bargained for, but in a good way! Calcium, the main mineral in milk, touted for its bone strengthening powers, is also a superhero when it comes to fat loss. Calcium can help you......
  • blog traffic exchangeHypnosis Is The Secret To Fast Weight Loss Anyone beginning a weight loss program wants fast weight loss. No body likes to count calories, measure portions, crave, binge, feel deprived, and eat foods that they dislike or suffer a starvation diet that has them feeling hungry and miserable. It is widely known that one must work on the......
  • blog traffic exchangeWeight Loss Challenge: Consider it Brung Unlike the last weight loss challenge in which I blew my competition away, this one is between a group of us. A few days ago John from Total Transformation put out a challenge. I don't back down easily so I accepted. The objective is pretty simple: lose the most body......
  • redraspberryWhat is a Healthy Balanced Diet? Understanding what a healthy balanced diet is, is the key to getting the most out of our health and wellness. The online diet market is continuing to grow, and as a result, there are all kinds of new ways that we are supposedly able to lose weight and get into......
  • Diet Bug logo, the Weight Loss Site for WomenDiet Bug, the Weight Loss Site for Women Some of my articles involve lifting and certain workouts that aren't really specified for women. Ladies, I haven't forgotten about you. Everyone wants to lose weight and feel good. I found another great website that focuses just on weight loss for women. Diet Bug DietBug is a weightloss program designed......
Online Stores If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.

Time the change your life? No longer content to live a sedentary lifestyle and revel in couch potatoism? Click here to download the 31 page the 100% FREE eBook "How to Lose Weight and Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle."



Categories:

Weight Loss Journal, drink, fatigue, hydration, weight loss



Tags:

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


3 comments ↓
#1 David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts on 01.06.09 at 2:06 pm

The big problem with rapid weight loss, aside from what you point out above, is that it rarely works in the long term. Any study I’ve seen shows that after a year, most people regain the weight and more after going on a fad diet.

- Dave

#2 G.I.JANE on 01.06.09 at 2:24 pm

I completely agree that rapid weight-loss never works and unfortunately most people either gain it all back or gain even more weight! I whole-heartedly feel that healthy eating and regular exercise is the key to a healthy lifestyle and weight loss program. I’ve always been into sports and exercise, and always looking for the next best thing in fitness which is why I love reading your blog! I actually just started a new fitness program that incorporates cardio every other day and then I just joined STATION Fitness, which is a studio in Manhattan that only has Power Plate machines…It’s incredible and I’ve already seen a difference in my body and level of energy. It’s literally a large plate, big enough to stand and sit on, in order to do squats, crunches, lunges, yoga and pilates. I was doing some research on it and it’s pretty popular in Europe and STATION is the only studio in Manhattan (which is where I live) to offer classes. If you’re ever in NYC you definitely have to try it out! Check it out on http://www.stationfitness.com Thanks for all your health and fitness updates..it definitely helps!

#3 Jason on 09.28.09 at 8:20 am

Rapid weight loss or “fad” diets not only don’t work, but more importantly are extremely dangerous. We work very hard to teach our clients proper diet and exercise, focusing on the marathon, not the sprint! Be careful folks….. It is supposed to be a healthy endeavor!

Leave a Comment

Email Updates

aerobics calories carbs diet diet books dieters diet plan diets exercise exercise plan exercises fad diets fast food fats few minutes fitness health food choices fruits and vegetables graph health health network healthy lifestyle how many calories ins journey lazy man lifestyle changes losing weight metabolism motivation muscles nutrients nutrition fitness portion control protein proteins recipes snack soda ups vegetables weight gain weight loss workout workouts