Millions of people all over the world struggle with their weight. Losing weight can be a huge challenge for anybody, especially if you do it right. There is a huge market for fad diets and weight loss “miracle” drugs that can cause a person to lose weight very quickly, but at what cost? Let’s explore what makes rapid weight loss dangerous and why steady and slow is usually the answer.
Facts About Slow Weight Loss
1. The Basics
Many people that are trying to lose weight want the weight gone…fast. There are two ways a person will lose weight, slowly or quickly. Losing weight slowly involves changing the diet and incorporating exercise into your daily routine.
2. Maintain
Losing weight slowly and steadily is the best approach if you are looking to maintain the weight you’ve lost. Slow weight loss ensures that your metabolism doesn’t slow down and stays efficient. This is greatly beneficial in keeping the weight you have lost off of your.
3. Muscle Loss
If you are losing weight in a healthy and slow manner you are most likely gaining muscle in the process. Muscle burns more calories daily than fat does so this also plays into the weight maintaining that we talked about previously. If you lose weight very quickly your body will begin to go into “panic” mode and begin doing the opposite of what you want, storing your fat and feeding off of your muscles for energy. This will result in loss of muscle mass. Losing weight slowly ensures that you do not lose any of your muscle.
4. How To Do It
Losing weight can seem impossible to some people, but I assure it is not. There are some basic things that you need to do in order for your body to begin shedding those extra pounds. The first and possibly the most important, is to realize what you are eating and how much you are eating. Slowly cutting down your intake of certain foods that promote weight gain should be the first step you take. Along with diet changes you should begin to slowly get your body used to a regular workout routine. Exercise and diet are the two factors when it comes to losing weight. When you do it the healthy way you feel better and the weight stays gone!
Things To Know About Quick Weight Loss
1. Overview
Many people are so consumed with the idea of losing weight as fast as possible that they do not weigh out what they are doing to their bodies. Quick weight loss has another term, temporary weight loss. Skipping meals and starving yourself is not a healthy way to lose excess weight.
2. Metabolism
One of the first things that begin to feel the effects of rapid weight loss is the metabolism. Your metabolism regulates how quickly your body digests food and turns it into energy. When you are not eating enough your body will go into starvation mode. What happens when this begins is that your body begins to store fat and feed off of muscles. It does this because it thinks it will not have access to the energy it needs to function properly. So it stores what fat you do consume or have for fuel later.
3. Skin and Hair
Another bad side effect of rapid weight loss is what happens to your skin and hair. If you are overweight and quickly lose weight your skin does not have time to adjust. This can leave you with excess skin that is just as unsightly as the weight itself. Your skin quality is also affected because your body is not getting the nutrients it needs to keep your skin clear and hydrated. Your hair also begins to suffer, possibly even falling out, for this same reason.
4. Probably Not Permanent
Rapid weight loss is not a result of a lifestyle change, which means the chance of maintaining the weight loss is very slim. If you don’t train your mind and body to realistic and healthy lifestyle changes then you will not be able to keep the weight off because you will inevitably fall back into old habits.
5. Pill Dangers
The weight loss industry is huge in today’s society. The amount of “miracle” pills that are advertised and shoved in our faces is ridiculously high. These pills may work for short term fast weight loss, but at what risk? The active ingredients often found in these drugs have horrible health effects including seizure, heart attacks, and strokes.
Differences Between Quick and Slow Weight Loss
1. Long Term
One of the biggest differences between losing weight rapidly and losing weight slowly is the chance you have of keeping the weight off. When you lose weight slowly and steadily you also begin to lose bad habits. This is a lifestyle change that is much more likely to stick and keep the weight you have lost off. Losing weight quickly is typically due to an extreme restriction of food or other weight loss drugs being consumed over a short period of time. This is the “lazy” way to lose weight, and you are much more likely to jump back into old habits and regain the weight as soon as you reach desired effects.
2. Health
Your health is greatly impacted when you lose weight, either positively or negatively. Losing weight at a rapid pace can cause many health problems such as nutrient deficiencies (which have their own problems associated), headaches, seizures, fainting, and many more. Slow weight loss changes your health for the better. It builds muscle, will power, and a healthier diet.
3. Metabolism
Your metabolism is greatly impacted by your diet. If you begin to lose weight very quickly by restricting food intake your body will go into “starvation” mode. This causes your metabolism to greatly slow down in order to preserve what little food you do eat. It also makes your body store fat and use muscle. Slow and steady weight loss often involves a change in diet and exercise. Both of these may not speed up your metabolism, but it will certainly not slow it down either. It will keep your body using food efficiently.