| You find yourself in a situation where you want | | | | state of things can continue for a long time after |
| to look fit, but the problem of overweight | | | | a low calorie crash diet. |
| prevents you from doing so. So you decide to | | | | A crash diet can adversely affect your mental |
| lose weight in one go. You do either one of these | | | | and physical well being. Under such a diet, you |
| things: go on a crash diet or an extreme exercise | | | | experience not only an extreme craving for food |
| regimen or both to attain rapid weight loss. But | | | | but also make you highly depressed or irritable. It |
| trying to adopt such weight loss 'fixes' programs | | | | can produce eating disorders like bulimia, anorexia |
| can be extremely harmful to the entire system. | | | | etc. Since diets low in calories care very |
| Since the easiest way to do this is to go for a | | | | restrictive you won't be able to consume healthy |
| crash diet, most people go for it. But those who | | | | foods; this can bring about anemia due to iron |
| are in the know warn us against the perils of such | | | | deficiency as also vitamin B12, sodium and |
| a course. A crash diet might help you achieve | | | | potassium deficiencies. Sodium and potassium are |
| significant weight loss in the beginning. But this is | | | | indispensable for proper nerve and muscle |
| not real weight loss but merely the loss of the | | | | functions. Since they regulate heart function, low |
| water weight from within your body. This | | | | levels of these minerals can make you prone to |
| happens when your body burns excess glycogen | | | | heart attacks. A crash diet is also harmful to the |
| which is a kind of glucose that helps to absorb | | | | vital organs like brain, heart, liver and kidneys. |
| excess fluids in your body. | | | | Resorting to extreme exercise to achieve weight |
| However this weight loss lasts only for a short | | | | loss can also be very harmful. Such exercise |
| time. As you continue with a crash diet, you will | | | | subjects the tendons and the muscles to |
| soon hit the 'weight loss plateau'. Once you reach | | | | excessive wear and tear. A crash diet combined |
| this level, losing weight will become increasingly | | | | with excessive exercise can play havoc with your |
| difficult. In most cases, a phase of weight gain | | | | body, causing lack of breath, weakness, mood |
| follows this plateau. Eventually you will find | | | | swings and even trauma. This will grow acute as |
| yourself regaining all the weight you have already | | | | time passes. A sudden weight loss can induce |
| lost and even gaining additional weight in the | | | | back and thyroid problems too. It also involves |
| process. This is what is meant by the yo-yo | | | | extreme sweating and unless the lost fluids are |
| effect, something like the up and down | | | | not replenished soon, it will lead to dehydration. |
| movements of a yo-yo. | | | | As you see there is no instant magical formula |
| Since the body receives very little in calories | | | | for weight loss. The only way to achieve it is to |
| during such diet regimens, it is compelled to adjust | | | | consume unprocessed but natural foods and go |
| its metabolism so that fewer calories are burned | | | | for exercise a few days every week on a |
| to do the required bodily activities. As a result the | | | | moderate to intense basis. And before long you |
| body needs only fewer calories to put on weight. | | | | will have a figure that you needn't be ashamed of |
| And before the year is out you might find | | | | when in standing in front of a looking glass. |
| yourself weighing more than ever before. And this | | | | |