Most of us have at least a few pounds we want to lose every so often. If we’re not careful, it’s so easy to pack on excess weight, which makes losing weight on the other hand a lot of work! There are plenty of ways to lose weight, but it takes a ton of time, energy, effort, and discipline in order to do so and make it a reality.
Some people resort to crash dieting as a way to lose weight fast, especially when they have a special event coming up soon. However, I’m going to help you see why crash diets don’t work and reveal what you can do instead on your weight loss journey that actually does help you achieve your weight loss goals in a healthy way.
Why Don’t Crash Diets Work
I’m going to talk about crash diets (also known as semistarvation diets or fad diets), what they are, and how they affect the body in the long run.
What Is A Crash Diet
A crash diet is a popular form of “quick fix” dieting that consists of an extreme and sudden effort to achieve rapid weight loss in a short amount of time by following rigid and restrictive rules around what you can eat, how much, and when.
Crash diets are sometimes known as semi starvation diets because they require that you cut out entire food groups and have your calorie intake be sharply restricted, like on the verge of famine. This very low calorie diet promises people that they can lose a certain amount of weight in a short amount of time, for example a promise to lose 10 pounds in a few days following the restrictive rules.
However, our bodies need a certain amount of calories to thrive, and many of these diets restrict people to only eat about 700 calories a day or less, which is ½ and sometimes ⅓ of the recommended daily amount their body requires.
Why Crash Diets Don’t Work
Unhealthy
Crash diets simply aren’t a healthy option. Yes, crash diets work for rapidly losing weight but they do not work in the long haul. In fact, crash dieting may jeopardize a person’s health and lead to nutrient deficiencies because the person has to cut out entire food groups in order to successfully do the diet.
Crash diets can deprive people of the necessary nutrients and calories their body needs to function and maintain optimal health. So rather than restricting your body of the nutrients and calories that it needs, leading to an unhealthy lifestyle, try eating a more balanced meal instead.
Not clinically supported
Crash dieting can be dangerous. Did you know? Crash diets often offer dangerous dietary advice that’s not usually supported by any clinical research and is not sustainable nor realistic. A quick Google of the worst diets known to man will reveal why you don’t want to go down the crash dieting route, even if it promises you results.
See adverse effects
While some may see results from quick fixes like a crash or fad diet, it is usually not a sustainable option in the long term. In fact, research shows that many often put themselves at risk of developing adverse effects from crash dieting like weight fluctuation, gallstones, muscle loss, low energy, binge eating, metabolic damage, mood changes, hormonal changes, and more. This is a major reason why crash diets don’t work long term. Cutting weight rapidly in this extreme way is just not worth seeing any of these adverse health effects.
How To Do A Healthy Diet
Eating Balanced Meals
If you want to know the most effective, tried and true way of losing and maintaining a healthy weight, it all comes down to eating balanced meals. A balanced meal is simply a variety of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Think of meat, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. You’ll want to avoid foods that spike your blood sugar levels as that could lead to weight gain. If you’re not sure what to cook, get a load of this weight loss meal plan. Weight management for good is possible when you lead a lifestyle that encourages healthy eating choices rather than trying to make a short term and drastic diet change.
Exercising Regularly
Another big part of maintaining a healthy weight is in the physical activity you incorporate into your daily lifestyle. Exercising regularly is an obvious yet trust way to avoid weight gain and build muscle mass. It’s simple math. Burn more calories than you consume and you will net weight loss.
Prioritizing Sleep
Losing weight can be stressful. It’s a hard journey that could take a toll on your mental health. For this reason, and to just be healthier overall, it’s important to prioritize sleep. Quality sleep allows your body to regulate hormones that affect hunger and appetite, and it’s also been found to help improve your basal metabolic rate, which are both key components for weight loss. So get your sleep, prioritize getting at least 8 hours of sleep that will leave you feeling well rested and help you be on your way to a healthier lifestyle that you’re able to maintain.
