Mend Your Diet

The Dangers Of Crash Dieting?

Ok so like many teenagers the idea of crash dieting has crossed my mind, I'm 17 and it seems like a fast way to lose weight and although I know the obvious risks I was wondering if there's any dangers people don't really know about when crash dieting. I've been sort of crash dieting for two days and I've lost a little weight and feel fine although this is not related to wanting to lose weight this is a my mom's in hospital and we have no food left in the house thing... Oh and I appreciate people who care but don't leave me answers lecturing me on how stupid it is to crash diet. I just want to know the facts. Ok so I have vitamins such as vitaminC, D and iron and calcuim plus nutrient shakes which contain enough to count as a meal. Does this change the dangers or just simply slow them down?

Public Comments

1. Kidney failure, lung collapse, diabetes and worst: Mitocondrial gangrene which causes your intestines to dissolve until you shit your organs out your arse.
2. Crash diets aren't only a poor way of losing weight and maintaining healthy weight loss, but they are also very dangerous for your body. There are both short-term and long-term health effects that you could experience by following a strict crash diet. Mental Health Problems Crash diets are extremely hard on your overall mental and emotional health. Not only do crash diets cause extreme food cravings, but they can also wreak havoc with your mood: you may find yourself feeling more irritable or depressed than usual when you are on a crash diet. Crash diets can also set people up for serious mental health disorders, particularly eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Nutritional Deficiency Low calorie diets tend to be very restrictive, and you will find that you will be unable to eat healthy foods. In fact, long-term crash dieting can result in serious nutritional deficiencies, as a result of eating a poor variety of foods. In particular, crash dieters are putting themselves at risk for: iron deficiency anemia vitamin B12 deficiency potassium and sodium deficiency Potassium and sodium deficiency is particularly dangerous. These electrolytes are used by your body to ensure proper nerve and muscle function. They play a particularly important role in regulating the way that your heart beats. If potassium and sodium levels become low enough, you could suffer from a heart attack. Vital Organ Damage Crash diets are extremely dangerous for your vital organs, including your heart, kidneys, liver, and brain. In order to perform their daily functions, your vital organs rely on energy from your carbohydrate intake. During strict crash diets, carbohydrate and calorie intake is so low, that your organs cannot get enough energy from these sources. As a result, your organs begin to burn muscle tissue in order to get adequate amounts of energy to perform vital functions. If your calorie intake becomes low enough, your body will even begin to burn the muscle tissue that makes up your actual organs in order to provide your brain with sufficient energy to function. This can result in serious health problems, including: liver failure kidney failure heart attack stroke Osteoporosis Long-term crash dieters frequently suffer from osteoporosis, a disease that causes the bones in your body to become extremely brittle. This is because fast crash diets severely limit your intake of calcium. As a result, calcium begins to leach out of the bones in your body, leaving them particularly fragile. Many crash dieters suffer broken bones, particularly hips and wrists, as a result of their osteoporosis. Avoiding Crash Diets: Losing Weight the Healthy Way If you are intent on losing some weight, it is best to avoid crash and yo-yo diets at all costs. Instead, engage in healthy weight loss methods by following these tips: Don't cut back on calories too quickly. Instead, slowly reduce calories so that your body's metabolism doesn't slow down. Focus on limiting portion sizes and choosing healthier food options. Pair this with regular exercise and you will find that the weight drops off! Look at your weight loss plan not as a diet, but as a healthy new lifestyle. This will encourage you to continue to with healthy eating habits on a long-term basis.
3. Crash dieting is bad for many reasons. You will loose weight quickly, and I won't tell you that you won't. There are ways that you can sort of crash diet without the health problems. Go buy some vitamins (C, calcium, multi-for-her, b12, and iron generally) and make sure that you take them every day. Eat breakfast. If you don't while you're dieting you will have fatigue in your muscles through the day and will get to a point where even walking up stairs is exhausting. Make sure you get protein so that your muscles don't decompose. Seriously, this is a common problem. Keep your blood sugar level, I know you're dieting and all, but eat a piece of fruit or something ever two hours so you don't crash. The major issue with crash dieting is once you stop you will probably go back to your original weight. This is why it's safer to make minor lifestyle changes rather than to go to an extreme that you cannot survive on for an extended period of time.
4. Well other than you metabolism getting lower, its not very good for your mental health. It usually leaves people feeling irritable and/or depressed. There are more serious long term effect from repeated crash-dieting like nutrient deficiencies, osteoporosis, and vital organ damage. But I dont know if you were asking for that too.