Mend Your Diet

What are the dangers/side effects of chronic dieting?

Like, dieting and then eating normally, and then not eating much, and then eating normally.

Public Comments

1. This is bad because it slows your metabolism. When you don't eat your body stops burning fat etc as quickly because it doesn't know when it's going to get food again. When you go back to eating regularly your body continues to "save" as much as it can for the "tough times" that may return. Diet's are ok if they're healthy, but when you just flat out stop eating, or start eating less, your body doesn't know what to do. Hope this helps :)
2. There are quite a few dangers and side effects of chronic dieting. Let me first say that I'm living proof that chronic dieting leads to unwelcome metabolic changes and other serious damage to our bodies. From the time I was 12, I've been a chronic dieter. Now, I'm trying to heal my body and regain my health since these many decades of dieting have taken their toll. <sigh> I truly hope that my personal experience can be helpful to you and others. Please remember that our bodies are designed to keep us alive. Over the centuries, our bodies have adapted to ensure this vital and important purpose. Our ancestors didn't always have the large food supply that's available to most of us now, so compensatory internal mechanisms evolved. When there's a famine or not enough food available, our bodies compensate by storing extra fat once food IS available again so our bodies can continue to function and stay alive. If we starve our bodies -- either through a famine or a self-imposed starvation diet (which our bodies can't differentiate), our bodies then adapt in this time-tested way and we begin to store fat just as soon as there's a food supply available to us again. This, eventually, prompts further weight gain, and often causes us to embark on a recurring cycle of never-ending dieting. This "Yo-Yo" dieting (also called "Weight Cycling") is very common in Westernized nations, particularly among adolescents. Chronic dieters go through the sequences of dieting, weight loss, cessation from dieting, and weight gain. This final stage of weight gain is particularly detrimental since the amount of weight regained often exceeds the amount that was originally lost. This results in an overall increase in body weight and fat storage (plus, a sense of hopelessness, defeat, self-loathing, and other consequences). Since muscle mass also accounts for a portion of the weight lost through strict dieting, this chronic dieting may ultimately slow overall metabolism. With every 5% of body weight lost, a 15% decrease in resting metabolism results. Our body fat is burned through our metabolic processes, so increasing rather than decreasing our metabolism should be our goal. There's a good article on "Eating Disturbances" at http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Diab-Em/Eating-Disturbances.html which includes a section on "Weight Cycling" and the above statistics, etc. Another serious downside to chronic dieting is the fact that our bodies will "cannibalize" our own healthy muscles and tissues (including the heart!) if we're not taking in enough protein/amino acids through the foods we eat. Again, this causes us to lose more muscle mass, and our metabolism slows down and more fat is stored as a result. Plus, losing needed muscles/tissues could be extremely debilitating and even dangerous! If we don't eat enough of the healthy, nutritionally-rich foods that our bodies require, we won't get the necessary nutrients, vitamins, minerals and other building blocks that are crucial for maintaining (and building and restoring) our cells, tissues, organs, and functioning systems. For example, osteoporosis occurs from the loss of calcium in our bones when our bodies leach this needed mineral for our hearts and other body functions. Other vitamin and mineral deficiencies may also develop and electrolyte imbalances may occur -- which could actually lead to cardiac arrest! Amenorrhea (the cessation of menstrual periods), infertility, and other even more serious conditions could result from deficiences in certain nutrients needed for the production of hormones and other necessary biochemicals in our bodies. Healthy skin, hair and other external attributes, as well as all our internal processes all need good and sufficient nutrients! Cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods and drinks (especially excessive sugar consumption!) often occurs with chronic dieters. This may stem from a physiological and/or evolutionary need for ample carbohydrates to ensure proper neurological (brain) function. Large quantities of carbs eaten in a short period of time are capable of altering brain neurotransmitter synthesis, thus producing a calming effect on our brains. By giving in to these cravings and eating a lot of sugar or starch-based foods (which convert to sugar) with their limited nutritional value, we're further damaging our immune systems and other crucial functions in our bodies. Also, spikes to our blood sugar (glucose) levels require insulin -- which is also our fat-storage hormone! There are some excellent resources online if you'd like to learn more about the harm from chronic dieting and possible alternatives. At http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51890, there's a good article plus some links to other helpful articles in the green "Health & Living Center" box that's located in the left-hand column. Also, since chronic dieters often have distorted body images, you might find it helpf
3. Hi! This is Linda D again. I noticed that my answer which was posted a few minutes ago was cut off, so I'm using my husband's Yahoo account to finish posting the rest. If you like my full answer (Part 1 and Part 2!) and want to give me a thumbs up or Best Answer vote, please do this at my original answer (Part 1) so I can receive credit. Thanks so much! Part 2 of 2: ... Also, since chronic dieters often have distorted body images, you might find it helpful to read the articles at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0… and http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0… and elsewhere. According to experts, chronic dieting may be a risk factor for the development of unhealthful weight-loss behaviors and serious eating disorders such as bulemia, anorexia, and others. A good list of warning signs can be found at http://www.something-fishy.org/isf/signs… According to a research study published at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and posted online at http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/71/… "It appears that chronic dieting may have effects on body composition, aerobic fitness, biochemical indexes, dietary intake, and dietary restraint." I have now "dieted" my way up to a weight that's 63 times my original starting weight (when I first started to diet)! I sincerely hope that you'll consider muscle-building strength training/exercise and you'll select a diet of well-balanced, healthy, organic, low glycemic foods and beverages. Your body will then stay healthy with all parts, chemicals and systems properly nourished. We can't lose weight and keep it off until our bodies are healthy and functioning optimally. I truly hope this is helpful! All the best to you! -- Linda D