Weight loss. It seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. Whether it’s a New Year’s resolution, an attempt for a “bikini-ready body,” or an unexplainable need to fit into a certain pair of jeans, everyone is reaching for gym memberships and health books. This newfound trend of being healthy is no doubt a great thing for the U.S., especially with the rising percentage of obesity in the country, but people, specifically young women, forget that skinny does not necessarily mean healthy.
Quick weight loss seems to be the number one goal of young women in the last few decades. This may explain the high rise of diet pills, detoxes, cleanses and miracle exercise machines that burn belly fat in a matter of weeks, or even days in some cases. No doubt, many desire these methods and their results, but no one really understands the risks and inherent “unhealthy” effects they have on the body. Unfortunately, the five most common forms or methods of weight loss are also the most dangerous. These methods cut corners, offer quick solutions and even deceive the body when it comes to weight loss, which lead to unhealthy side effects. Here are a few dangerous dieting habits that may give you a thin frame, but numerous medical problems as well.
1. Starvation, fasting, or very low-calorie diets
Severely slashing calories may lead to weight loss, but the lower number on the scale isn’t just a loss of fat, but also precious muscle. People need these muscles to do everyday things, so don’t take muscle loss lightly. When you lose muscle, your strength and energy levels also decrease. It also lowers the metabolism, which in turn could lead to severe weight gain once the fasting ends. A faster metabolism helps food go through your body quicker and prevent the body from becoming bloated. This is why drastic calorie restriction can also cause a shift toward a higher percentage of body fat, which increases the risk for metabolic syndrome, and type two diabetes. This has lead to the new term “skinny fat,” which means that although a person may look skinny, they are mostly skin and fat which does a number on the body.
Unless medically supervised, don’t cut calories below 1,200 per day. This number is of course a general amount of calorie intake, but this number is different for everyone. Taller people typical have a higher calorie intake allowance because they have more body to feed. If people consume fewer calories than their medically calculated allowance, they will struggle to get enough nutrients to fuel activities and satisfy hunger. If this doesn’t convince you to give up fasting, just remember that this is not a lasting weight loss solution. Most likely you will gain it all back and more.
2. Supplements that make grand promises
This is a hard method for many to turn away from. Often times social media is flooded with before and after pictures of successful weight loss with a diet supplement logo stamped over it. How can this be unsafe if so many people are using it and getting results? It’s simple, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The thing about these supplements that’s so unsafe is not so much the fast results, but what is actually inside the supplement itself. Unlike makers of prescription drugs, companies that make supplements don’t have to prove that their products are safe or effective before putting them on the market. Even products that claim to be natural aren’t necessarily safe or good for you. This is even true for foods. Don’t be fooled by this classic marketing technique.
If you’re thinking about taking any weight loss product, ask your doctor first. It’s best to focus on what’s proven to work for weight loss, including your diet. If you aren’t comfortable talking to your doctor, it is not a good idea to go in blind when buying weight loss supplements. Just look up each ingredient on the bottle nutrition label and see if you still want to put all those dangerous chemicals in your body.
3. Cleanse or detox plans
At best, cleanses cause weight loss from loss of water and stool weight. But they still can be dangerous. They carry risks of dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and more. These risks can lead to other medical problems and affect your immune system, which can make you more vulnerable to illness.
Losing lots of fluid without medical supervision is risky, and when it’s combined with fasting, it’s even riskier, because the body is already programmed to detoxify on its own and excrete toxins, mainly through the liver. The liver plays a major role in detox by filtering the blood and producing enzymes to destroy toxins that come from food, water and the air. The liver also prepares these toxins to be expelled through urine. Since detox dehydrates the body, the liver cannot do its job and expel toxins at the proper rate your body needs. So cleanses are unnecessary and can lead to serious complications by messing with your body’s system. Instead of detoxifying, be more mindful of what you eat. If you want to cleanse or detoxify your body, drink plenty of water and eat lots of high-fiber foods.
4. All forms of purging
Purging includes making yourself vomit, chewing food and spitting it out, and abusing laxatives. These unhealthy behaviors are common on college campuses, and pose serious health problems. This type of weight loss is often identified as the first step in the development of an eating disorder.
Acid in the stomach is extremely strong. Strong acid is necessary to prepare food for digestion and absorption. Stomach contents are meant to stay in the stomach, not be regurgitated into the throat and mouth. Extremely acidic vomit can cause erosion in the esophagus and mouth and on tooth enamel. This can increase risk for certain cancers, tooth decay and more when purging becomes a ritual.
Regular purging by vomiting or abuse of laxatives also causes excess fluid loss that can cause serious dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, which can lead to a weak immune system and a complete imbalance in the body. All of these forms of weight loss are dangerous, but the most dangerous is the use of syrup of ipecac. Ipecac is used in the emergency treatment of certain kinds of poisoning. It is used to cause vomiting of the poison, but is often used in purging. One dose can trigger cardiac irregularity and can lead to cardiac arrest.
If you are purging, there are several resources you can go to talk and figure out the best course of action to get your health back on track. Either your doctor or campus health and wellness physician are good resources to turn to. Just remember that it doesn’t matter how often you purge, this is an indicator of eating disorder tendencies. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
5. Extreme exercising
Extreme exercise may make for good reality television, but in the real world, it can cause serious problems. It causes severe wear and tear, especially if frequent exercise is a new ritual in your schedule. This frequency and level of exercise increases the risk for injury, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. These problems may go even go as far as psychological, turning exercise into punishment for eating, which is unhealthy mentality.
The American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association recommend getting at least 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio exercise five days a week, or 20 minutes of vigorously intense cardio exercise three days a week, and strength-training exercises that work all the major muscle groups two to three times a week. Some people think more is better and go way beyond what’s healthy.
That kind of obsessive exercise can begin to control their lives in an unhealthy way. To beat the exhaustion of excess exercise, many people turn to pre- and post-workout supplements. This is another extremely dangerous decision. Many of these supplements have caffeine in them, to give you a boost of energy when you start to feel tired. Although this may be completely harmless to some, it could lead to problems with the heart and blood circulation. It is always better to talk to your doctor before taking on any type of supplement, even for a boost of energy doing something healthy. Listen to your body naturally when exercising. If you are tired, your body is telling you it’s time to stop. Take a moderate approach to exercise, and you’ll be more likely to stick with it for the long haul.
Best Weight Loss Practices
Choose a diet that works for your lifestyle. There isn’t one magical answer for everyone. Everyone’s body is different. Everyone’s lifestyle is different. So diets shouldn’t be the same either. The first step to better results is to forget about dieting and focus on personal goals beyond a scale number. It is proven that several little goals keep people more motivated in exercise and healthy eating. For example, the goal of the month can be a certain time on running a mile, or the number of salads a certain week. This makes you feel more on track and accomplished than frustrated. The best lifestyle is the one you can stick with long-term. This means, stay away from sudden, drastic changes, but slowly ease into healthy habits. Use common sense, listen to your body, be mindful of what you eat and pass on expensive, risky and worthless weight loss schemes or products that are unproven.
Seek advice from your doctor or a registered dietitian if you are concerned that your weight loss methods may border on extreme or unhealthy. It’s not about being skinny; it’s about being healthy. And no, these two words are not synonymous.