Weight regain always happens to serial starvation diets. And, your long-term health is at risk. Quick weight loss methods NEVER work long-term and they are not worth damaging the only body you have. Your self esteem also takes a hit with every weight loss/weight regain failure.
According to a Medicinenet.com article, “Weight Cycling…Facts About “Yo-Yo” Dieting,”
“Weight cycling is the repeated loss and regain of body weight. When weight cycling is the result of dieting, it is often called “yo-yo” dieting. A weight cycle can range from small weight losses and gains (5-10 lbs. per cycle) to large changes in weight (50 lbs. or more per cycle).”
“Some research links weight cycling with certain health risks. To avoid potential risks, most experts recommend that obese adults adopt healthy eating and regular physical activity habits to achieve and maintain a healthier weight for life. Non-obese adults should try to maintain their weight through healthy eating and regular physical activity.”
“Some studies suggest that weight cycling may increase the risk for certain health problems. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and gallbladder disease.”
Prevent weight regain cycles with these 3 tips:
1. Make a commitment to a lifetime of fitness and health. Don’t become too concerned with pounds on the weigh scale. Those who have succeeded at transforming their bodies from fat to lean have health and fitness practices that they do on most days. It becomes a sustainable lifestyle.
2. Forget the starvation diets. The less food you eat, the more weight you’ll lose, right? Sorry, but it just doesn’t work this way long-term. If your idea of the perfect diet plan for weight loss is popping crackers and diuretics, you’re headed for disaster.
Starvation slows the fat-burning process. Your body relies on the nutrients in whole, natural foods for fuel. When you starve yourself, it senses the downward shift in your caloric intake and kicks into starvation mode. When this happens, your metabolism will slow down and your body will hold on to stored fat in order to conserve energy.
Check out The Fat Burning Kitchen to get help with eating whole, natural foods.
Muscle mass needs more energy to function than fat. Basically, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you’ll burn. If you continue to starve yourself, your body will feed on your muscle tissue and make it even harder for you to lose weight.
Obviously, if you starve yourself long enough, you’ll have no choice but to lose weight. But the weight loss won’t be healthy, and it will show in your appearance.
The weight lost from starvation diets always comes back. Chronic starvation damages your metabolism. And, it can take months for it to return to normal. As soon as you start eating again, you’ll regain all of the weight you lost back, and more. In the end, you’ll wind up bigger than you were before you started starving.
3. Chronic starvation dieters end up with damaged health. If you are eating 900 calories a day, that is not enough food to even support your basal metabolic rate.
When you go without adequate food intake for long periods, you don’t get enough of the essential nutrients needed for good health. This can result in fatigue, kidney failure, heart failure, gallstones, ulcers, hair loss, muscle weakness and osteoporosis. This is just a short list of the physical problems a long-term starvation diet can cause. We haven’t even touched on the mental stuff.
It’s not uncommon for extremely calorie-restrictive dieters to struggle with depression, anger, indifference, memory loss, poor concentration, hallucinations and mood swings. Starvation can also increase your chances of suffering with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia.
There are no quick fixes for building your lean and toned body. Forget the commercials that say “lose 30 pounds in 30 days….” You will put that weight back on (and more) because your body composition (less fat, more lean muscle mass) has not changed!
Catherine Ebeling and Mike Geary are co-authors of the popular book, Fat-Burning Kitchen, which shows you how to totally revamp your kitchen to make your body a fat-burning machine!
Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Her Fitness Hut
