| I cringe every time I hear an ad talking about losing | | | | disappear. Anemia, increased bleeding and decreased |
| 20 pounds in two weeks. This is partly because I | | | | immunity are some of the results. |
| tried them and ended up with a couple of the | | | | Organ Damage: Your body wants to make sure your |
| problems I'll be discussing and partly because I know | | | | brain can function adequately, so it will look for any |
| how lucky I am that things weren't as bad as they | | | | source to prevent damage. If you don't eat enough |
| could have been. | | | | carbohydrates, your body will turn to muscles, |
| A crash diet is one that severely restricts the | | | | including your heart and the muscles that help the |
| number of calories you take in, and usually also | | | | other organs function. Liver failure, kidney failure, |
| involves extremes in the exercise department. The | | | | heart attacks and strokes are all possible. |
| good news is that you can lose a lot of weight in the | | | | Osteoporosis: Lack of calcium can lead to bone loss, |
| first few weeks of such a diet. The bad news is you | | | | which is called osteoporosis. Broken bones and a lot |
| will find yourself gaining weight even if you continue | | | | of pain can result. The hip and wrist bones are |
| such a diet. The worst news is that it could end up | | | | particularly vulnerable. |
| killing you. | | | | Cholesterol Problems: Believe it or not, a crash diet |
| Your body will eventually notice the reduction and in | | | | can lower good cholesterol. This is because many |
| turn reduce the amount of calories it burns. It lowers | | | | foods that increase HDL cholesterol won't be eaten. |
| your metabolism, thinking that a famine is taking | | | | Is there a way around these problems and still lose |
| place. In famine mode, your body will try to put | | | | weight? Yes, but it won't be fast. It took a while to |
| weight back on in case things get worse. | | | | put the weight on and it will take a while to take it |
| Crash Diets and Mental Health: There are several | | | | off. Take your goal weight (and make sure it's a |
| reasons extreme diets can affect your mental health. | | | | healthy weight for you), multiply it by ten and eat |
| Food cravings are bad enough, but depression is also | | | | *at least* that many calories daily. You may want to |
| likely. These diets mess with serotonin levels, which in | | | | take a nutritional supplement, in order to make sure |
| turn causes mood changes and increased irritability. | | | | you get all the vitamins and minerals you need to |
| Anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders can | | | | function in a healthy way. |
| develop as well. | | | | When looking into an exercise routine, consult your |
| Nutrition Deficiencies: When calorie counts are low, | | | | doctor. The doctor knows your medical history and |
| the amount of nutrients ingested are also low. | | | | can help you choose activities that won't cause |
| Vitamins, particularly B12 will develop. Believe it or not, | | | | injuries or aggravate medical conditions. Extreme |
| but sodium is also likely to be deficient. Iron, | | | | exercise is not a good idea, especially without talking |
| potassium and other vital elements to a healthy diet | | | | to a medical professional. |