We live in a fast paced society
where losing weight quickly has become overly important. Everything moves
quickly and everyone is on a deadline. News, entertainment and information
travel around the globe at the speed of light. Everything is at our fingertips
any time we choose. But trying to lose
weight quickly, may not only lead to no weight loss, but sometimes, even actual
weight gain and additional health problems.
We have become used to getting what
we want, whenever we want it. Standards of personal satisfaction have risen,
while levels of patience and tolerance for delay have fallen like a stone. Is
it any wonder that in this world of near instantaneous gratification, that
losing weight quickly is every dieter's goal?
The problem is that losing weight
quickly is not the best way to lose weight. In fact, a dieter who takes weight
off too quickly runs the risk of many serious side effects. When you decide to
lose weight, you want to make sure that you're doing it the right way. You want
to make sure you're doing it in the most effective way. More importantly, you
want to make sure you're doing it in the safest way.
What's the main problem with losing
weight quickly? As soon as you stop dieting, or even while you are still
dieting, you put the weight you've lost right back on. This happens because the
body interprets the rapid weight loss and reduced caloric intake as a
crisis. It goes into survival mode and begins hoarding body fat at the expense
of water weight and muscle tissue.
In addition, as soon as caloric
intake rises, the body starts turning the majority of those calories into fat
as well. The result for the dieter is a weight loss/weight gain yo-yo. Initially, pounds come off quickly. Then, as
the body goes into survival mode, daily and weekly weight loss becomes less and
less. Finally, when the dieter get frustrated with this slow weight loss and starts
to eat more normally, all the weight lost is regained and more.
Additionally, losing weight quickly
can injure or even kill you. Most crash and fad diets are deficient in the
minerals and vitamins that the body needs to properly function. In particular,
a quick weight loss can cause you to lose significant amounts of potassium.
Potassium is the mineral that regulates
electrical conductivity in the muscles, including the heart muscle. If enough
potassium is lost, the heart can experience irregular rhythms and this
arrhythmia can and does kill unwary dieters.
The safest and most effective way
to lose weight is to combine smart food choices - think fruits, vegetable and smaller portions
- with regular, sustained exercise.
So, forget about losing weight
quickly. Real weight loss comes from serious and permanent lifestyle changes,
not the latest celebrity diet.
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