Crash Diets Do’s and Don’ts

It has happened to us all at one time or another, we’ve got some weight to lose and we want an easy solution enter the crash diet. The crash diet has been around as long as people have wanted to lose weight. The issue with weight loss is that we must appreciate the fact we did not gain weight overnight so we won’t lose it all overnight either it takes time to get the results we want.

Most crash diet plans follow a very strict regime that seriously limits the amount of calories you can consume in a day and the types of calories. “remember the grapefruit diet” This puts a huge stress on your body, your brain thinks that food is scarce so it will slow down your metabolism to conserve energy. The feeling of being tired when on a crash diet is your body saying I need calories to work properly. You will feel cranky and very lethargic during the crash diet and the longer you stick on it the worse you will feel. During this phase your brain is telling your body to burn muscle not fat for energy. When your muscles break down it produces water as a byproduct of the chemical reaction, that is why people who are on a crash diet urinate frequently. The problem with the muscle breaking down is that it is hard on your liver and you are slowing down your metabolism even further since muscle burns calories the less you have the less you burn.

The reason that a crash diet does not work is that it is too severe and too soon for your body to adapt to, your body will fight back and you will eventually give in and begin eating again. You will be most likely to overeat or binge to make up for the period of depravity that you had endured, as you overeat and your body has a slower metabolism you end up with more body fat. That is the crash portion of a crash diet and why they are not sustainable.

When you are contemplating going on a crash diet ask yourself what are the reasons you want to do this ? Are you setting a realistic goal that can be reached ? Is this crash diet healthy or unhealthy ? After taking a hard look at these questions you can decide whether or not it works for you. Before you ever go on a crash diet or any diet for that matter you must check with your doctor to make sure your body can handle the rigors of a crash diet. You may have high blood pressure,diabetes or a host of other health conditions that would preclude you from going on a crash diet. If the doctor gives you the go ahead make sure you consider all the risks associated with the diet.

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