SO unhealthy is a crash diet!
Following a crash diet is very unhealthy and certainly does not contribute to permanent weight loss. On the contrary! If you suddenly start eating very little to lose weight, this will probably work (for a while), but by doing so you are doing your body more harm than good.
Your body notices that less food (energy) is being absorbed, causing the metabolism to slow down. Your body will use its energy more sparingly, so to speak, and store reserves of everything you eat (fat). After all, you now have to do longer with what you take in to be able to function.
The liver stores fat to later convert it back into glucose and glycogen when the body needs more energy and does not get it in the form of food.
So then you start living on your reserves. During a crash diet, your body prepares for this by storing extra fat!
When your diet is over and you have lost the necessary kilos you start eating 'normally' again. But your metabolism is still slowed down at that point. When you don't consume any food for three hours, your metabolism already switches to 'energy-saving mode' and your metabolism therefore already decreases!
Even when you eat normally again, your body will continue to store 'fat stores' in your body for the time being, (as a reserve in case you get it into your head to go on such a crash diet again!) which will make the kilos you have lost add up in no time!
In the process, your body will start drawing on your muscle mass (proteins) to get enough energy and make up for the lack of calories during the diet in which you are getting far too few calories. So instead of burning fat, your body actually eats its own muscles!
Your muscles contribute to a properly functioning metabolism and thus to the burning of calories! So if your own body attacks ('eats' as it were) your muscle mass, your metabolism will also slow down (even) more and you will actually less burn calories.
So the weight you lose during a crash diet will consist mainly of fluid and the reduction of your muscle mass and not from fat!
So you lose weight, but gain no nice tight figure, because this is exactly what you need muscle mass for! (Don't immediately think of the Hulk here, a little muscle mass is enough!)
When you end up back to your old weight from before you started the crash diet after an unhealthy crash diet, all you have achieved is that you are
- In the end, you did not lose weight permanently.
- Have a higher fat percentage (stored 'reserves' during your diet).
- Have less muscle mass (and therefore worse physical fitness).
- A slower metabolism.
Crash diets are thus highly discouraged. It is unhealthy and ultimately does you no good. You only lose weight temporarily and then the kilos fly back on just as fast. You often weigh more after such a diet than before you started it..
The above text previously appeared in the Balance book. The book is now sold out, but may still be available to order second-hand via the link below.
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