There are many diet plans around today that promise quick weight loss. Many people who want to slim down rapidly may be tempted to try them out. You need to know why this may not be the best choice for your health. If you are serious about taking some weight off, learning what rate is safe and how to accomplish it is much more valuable than learning what the latest fad diets are. You will end up being much healthier and happier in the end.
Our body weight is influenced by many different factors. One of the main factors is our metabolism. At its most basic level, our metabolism is the rate at which we burn energy. A slow metabolism means that we burn energy more slowly and a fast metabolism means that we burn energy at a very high rate. That energy comes from our diet in the form of calories from food. When we have a lot of excess energy, our body stores it in the form of fat. This adds weight to our body and too much stored fat means that we become overweight.
Although it may seem possible at first glance to simply reduce body weight by cutting back severely on the amount of calories that they consume, the fact is that there are a number of drawbacks to this method. Trying to drop weight by starving your body is actually the worst way you can go about dropping weight in a hurry. Here are some of the main reasons why this is the case.
The first reason why it is a bad idea is that a sudden and drastic reduction in caloric intake makes our bodies think we are in danger of starving. Our metabolism is capable of slowing down substantially when our body thinks that there is no food available. Every calorie we take in is hoarded and much of it is stored in our fat cells. This can end up causing us to stop losing weight and retain more of it when we begin to eat normally again.
We also tend to shed water weight first when we go on a speed diet. This effect is enhanced when we take many of the fat burning pills that are on the market today. As we dry out, we lose pounds and inches but it is not a real result because we are not losing fat. We can become quite weak if we become dehydrated and the situation can become dangerous if it is allowed to go on too long.
There are a number of other unwanted side effects from quick weight loss. The vitamins and nutrients you take in will also be reduced and you can suffer damage to your health. You will begin to feel tired, ill and generally unhealthy and will not have the energy you need to be productive. You can also end up permanently lowering your metabolic rate making it harder for you to lose weight in the future.
To avoid the dangers of quick weight loss, you should try and lose no more than two pounds a week. This will preserve your metabolism. If you watch portion sizes and eat more fruits and vegetables, your caloric intake will be reduced. By increasing your activity level, you can burn more calories and finally begin shedding pounds and inches in as healthy a way as possible.
In order to stay healthy, fast weight loss may simply not be possible. We are all better off setting longer term goals and working toward a gradual and sustainable weight loss that will have us looking and feeling great. You will often find that if you do, the weight has a better chance of staying off longer than it would if you simply drop weight by starving yourself.