Negative Effects of Dieting

Dieting usually refers to the restriction of essential food intake in order to lose weight and become healthy. Unfortunately, dieters don’t have a clue that most diets bring only negative effects and make them face a variety of health complications due to poor nutrition.

Following the US Department of Agriculture, adults have to consume 1,200-2,600 calories every day depending on age, gender, and activity level. Keeping to diets when striving to lose weight, people go through calorie restrictions, thus, falling below the above-mentioned requirements. In fact, extreme dieting is considered to be the most dangerous method of losing weight which may further result in bulimia, anorexia, or binge eating.

Mood Swings, Depression and Fatigue

The first symptom saying that something wrong is going on in your body will be the feeling of fatigue and mood changes. Low-calorie diets presuppose a lack of energy due to the lack of calories. The blood sugar levels drop significantly leading to tiredness, irritability and increased hunger. This is the main reason why most people who have decided to cut calories drop this idea in a short period of time, just because cravings for something fatty and unhealthy wins over.

According to the study conducted by the University College London, shedding extra pounds doesn’t mean improved mental health. Following its results, 55% of the participants who lost more than 5% of their body weight reported depression, while those who stayed within their original weight range didn’t experience any mood changes.

Nutrient Deficiency

Extreme and mindless dieting won’t do any good just because most people don’t understand the difference between good and bad fats, or good and bad carbs.

Carbohydrates provide the body with energy and strength to get engaged in physical activities, so they are a must. Instead of cutting on sweets and carbonated drinks, dieters stop consuming whole grains, rice, cereals, and corn thinking those stand on their way to weight loss. The same refers to fiber that reduces the levels of cholesterol in the body and protein responsible for the production of RBCs and managing hormones.

The absence of vital nutrients in the dieters’ meals results in reduced vitamin intake which can lead to the state of lethargy. But healthy dieting can also be achieved without feeling hungry.

Slowed Metabolism

When there is a drastic decrease in calorie intake, it may lead to slowing down the metabolism. The body has to switch to starvation or self-preservation mode to save energy, thus, using muscle mass to get energy instead of breaking down the fat tissue. This results in the slowed-down weight loss process and decrease of muscle mass.

Health Problems

Other side effects of dieting may be frequent headaches, constipation, menstrual issues, osteoporosis, and gallstones. All the low-calorie diets may lead to these and many other health aggravations due to the decreased consumption of vital nutrients. Another important fact is that dieting can speed up the aging process awarding dieters with fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin.

Bottom Line

In fact, dieting doesn’t usually work the way you may expect it to. You can be concerned about the excess weight and health problems resulting from it, but the best way to ditch extra pounds would be to eat healthily and exercise on a regular basis. The results of numerous research state that people who lost weight fast due to severe dieting put it back on again extremely quickly. That may lead not only to further difficulties in losing what has been gained but also makes an irreversible impact in the immune system and the overall health.