It would be a lie to say that diets promising rapid weight loss are not tempting. Sacrifice is not something that we want to do for long, and all those appealing attributes such as detox, painless and easy don’t take much to charm us into something we might regret.
I easily fell for those ads promising miracles in a bunch of weeks, until a guy friend showed up at school having lost several kilos in around a month or two. Yes, he had lost up to three sizes, and he was thinner. However, his legs and arms were big and flaccid and his whole body completely lost shape while gaining stretch marks all over. Needless to say, this episode changed the way I look at easy diets forever.
Looking more into it, there are more dangers and problems resulting from poor diet choices, something surely scarier than stretch marks.
First off, you have to remember one basic principle: a diet is a lifestyle. Looking at it from this point of view, it is easy to see why quick weight loss cannot bring long term benefits. If you are going to feed just on liters and liters of liquids and apples for months, you have to keep your feet on the ground and realize this won’t probably last longer than that. DIY, in this case, is just as dangerous. While you think that cutting calories might be all you have to do, there is much more behind. You need fats and calories in order to get on with your day, and a long term no calories attitude my put your health at risk.
Many quick weight loss diets thought to be the new era weight solution turned out to be just a damage for your body. Hollywood diets such as the Master Cleanse, around and alive from the 1940s, suggest a short period time just on some liquids in order to lose weight and detoxify your body. However, an all-liquids diet might affect your electrolyte balance and make you lose thing you really don’t want to lose, such as muscle tissue.
The worst quick weight loss diets are often the ones hidden behind names that sound healthy, such as most diet pills which charm their users with a medicine-like appearing, more likely to be trusted. What’s weird is that some of these pills sold without prescription contain dangerous ingredients like stimulants and chilli pepper (yes, it does activate metabolism, but it is also pretty aggressive!).
As my nutritionist will tell you, the best thing to do if you want to lose some weight is (and will always be) exercise and a healthy, well-balanced diet. Remember not to overdo exercise as well, thing that will end up doing more bad than good. Your body is your temple and you need to take extreme care with dosages. Drop pills and cleanses, go for a run and feel as healthy as quick solutions will never allow you to feel.
