Why Extreme Weight Loss is Not Worth It

It is no secret that many people in this world today are desperate to lose weight. That’s why they are so many wacky and crazy diets out there that people just keep buying into.

The reason? One word: desperation.

The greasy lure of the fast food industry with it’s convenient and cheap meals certainly doesn’t help matters. Especially with the convenience of it all. In a society built around the dependability of convenience, people would only naturally want the same thing when it comes to weight loss.

Just like they gained weight quickly, they want the same thing when it comes to losing weight.

“People are so desperate to lose weight, that they will basically try anything ,” says Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D., an expert in the field of weight management, and the founding physician of bistroMD. “If I didn’t know what I know, I would probably be the same way. If someone promised me that I could lose 50 pounds by eating nails, I would do it.”

Fortunately, though, Dr. Cederquist is an expert in the field of healthy weight loss, and truly understands the nutrition necessary for a successful diet. She also knows what the body truly needs in order to sustain healthy weight loss.

One Word: Nutrition

“Giving your body the right balance of nutrients is essential for healthy weight loss,” says Dr. Cederquist. “Without an effective balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats, your metabolism won’t burn excess stored fat. You will lose muscle mass and water weight instead.”

Take a look at this video of Dr. Cederquist explaining why it is so dangerous to deprive yourself of nutrition in order to lose weight.

Going to Extremes for Weight Loss from bistroMD on Vimeo.

Nutrition is critical. When we lack essential nutrition, our bodies can’t cope with this energy depletion, so it goes into starvation mode.

“At this point, your metabolic rate slows down and conserves calories,” says Dr. Cederquist. “It will turn on hormones that make you store calories that you don’t eat. This process only uses a small amount of body fat, and burns lean muscle tissue and protein. This is a common occurrence with diets that encourage strict caloric restrictions, and eating only one meal per day.”

When you eat only one meal each day, your body becomes drastically low in one very important nutrient: protein. Not only is this unhealthy, but it makes your body resist weight loss in the future. This also means that if you start back on your previous eating patterns, you are more likely to gain the weight back faster than you lost it.

The best way to lose weight is to do it safely, and in a way that keeps your metabolism working and your muscles fed.

Exercise Your Will

The thought of only losing two pounds per week doesn’t sound appealing to most people. Most of the time, people prefer the faster method.

Faster sounds better for most of us, but if you want to build a healthy, lean body, this is the best way to do it. Safe and effective weight loss requires perseverance, patience, and commitment. There is no miracle pill that makes fat fall off of you.

Faster weight loss can happen, however, and still be healthy. (Just as long as it's not extreme). If this happens, then you're doing great! For example: If it took you one year to gain 15 pounds, but it only takes you eight weeks to lose it, you are really beating the odds.

To help you maintain your motivation, get your friends and family on board. Let them know how important this weight loss journey is to you, and emphasize how important their support is in helping you achieve your goals.

Also, explain your diet and exercise program to them. Make sure you emphasize the point that your method of losing weight is safe, and that you aren’t doing anything drastic and unhealthy to lose weight.

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