Is rapid weight loss good or bad? Well, technically it is bad as it can cause several side effects such as muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, gallstones, altered metabolism, and many other risks.  

While weight loss is important it should be done at a steady pace. This rapid weight loss with people who are obese and want to lose weight fast without the help of a health professional is wrong. As we know, obesity is a chronic disease that’s caused by excessive fat in the body which can lead to other severe conditions such as type 2 diabetes, digestive problems, kidney disease, heart disease, or stroke.  

There is no cure for obesity, but to prevent its complications you need to maintain a healthy weight. For that, weight loss with the right lifestyle and dietary changes is important. Log on to https://bariatricbrooklyn.com/ to know more about weight loss surgery. 

What is rapid weight loss?  

Rapid weight loss is a state where you lose more weight in a short time span which is not considered healthy and safe. According to experts, the normal rate of losing weight is 1 to 2 pounds (0.45 to 0.9kg) per week. Losing more than that is considered rapid weight loss. It can cause several physical health problems such as muscle loss, nutritional deficiencies, gallstones, and a drop in metabolism.  

People who follow restrictive diets, especially crash diets, or very low-calorie diets (which contain fewer than 800 calories per day) in addition to intense workouts are the ones who are most likely to experience rapid weight loss. And people who want easier ways to lose weight choose this type of low calories diet. While in the beginning, losing weight fast is perfectly normal as you burn your water weight. But later, when you consume fewer calories than your body burns, your body starts burning the muscles to cover up the required energy, leading to rapid weight loss.  

You can prevent it by following diet or lifestyle plans from a professional bariatrician or nutritionist. 

Risks of rapid weight loss 

Rapid weight loss increases the risks of physical problems including:  

• Muscle loss: Muscle loss is quite common in people who follow very low-calorie diets and perform intense workouts. While weight-checking machine show loss in weight, this is not good. Remember your goal is to burn fat, not muscle. Muscle mass is important for your strength and health. According to one study, people who follow a very low calories diet lose more than 6 times muscle mass compared to people who eat healthy nutritious diets.  
• Slows your metabolism: Rapid weight loss can slow down your metabolism. Metabolism is your body’s natural calorie burner, which burns calories to provide you with energy for all your work. As your metabolism slows down your body goes into survival mode where your body burns lesser calories per day to make sure your body doesn’t starve. According to one study, those who lose weight fast and consume fewer calories burn 23% fewer calories per day than people who lose weight at a steady speed. And that is one of the reasons why people who lose weight fast by following unhealthy rapid weight loss plans are not able to burn more calories than before and their lost weight comes back.  
• Nutritional deficiencies: The body needs important nutrients to function properly. And when you eat a very low-calorie diet, there is a high chance that you will develop nutritional deficiency. Because a low calories diet does have important nutrients such as iron, folate, or vitamin B12. You can notice the symptoms in the body when you develop nutritional deficiencies: 

1. 1. Hair loss: Hair also needs nutrients to grow, and hair fall is one of the first signs of a deficiency of essential nutrients in the body. 
   2. Extreme fatigue: Without enough iron, folate, or vitamin B12, it can increase the risk of extreme fatigue and anemia.  
   3. Poor immune function: Not getting enough nutrients also weakens your immune system.  
   4. Weak and brittle bones: Lack of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus in the diet can cause this condition, which increases your risk of getting bone fractures.  

You can prevent these deficiencies by eating a diet that provides all nutrients. Cutting calories is not wrong but your diet should contain good and healthy food. Don’t lower calories below 500 calories per day if you want to stay healthy.  

• Gallstones: These are hardened stones-like materials that form inside the gallbladder. It is one of the painful side effects of losing weight too fast. The gallbladder’s function is to release digestive juices to break down fatty food so it can be digested. And this doesn’t work when you eat less, and digestive juices stay idle and tend to crystallize into gallstones. These gallstones can get stuck inside the opening of the gallbladder and cause gallstone attacks which can cause severe pain and indigestion.  

• Other side effects: Losing weight fast due to a very low diet plan causes some other side effects including:           

• • Severe hunger pangs 
  • Fatigue or tiredness 
  • Irritability  
  • Muscle cramps 
  • Feeling cold all the time 
  • Dizziness 
  • Constipation 
  • Dehydration  

That’s why before following any rapid weight loss program discuss with your doctor first whether this diet program is safe or not.  

Rapid weight loss, in the beginning, is normal as you lose your water weight first then body fat. But if you try to follow a very low calories diet with intense workouts, the chances are high that you will go into malnourishment which increases the risk of developing side effects of rapid weight loss. To prevent them, always follow diet and lifestyle plans that are created by a professional weight management team or a bariatric doctor.  

Looking for a weight loss plan that is effective, healthy, and made only for you?  

Walk in for an appointment at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212. Doral Health & Wellness has an advanced bariatric clinic that offers laparoscopic surgeries in bariatrics including Gastric sleeve surgery, Gastric bypass surgery, and Sleeve gastrectomy.  

In case you are looking for weight loss surgery, call us at 1-347-384-5690 to get answers to your queries.