Fast weight loss diets - everything you need to know and more
Sometimes we get really desperate. Maybe we have a wedding coming up and we are the bride or the bridesmaid. Or maybe summer is just coming up too soon and we haven't had time to lose those extra pounds that is just keeping us out of our short shorts or skimpy summer dresses. It's enough to make us go to extremes, to make us be willing to do almost anything just to lose those last few (or maybe a bit more than few) pounds.
And when we are in that position, what do we go for mostly? The answer would most commonly be - fast weight loss diets. But what are the dangers of diets for fast weight loss?. What should you know before goin on such a diet? Should you even consider it? To answer these questions, I have done some research about the dangers, precautions and types of fast weight loss diets. So I present to you: Fast weight loss diets - everything you need to know and more...
What you should know about fast weight loss diets
Fad diets (any diet for fast weight loss) are not a long term healthy approach to eating and weight management. Most of them are not balanced and they hold lots of dangers if not used correctly. If you are thinking of going on a diet for fast weight loss, you must always take special precautions. Be sure to visit a doctor to discuss your situation.
What are the dangers of easy fast weight loss diets?
You must be aware that this type of diets are not just about roses and moonlight (as many of the marketers would want you to believe) but that they also hold many dangers. Have a look at the following dangers and decide for yourself if it would impose any threat:
- Dehydration - This is one of the common dangers, as most of your weight loss is actually water loss. To combat this effect, take in more water when on a fast weight loss diet.
- Fatigue and malnutrition - As these diets may have a negative impact on the central nervous system, fatigue and malnutrition may occur. To combat the fatigue, don't do too many strenuous exercises and only participate in light to medium workouts. About the malnutrition we can't do much instead of not being on the diet.
- Muscle loss - The truth is that if one goes on a starvation or a calorie restricting diet, your body starts to burn off some of your muscle mass and in effect damaging your ability to burn excess fat and you may even hold back body fat, as you lose muscle.
- Damage to your metabolism - Another effect of limiting calorie intake is a damage in your metabolism - its slows down to the point that it struggles to function at its previous levels, even when you go back on your regular diet
- Learning of yo-yo diet behaviors and unhealthy principals - Not all of these diets are fad diets, but those that are may teach you bad food habits and you may struggle to escape the yo-yo diet trap.
Is a fast weight loss diet healthy?
The first question that would come to my mind would be whether it is actually healthy. All of us want to lose weight and most of us still worry about the health precautions.
Well, my opinion would be that while some of these diets may be better balanced than the rest, most of them are just focused on results without stressing the health issue too much.
So you would have to take into consideration your specific preferences and then decide if you are willing to participate in that specific diet.
What precautions do you need to take before going on such a diet?
You can't just go on a new diet without taking the necessary precautions. Here are a few things that are vital for you to do before going on a fast weight loss diet:
- The first and the most important thing is to go see a doctor before undertaking a new diet or exercise regime.
- The next thing you have to do is consider the possible dangers and side effects of such diets - ask yourself whether you are willing to go thought that for some weight loss
- You also need to understand the the weight loss will most likely not be permanent - you are very likely to put the weight back on if you lose too much weight too quickly. This is because your metabolism slows down significantly, which can severely dampen your long term weight loss goals.
- The next thing you have to do is to take in lots of water and to stay hydrated.
- You also should NOT participate in exercise that is too strenuous.
- The last and also very important thing for you to watch out is to not to become negative about your body or too develop obsessive compulsive habits about dieting, food and your body size or shape.
- At any time in the diet if you are having adverse effects, I would recommend that you stop and take a break from dieting, or to consider stopping dieting altogether (it's for the better)
Now that you are aware of all the dangers, precautions and such of fast weight loss diets, let's look at a few popular and easy fast weight loss diets:
Fasting for weight loss
Fasting involves going for periods of time where no food is consumed. The dieter can however consume liquids while on the fast. When the fasting period is over, the dieter can either eat normal again or follow a restricted calorie diet. A popular diet that is constructed on a similar way is "Eat Stop Eat" . It is developed by Brad Pilon.
Cheating for weight loss
The principal of cheating yourself thin come from this: you can eat what you want on certain times but the other time you have to eat according to the rules. The different times vary from diet to diet and so do the rules. Some examples of these diets include:
- Cheat your way thin - developed by Joel Marrion, this program is a new way of dieting where you can include cheat meals with your dieting efforts. It is like a less strict type of diet.
- The cheater's diet - This is a typical low calorie diet, but the difference is that you have weekends free where you can eat what you want. It may sound great, but here are the hard part - you have to exercise your butt off in the week to maintain that weekend indulgents of yours.
- The chocolate diet - Sally Ann Voak - This diet is made for the chocolate lover. It aims to help the chocolate lover to maintain her cravings while still being on a diet.
Liquid diets
The idea of liquid diets is that you take in mostly liquid for a certain time period. Typical liquids would include protein, whey and other nutrients and vitamins.
Some diets that work on that principal include:
- The cabbage soup diet - This involves eating nothing but cabbage soup for 7 days
- The Hollywood diet - In this diet you have to go on a 48 hour juice fast where you will cleanse and detoxify your system.
The best fast weight loss diets
You are probably most familiar with these fast weight loss diets for women:
- Atkins - This diet is developed by Dr Robert Atkins. It is a diet with four stages and your carbs is controlled throughout the whole diet
- Blood type diet - You follow a specific diet according to your blood type
Celebrities and their favorite diets
- Kim Kardashian - She is alleged to have been an follower of the Quick Trim Diet
- Cindy Crawford, Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Aniston - The are all said to have been on the diet that goes by the name "The Zone""
- Geri Halliwell, Minnie Driver and Sarah Jessica Parker - Are all said to have been on the Atkins diet.
What about you?
Would you go on a diet? If you have, have you found fast weight loss diets that work?
I personally think the best way to lose weight is by doing it the long term healthy way. By exercising regularly and by following a healthy long term eating plan that is part of your life just as exercising is.
But the decision is yours to make. To diet or not to diet. That is the question.
Additional resources
If you want some more information about the best diets for fast weight loss, check out the following sites:
