The Most Frequent Unhealthy Ways to Lose Weight
There are several ways to lose weight which are unhealthy and hazardous to your mental and your physical well being. Here are the most common which you should always avoid:
- No-Calorie Diets
Our body needs fats, and healthy ones can help us lose weight. The zero calorie diet trend has become very popular, and it’s leading people to consume harmful artificial sweeteners to get rid of some excess weight.
- Medication and Drugs
There is no magic pill which can help us lose weight in a healthy manner, and sadly even drugs are used today for a quick fix for weight loss. It’s vital to remember that in the long term they can severely damage the heart and also the brain. On the other hand, there are some supplements which can help in fat-burning processes, but they must go along with exercise and healthy eating.
- Skipping Meals
Even if this approach may seem to make sense, skipping meals is harmful to the body, and it’s a very unhealthy way to lose weight. Our metabolism increases after we eat and if we skip meals it will slow down, and it will eventually lead to weight gain. Starving is a very inefficient way of losing weight.
- Purging
If you don’t already know, throwing up on purpose after eating is extremely dangerous to your health. This comes with severe psychological effects, and such an act is either a symptom of bulimia, or it will lead to it for sure. It will also increase cravings for unhealthy foods. Purging can create the illusion that the hunger craving has been satisfied by consuming food, but the calories are lost afterward by throwing up.
- Using Laxatives
The use of laxatives in excess in the form of powders, pills, teas and suppositories for losing weight is a pretty old concept. A continuous use of laxatives will lead to weakened digestive system and will also result in abdomen related complications.
- Smoking
Unfortunately, this unhealthy habit has also become a popular way of suppressing hunger. Smoking seems to send vague signals to the brain with the effect of an increased metabolic rate, and this will kill hunger. Chronic smokers can skip meals without any problems. But, on the other hand, we all know that smoking causes lung cancer and many other infections to the body; therefore it is not worth it.
- Over Exercising
If your body is already undernourished, over exercising can be awful for your health. Excessive amounts of cardio won’t help you drop the remaining weight. Instead, burst training for 20 minutes 3 to 5 times a week will sure do the trick.
Unhealthy Weight Loss Vs Healthy Fat Loss
It is vital to acknowledge the differences between the two.
Weight loss by crash dieting and improper training involves decreased fitness and strength, poor performance, early aging, and reduced immunity, while fat loss with correction nutrition and training includes improved fitness, greater strength, peak performance, delayed aging, and a reduced risk for a disease.
Sticking to a healthy diet and working out should be the two things that complement one another to help you lose weight in a healthy way. Losing excess weight requires a lifestyle change especially if you dream of long term results.