A crash diet is one of the fastest way to lose weight. It restricts your calorie intake and is good for short-term weight loss. But being on a very low-calorie diet for a long period may lead to eating disorders, compromised immunity, hair loss, and irregular menstruation.
Crash dieting
Benefits of crash dieting –
• Helps in weight reduction in a very short period. It gives an amazing result to sheds pounds of weight in a week.
• Crash diets are generally affordable as it needs very little food.
• These diets instantly reduce calorie consumption and help the body to burn its own fat for calories instead of depending on outside food source. So it provides better shape to obese or overweight easily.
• These diets are meant for a short period of time i.e. for one or two weeks. So there is no need to follow for a prolonged period of time like other modified diets.
• It is good for some medical complications which need calorie restricted diets.
Disadvantages of crash dieting –
• A crash diet is a diet with very limited food and with few calories which may arise to starvation or hungry feeling.
• Crash diet though not provides sufficient energy with a feeling of weakness, tiredness and sleepiness are always there.
• Crash diet may lead to anorexia, malnutrition and metabolic disorders.
• It is very difficult to adapt and follow as many lovable and pleasant foods are omitted from the diet and it is very difficult to maintain its accuracy.
• After following a crash diet there is an increased tendency of weight gain as it causes starvation which forces you to take junk foods that ultimately leads to weight gain instead of weight loss.
• Crash diets are deprived of all sufficient nutrients i.e. it is not a balanced diet and results in malnutrition or deficiency of nutrients into the body.
• Some health complications like ketosis, serum uric acid and gallstone may occur and there is a direct relation to the size of gallstones to the amount and duration of weight loss.
• It is a short term effective solution of weight loss but losing weight by following crash diet regains weight within few years and even more weight than the previous weight.
• Crash diet losses lean body mass instead of fat from the body.
We can say that crash diet results in socialization problem as it is difficult to follow strict crash diets when in groups. It is also sometimes problematic to stick with this difficult diet as it develops monotonous feeling. It is not a good choice to lose weight in a healthy manner as totally restricting diet creates the deficiency of certain nutrients instead of restrictive crash diets, limiting quantities of food is a healthy choice of weight reduction because there is a less scope of nutrient deficiency.
How To Crash Diet Safely:
Choose A Crash Diet That’s “Doable”– Crash diets are emotionally taxing, but when you have so many options, choose one that is convenient for you. If only eating an apple a day is not your thing (must be supervised by a doctor), go for a soup diet that will keep you full and nourished.
Cut Back On Refined Sugar– Avoid consuming refined sugar or foods containing it, like cake, pastry, doughnuts, ketchup, dips, candies, and chocolates.
Snack Smart – Going on a crash diet can be easy if you know how to snack smart. Consume low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods like fruits, baby carrots, cucumber, unsalted nuts (limited quantity), half a cup of plain yogurt, home-baked veggie chips with yogurt dip, and green tea.
Do It For A Limited Time– Every crash diet has a time duration, say, two days or seven days. Stick to the specified duration, and you will not overwhelm your body with low-calorie diets. If losing weight is not urgent, you can follow the 1200 or 1500-calorie diet.
If Possible, Avoid Social Gatherings– You know what happens when you go to parties and gatherings – diet goes out the window! Hence, it is best to avoid parties. If you need to offer support to a friend or a family member (and you happen to live in the same city), carry your food or choose foods that will not throw you off your diet.
Avoid Alcohol– Alcohol gets converted to sugar, which gets stored as fat. Also, drinking alcohol while on a crash diet may cause glucose imbalance in your body.
Refrain From Vigorous Exercise– If you are on the Master Cleanse or Juice Diet, it is best to avoid exercising. You may do light stretching and yoga but not full-fledged cardio and strength training.
Drink Water With Rehydration Salts – Crash dieting might require you to drink water or fruit juice frequently. Drink water with rehydration salts at least twice a day to keep your electrolytes balanced.
Note: Talk to your doctor before you start the crash diet.
Crash dieting for a prolonged period is unhealthy and should not be done without professional guidance. Comment down below if you tried crash dieting and if you were successful.