When it comes to weight loss, most people look for easy fixes that can help them achieve their goals in the shortest time possible. While losing weight is highly recommended if you are overweight, it is important that you do it in the safest way.

Losing weight too fast poses a lot of health concerns. This is because one is forced to follow unhealthy diets and exercise routines. It is, therefore, very important for you to take note of the amount of weight you lose weekly. Embarking on an extreme fitness plan can jeopardize your health. It definitely took you years to gain that weight, so losing it cannot be done as fast as you imagine. It takes time, dedication and proper dietary and exercise planning to get it done.

Understanding Weight Loss

The amount of fat you have in your body is directly proportional to the Leptin hormone. This hormone is monitored by the part of the brain known as the hypothalamus. Leptin is responsible for your appetite, fat burning and also plays a part in regulating metabolism. When you shed weight too fast, you also suffer from a significant drop in the levels of the Leptin hormone. In turn, this triggers the starvation response in your body.

The starvation response causes a decrease in the amount of energy generated by your body. This is done by lowering your metabolic rate and increasing your hunger sensation. When your body is in starvation mode, your muscles are broken down to produce energy. As it breaks down the muscles for energy, it preserves fat deposits in the body in case there is another food restriction in the future. This causes you to lose muscle mass and gain fat mass. This is why you find that you gain more weight later after losing it too fast.

Reasons Why Losing Weight Too Fast Is Unhealthy

1.    It Takes Too Much

Losing one or two pounds per week is what is considered as healthy. This still requires a lot of work to be accomplished. You are required to cut on calories, increase daily physical activities and take up exercising. When you try to lose too much weight each week, you lack the needed time to adjust to your crash diet. This puts a lot of strain on your body, which can be dangerous.

2.    You Underfeed

When trying to lose a lot of weight over a short period of time, you find that you starve yourself to get it done. When losing 2 pounds a week, you are required to consume 1000 calories less each day. If you want to lose 4 pounds a week, you have to consume 2000 calories less each day. Cutting off too many calories from your diet has negative effects on your metabolism. This can be bad for your health. It could also mean that you are probably not consuming enough to get your daily nutritional requirements.

3.    Lack of Energy

For you to be able to lose weight as fast as you want, you need to combine your crash diet program with a lot of exercise. Since you are cutting too many calories from your diet, your body is not able to generate enough energy to facilitate your exercises. Without proper exercising, you stand to lose muscle mass and gain fat. This leads to weight gain soon after taking up the crash diet. 

Signs That You Are Losing Too Much Weight Too Fast

It is possible to be losing weight too fast unintentionally. There are several tell-tale signs:

1.    Always Tired

If you are on a diet and suddenly you're always tired, you may be doing it all wrong. It is possible that your diet does not give your body the calories and nutrients it needs. This leads to fatigue and weakness. With time, you can find that you do not have the energy to do tasks you once did effortlessly. If you lose more than 2 pounds per week, you will find yourself struggling with fatigue and laziness. Dizziness is also a good indication of not getting enough calories from your diet.

2.    Unusual Menstrual Cycle Patterns

For women, a good indicator of unhealthy weight loss is disruption of your normal menstrual flow pattern. This is caused by low calories and nutrients in your diet. Skipping meals and unusual dieting can cause too much weight loss in a short span of time. This will disrupt your hormones and affect your menstrual flow. 

3.    Gaunt Looking Face

If you notice that your face looks drawn or gaunt, it might be because you’re losing weight unhealthily. Your body is losing fat and water mass but is not developing muscles. This causes the skin to draw back and develop wrinkle lines.

4.    Flabby Skin

Just because you're losing weight does not mean that it is healthy. If you find that you suddenly have saggy skin, it can mean you’re losing too fast. This deprives your body the chance to develop muscles and retain them since most of the muscles are broken down to produce energy.

5.    Hair Loss

Losing hair is connected to unhealthy weight loss. This is because, when losing weight too fast, you also lose a lot of water from your body. This can cause hair loss. Also, unhealthy eating habits deprive your scalp of the nutrients it needs to encourage the growth of healthy and strong hair.

6.    Shivering and Feeling Cold   

If you find that you are always cold and always have to stay covered up, it is possible you're losing too much weight too fast. When you lose weight, you lose fat. which acts as the body’s insulation. Losing too much fat also affects your body’s metabolism, affecting your body’s ability to generate body heat.