According
to international nutrition organizations, an individual needs 1,200 and 2,600
calories per day. However, there are many harsh diets that aim to lose weight leading
the person to consume less calories daily than required, and this may have
serious effects on health.
-The most important side effects of following a harsh diet are:
- Fatigue and mood change:
The first
side effect of harsh diets is a lack of energy and mood swings, because when
calorie consumption is reduced to levels below the required level, there will
be insufficient food to convert into energy and blood sugar concentrations will
decrease, leading to feeling tired and nervous in the mood, and even this may
make you in a yearning to eat too.
One of
the reasons for fatigue when you follow the harsh diet is severe dehydration
due to lack of body water, because when the calorie intake is significantly
reduced, the glycogen stored in the liver and muscles is initially used as an
energy source before the use of fat.
Glycogen is a type of carbohydrate that is linked to
water molecules in the body, and therefore when burning the entire glycogen
body, the body's content of water associated with less, and this leads to the
emergence of symptoms of headache, fatigue and dizziness, which may occur when
you follow the harsh diet.
-Why does the harsh diet cause obesity?
Some people who follow the harsh diet may eat open
meals because of the big appetite that occurs to them, but the danger is that
the appetite is usually for fast meals unhealthy ready calorie-rich because of
the feeling of extreme hunger, which can lead to obesity.
Some types of harsh diets such as the detox diet may
lead to irregular blood sugar, which may cause insulin resistance over time and
continued dieting. Insulin resistance is associated with re-weight gain and may
be associated with type 2 diabetes.
- Slowing metabolism and muscle mass loss:
When there is a shortage of calories and low energy
levels due to the harsh diet, this will slow down the metabolism in order to
conserve the available energy and thus reduce the metabolic rate (i.e. the
number of calories burned at rest time), this may in fact delay the process of
weight loss and may lead to loss of muscle mass as well.
The body will preserve fat stores and consume muscle
mass. If your goal is to strengthen your muscles with weight loss, a harsh diet
is an unfortunate choice because it will save body fat and lead to muscle mass
loss.
One study found that rapid weight loss results in a
three-fold loss of muscle mass compared to a diet that leads to slow weight
loss.
At the end of this article, many international
nutrition organizations are advising to follow the harsh diet for people with
severe obesity, and be under medical supervision, but for those who want to
lose some weight should follow a specific diet after consulting a dietitian.