Though the idea of crash dieting is to lose weight quickly, the reverse may happen. That is not to say that you would be gaining weight or becoming fat but you will be losing weight through muscles and not fat.
Experts are of the opinion that overweight sedentary dieters don’t tend to lose much fat through a crash diet which is better known as quick weight loss diets. Instead, the little bit of your body fat which is lost, is from the most unsightly places and can prove to be harmful for you.
2 Illusionary Assumptions of Crash Dieting
Overweight or obese people are often under the illusion of or have a misconception about 2 basic assumptions of crash dieting which are listed below:
- Diet does not affect the speed at which the body functions, that is, the metabolic rate
- Crash diets burn fat fast
Experts opine that any diet that promises initial weight loss up to 5 to 7 kilos a week is misleading. The body’s first reaction to a diet that deprives you of essential nutrients is drawing up from the available source of energy which is called “glycogen”.
Glycogen is an immediate source of energy that fuel’s the brain. Glycogen, a carbohydrate, is stored in the muscles and liver. Whenever an obese dieter tries to adapt to a new diet (crash diet), the glycogen is released and used by the body. As a result, the body begins to lose both fat and muscles. Unfortunately, for dieters, it is the muscles which are lost more than the fat.
What is Crash Dieting?
Crash dieting works in quiet a contrary way as people perceive it to work. For instance, crash diets compel the body to look for other sources of energy apart from using its own available source, that is, glycogen.
In the process, the body tends to easily obtain energy from the muscle tissues located around the face and neck rather than from the tougher and harder fats accumulated around the hips, thighs and upper arms.
Crash dieting will make you miserably scrawny. Notice the face of quick weight loss dieters, who are eventually left with deep sunken eyes, frail necks and heavy hips or thighs.
So, even though, crash dieting helps you lose weight, it is the muscles you are going to lose and not the fat. Consult a doctor or dietician to predict the effects of a crash diet on your body and health before engaging in one.
