Everybody wants to lose weight fast. Yet, all the diets that claim you can lose 10 pounds in 10 days or drop an entire dress size in hours rarely live up to their claims, and if they do, it’s probably not worth the risks.
Although fast weight loss is improbable, it’s still the goal of many. And thanks to shows like Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss edition, losing weight rapidly not only seems achievable but almost expected.
This excitement, however, comes at a price. With contestants now speaking up about some of the incentives and processes used to keep ratings and weight loss high, it only drives home the true realities of overly fast weight loss.
In a recent interview with James Garrison, the self-proclaimed whistle-blower and former contestant of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss edition, Garrison claims that what you see on air isn’t always the reality. From diet pills to forced dehydration, Garrison paints a unpretty picture of extreme weight loss that most Americans don’t see on screen. However, it happens, and while it attributes to huge amounts of weight loss each week, it may be doing more harm than good. No matter the method, losing weight too fast can have serious consequences and often can only result from extreme fasting, exercising, or a combination of the two. Plus, once you lose that weight, it’s often difficult to keep it off once you become less strict with your dietary plans. New evidence has also shown that consuming very few calories over a period of even just 10 weeks can cause your body to think it’s in a starvation state making it hold on to as much weight as it can even as much as a year after your dieting stint has ended.
Rapid weight loss can lead to a myriad of ill effects, including:
- Gallstones
- Malnutrition
- Dehydration or extreme thirst
- Electrolyte imbalances
- Headaches
- Tiredness
- Irritability
- Dizziness
- Menstrual irregularities
- Infertility
- Constipation
- Muscle wasting
- Hair loss