Why low-calorie diets "don't work"

Since everyone lose weight If you want to get results here and now, strict low-calorie diets have not lost their popularity for many years. Whatever they consist of, the meaning is the same - instead of the usual 2000-2500 kcal, you eat only 600-800, lie half-fainted, but if you pass this test, then fit into jeans one size smaller.

It seems that everything is simple: be patient a little - and you will have the desired result. But consider such a diet from other points of view: how it affects the body immediately and in the long term.

Why are low calorie extreme diets not working (that is, not working the way they would like)?

1. Nutritionists keep repeating that there is no better diet than a balanced diet that you can stick to for a lifetime, not a few days. Because after these few days of hunger trials, you will definitely want to compensate for your suffering - and the calorie content of the diet will increase significantly even in comparison with what it was before the diet. So you will gain everything that you lost, and a couple more kilograms on top.

2. It is impossible to lose 5-10 kg of fat in just a few days. The body can lose about 100 g of fat per day, that is, 1 kg of fat (and we want to get rid of it?) In 10 days. All other "losses" that make you happy with the numbers on the scales are water and muscle.

First, you lose water - and there is a lot of it in your fat cells. For 3-5 days of the diet, you can significantly decrease in volume only due to the fact that you will lose excess water. If the extreme diet is delayed, you lose muscle.

But! If you break off such a diet and eat everything, then you are not gaining muscle, but water and fat. That is, fat is the last to leave the body and comes first. Therefore, "running short distances" in losing weight are fraught with weight gain, not weight loss.

3. A low calorie diet leads to a poor quality of life. You constantly feel exhaustion, hunger, irritability, dizziness, you can faint, which is very dangerous, especially if you are a mom and look after children.

You have "hungry" dreams in which you break off your diet, you are angry with people who eat whatever they want, you constantly need to make excuses for your diet in front of others and endure their persuasion "well, at least try a little", you cannot take part in the feast on an equal basis with everyone and feel some inferiority, you constantly struggle with yourself and suppress your desire to eat desired.

This ultimately leads to one of two scenarios: either you break loose and eat back everything you dumped, or your psyche "switches" and an eating disorder begins - anorexia or bulimia. And this is already a big problem for physical and mental health, which many can overcome only with specialists.

4. Low-calorie diets hit health. From a lack of protein, muscles are depleted not only in the legs and arms - but also the heart muscle. This is fraught with myocardial disease and cardiac arrest.

Also, if you eat very little, then intestinal peristalsis is disturbed. The process can become chronic when you are unable to go to the bathroom on your own. If you do not establish nutrition, the intake of fiber and a sufficient amount of food and, accordingly, the chair, then you can "get hooked" on laxatives, after which it is very difficult to bring the body to a state of normal functioning, not to mention deterioration in quality life.

With a low-calorie diet, cholecystitis worsens, because the gallbladder has nothing to waste bile on. It accumulates, inflammation appears, stones form. This is a direct route to surgery.

An extreme diet, in any case, does not provide the body with all the necessary vitamins and minerals. This has a bad effect on the appearance: the hair grows dull, falls out, wrinkles and cellulite become more visible, the condition of the teeth deteriorates, nails become more brittle, the skin becomes dry.

How can a low calorie diet be used?

To get a positive effect and not do much harm to health and psyche, a low-calorie diet should last no more than 3 days and consist of fiber-rich foods - vegetables, fruits, bran. You also need to drink plenty of water. In this case, it is better to limit physical activity.

It is not worth practicing fasting days too often, so as not to fall into a vicious circle: 3 days we lose weight - 4 days we are full. It is better to unload yourself 1 day a week, but clearly set a rule that on the rest of the days you do not eat up for the future, and stick to the calorie content necessary for a gradual and gentle decrease weight.

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• The 80/20 diet: how to lose 6 kg in a month
• How to properly detox your body
• Food combinations that help you lose weight