10 side effects of express diets (spoiler: not worth it)

According to Judy Mahle Lutter and Lynn Jaffee, responsible for the book Bodywise Woman, based on a study carried out for 14 years by the Melpomene Institute, in the USA, about half of the women have already been on a diet. In their efforts to lose weight, the female half of humanity often resorts to strict nutrition programs. In some of these programs, daytime eating is just a cup of coffee, salad, and crackers. However, this is obviously harmful to health, and it does not lead to the achievement of the main goal: consistent weight loss.

To prove this, the awesome.club gathered scientific data on how express diets affect our bodies.

With a drastic reduction in the amount of calories ingested, our body sets off an alarm: is it a time of hunger? Then, it urgently begins to trigger a kind of ‘economy mode’, slowing down the metabolism in the hope of retaining more fat reserves, which are strategically important for survival. This comes from the time when we lived in caves and it wasn’t every day that we had food available.

When you finish the diet and go back to eating normally, the body will continue to function in ‘economy mode’.

You need to stop restricting food intake, as the body reacts soon after, deciding that the time has come, and that you should eat as much as possible to build up the reserve. Our body makes us eat even if we are not hungry.

And, as we mentioned in the previous item, metabolism slows down. As a result, more processed proteins, fats and carbohydrates will remain in the cells. All this causes weight to increase after a strict diet.

French researchers have proven through tests with lemurs that a long, low-protein diet can harm the brain. They noted the acceleration in gray matter loss associated with the central nervous system regulation process. Fortunately, cognitive functions were not affected. At least in lemurs.

Limiting the amount of food consumed leads to a deficiency of several vitamins and minerals, and many of them are extremely important for sleep quality in all aspects. For example, lack of vitamin B1, folic acid, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc and selenium reduces sleep duration, and lack of calcium and vitamin C makes sleep more shallow.

The stress experienced by the body when deprived of food also does not contribute anything when it comes to falling asleep. Poor sleep quality, in turn, leads to weight gain.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) detected that strict diets or periods of fasting can affect the functioning of the pancreas, particularly the production of insulin. In a nutshell, a severe cut in diet increases the risk of developing diabetes, even in initially healthy people.not to mention those who are already predisposed to the disease.

Swedish researchers assessed the risk of gallstone formation in people who consume 800 kcal or less per day. One group followed a strict diet for 3 months, and the other consumed 1,200-1,500 kcal for 9 months. It was concluded that the risk of gallstones, taking into account the difference in duration of diets, was 3 times greater in the first group than in the second.

Analyzing the state of riders undergoing rapid weight loss for competitions, researchers have come to the conclusion that rapid weight loss negatively affects people’s emotional state. Furthermore, another study showed that people on a strict diet reported a decrease in libido and also irritability, which are biological symptoms of depression🇧🇷 Therefore, following a crash diet and having a good emotional state are practically incompatible things.

Our skin needs a lot of different substances, and creams cannot replace the foods that come ‘from the inside’.🇧🇷 In addition, the antioxidants present in vegetables and fruits are not the only ones responsible for the beauty of our face, but also some proteins and omega-3 fatty acids. Add in the stress the body experiences during dieting and forget about having smooth, beautiful skin.

Express diets cause changes in weight. A study by Cornelia Ulrich, PhD in cancer research at the University of Washington, USA, showed that the immune cells of women who have lost and gained weight quickly are less effective than those of other people🇧🇷 And that, in turn, can leave the paths open for infections.

Furthermore, a lack of nutrients leads to decreased immunity on 3 levels: in supporting physical barriers to the skin and mucous membranes, in cellular immunity and in the production of antibodies.

Women are well aware that, at different stages of the menstrual cycle, the desire to eat certain foods arises, while at other times they don’t feel like eating anything at all. However, according to findings made by researchers who studied the physiology of women who practice figure skating professionally, during a low-calorie diet, the cycle first changes. And then the period completely disappears.🇧🇷

And even after resuming the normal diet, menstruation only returned to what it was a year later. Of course, for the body, these disturbances in the menstrual cycle are unhealthy, making it difficult for the chances of pregnancy as well.

Obviously, everything we talk about in this post does not mean that dieting to lose weight is contraindicated, because getting rid of extra pounds is good for the body. However, dietary restrictions must be reasonable, taking into account the vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed. And don’t forget that when you go back to your previous diet, you’ll regain weight, so it’s more correct and easier to change your lifestyle forever, without depriving your body of a balanced diet.

Have you ever been on an express diet? Did you experience any negative side effects? How did you handle it? Leave your comment!