Dieting seems to be the route most people take when trying to shed a few unwanted pounds. While there are plenty of cautionary tales regarding the yo-yo effect associated with most of these diets and other risk factors that have to be taken into account, many people still choose to go on this rather risky path. If you would like to consider both the benefits and the disadvantages that come with going for the latest popular diet plans, here are a few things that you might like to take into account:
Crash diets don’t work over the long term and are not supported by research. Long term weight loss cannot be achieved by a temporary shift in behavior and this is often reflected in the ease with which may dieters go back to their original weight or even gain a few extra pounds.
Often, the many restrictions imposed by dieting actually lead to binge eating later on. Moreover, many diet plans that make extraordinary claims have little if any research to back up the claims or to prove effectiveness. Lack of scientific evidence is generally a good way to recognize an ineffective or potentially dangerous diet.
Diets can encourage eating disorders. This effect might not be visible right away, however, dieting often encourages labeling food as good or bad, which might cause dieters to avoid even beneficial foods that might be discouraged in the diet plan. Moreover, because many diets are focused severely on restricting calories, finding balance and maintaining the new weight can be difficult which might cause dieters to create an imbalanced eating style and even develop eating disorders.
Lack of energy and metabolism slowdown. Lack of energy is a common side effect of dieting. Wonder why exercising is discouraged in some diet plans? A good guess would be that these diets offer too little energy to begin with due to their restrictions, so it becomes difficult to exercise. A decrease in the metabolic rate is also fairly likely as the body can go into starvation mode.
Long term heath risks. Aside from weight gain, there are a lot of other reasons why crash dieting should be discouraged. There are various studies that seem to pinpoint the fact that yo-yo dieting in teen years might increase the risk for serious illnesses such as osteoporosis later on. Even beauty related problems such as skin problems or hair loss can occur as a result of dieting.
Body issues and lack of confidence. While it is almost impossible not to be affected by the standards endorsed by the media today, dieting can make matters even worse. Because of deprivation that comes with some diets, the motivation levels can easily drop and a sense of powerlessness can sometimes settle in if the dieter sees these setbacks as a reflection of her own abilities. Plus, the constant preoccupation with food can also make one feel less at ease in social circumstances.
Credit: Thinkstock Photos
