The Dangers of Losing Weight Too Quickly

Weight loss is a journey that requires commitment to both diet and exercise. Social media is often filled with stories of drastic weight loss, but attempting to lose a lot of weight in a short period comes with significant risks.

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Fitness coach Raj Ganpath explains the key factors to consider before aiming for rapid weight loss.

1. It Requires a Huge Calorie Deficit

To lose 10 kilos of fat, you need to create a total calorie deficit of about 77,000 calories. If you aim to do this in just two months, that means cutting or burning around 1,300 calories every single day.

As Ganpath explains, if you normally maintain your weight by eating 2,000 calories, you would need to drop your intake to just 700 calories.

This is neither easy nor sustainable. The alternative is to drastically increase your exercise, which is also incredibly demanding.

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2. You Will Lose Significant Muscle

When you lose weight rapidly (around 1 to 1.5 kilos per week), you don't just lose fat. "You will actually be losing a significant amount of muscle," Ganpath says.

"In fact, about 30 to 50 percent of your weight loss will be muscle loss."

Losing muscle slows down your metabolism, which makes it harder to continue losing weight and easier to regain it later.

It also leads to decreased strength, fatigue, weakness, and can interfere with your body's ability to regulate blood sugar.

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3. It's Hard to Regain Lost Muscle

While most people who lose weight quickly tend to regain it, they don't regain the muscle they lost. "You will gain all the fat back and then some more," Ganpath warns.

"So, at the end of losing weight and gaining weight, you're actually more fat and less muscle than when you started, and that is not a good place to be."

4. The Pace of Weight Loss Is What Matters

These negative consequences are a result of the rate at which you lose weight, not the method.

"These first three things I spoke about, they apply irrespective of how you lose the weight," says Ganpath.

Whether it's through a crash diet, excessive exercise, or even weight loss drugs, losing weight too fast will lead to these problems.

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The Better Approach: Slow and Steady

For sustainable and healthy results, Ganpath recommends taking a slower approach. "Lose your 10 kilos, but try to lose it over six to ten months," he advises.

This means aiming to lose just one to one-and-a-half kilos per month, which requires a much more manageable daily calorie deficit of 250 to 400 calories.

This slower pace is more sustainable in the long term and helps prevent muscle loss.

"Because you're taking your time, you will give your body time to adapt. You will give yourself time to build habits," he says. This makes you far less likely to regain the weight you worked so hard to lose.

Source: timesofindia

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