6 things you do to your body with a crash diet

 Those who do a crash diet want to lose as many kilos as possible in the shortest possible time and choose to drastically limit their food intake temporarily. Savings are mainly on carbohydrates and fats. This form of dieting is often accompanied by a vigorous sports program – for even faster success. Thus, the body is forced to obtain energy from its own fat reserves. 

So much for the theory behind all “5 pounds in 5 days” diets. In practice, this weight loss method can seriously affect your body and mind. Here's what happens behind the scenes when you're on a crash diet:

#1 A nutrient deficiency is harmful to many bodily functions

In order for all processes to run smoothly, your body depends on nutrients, most of which you get from your diet. Macronutrients form the basis of a healthy diet and should be consumed in the right proportion: these are proteins (10-20%), fats (20-30%) and carbohydrates (50-60%). The guideline values ​​may vary. If you are working on muscle building, for example, you have a diet with more proteins and carbohydrates. But whether you're a bodybuilder or runner, or if you prefer not to exercise, your body always needs all three components.

A balanced diet also contains micronutrients, which are vitamins, minerals, trace elements and amino acids. Unlike macronutrients, they do not provide energy but are responsible for many bodily functions, such as your muscles, nerves and immune system.

 

If you do a crash diet, you miss out on important macro and micronutrients. You can run into a nutrient deficiency in that short time. As a result, your body, including your immune system, is only working "on the back burner" and you go into a kind of survival mode.

Here are some of the possible consequences of a nutrient deficiency:

• Increased risk of getting sick

• Dry skin and/or rash

• hair loss

• Brittle hair and brittle nails

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Concentration problems

• Decreased libido

A diet should always contain all-important macro and micronutrients. In the best-case scenario, you have a balanced and varied diet – with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, protein-rich foods and unsaturated fats. For more practical tips, check out our free diet plan for healthy weight loss .

#2 Your body loses moisture

If you are in a calorie deficit, you burn more energy than you take in. Your body is forced to use up its own energy reserves. First of all, it uses glycogen for this. Simply put the carbohydrate stores in your liver and muscles. Glycogen's job is to provide energy in the short and medium-term and to regulate your blood sugar level.

Here's how it works: Each gram of glycogen retains nearly three times that amount of fluid. You've probably heard that an adult is made up of about 70% water. Your scale can therefore give a distorted picture, especially at the beginning of a crash diet: you do not lose excess fat, you only lose moisture by depleting your glycogen stock.

#3 Your body builds muscle mass

After your body has used up its carbohydrate stores, it's your muscles' turn. They consume the most energy, which your body now needs elsewhere. During a crash diet, most people not only save on carbohydrates and fats but also neglect proteins. These are the basic building blocks of your muscles and they are responsible for building and repairing body cells, among other things. So your body needs protein. And if it can't get these from your diet, your body has no choice but to use the proteins from your muscles.

Researchers from Maastricht University compared the consequences of a crash diet with those of a moderate weight loss method. One group ate 500 kcal per day for twelve weeks, while the second half of the participants ate 1,250 kcal. At the end of the experiment, all subjects had lost an average of 9 kilograms. 20 per cent of this was pure muscle mass in the crash diet group. In the control group, this was only 8 per cent.

A crash diet can therefore ensure that you lose muscle mass. This also increases the chance that you will become physically weaker, and the risk of injuries increases.

If you want to lose weight, you should always consume enough protein in addition to carbohydrates and fats.

#4 A crash diet slows down your metabolism

If your body doesn't get enough nutrients, it reacts with plan B: all metabolic processes are slowed down. Your digestion comes to a halt and your muscles are broken down. A smart move by your body, because this way your energy needs are limited.

This is how your body adapts to the lack of nutrients: it now needs less energy than before you were on a diet. Your basal metabolism drops and with it the target calorie deficit. After the first "successful" phase of a crash diet, the progress of weight loss stagnates for many people.

And when you go back to eating “normally” at some point, the excess calories are immediately stored as a kind of emergency reserve — especially in the form of belly fat, as research has shown.

The well-known yo-yo effect often occurs as a result of a crash diet. These peaks and troughs in pounds can lead to weight gain and a higher fat percentage in the long run.

As part of a study, subjects who did a crash diet at the beginning and again after a year were weighed again: they had regained between 30 and 65 per cent of their lost weight. In another study, a third of the subjects even weighed more than before the diet.

#5 Your hormones are out of balance

Going on a crash diet for an extended period of time can throw your hormones out of balance. Hormones are messenger substances in your body that influence, among other things, when you are hungry and full, your menstrual cycle, your mood, sexual behaviour and your energy and fluid balance. Hormones are produced in several of the so-called endocrine glands, including your thyroid, pancreas, pituitary gland, and your adrenal glands. For the release of the hormones to work properly, your body needs nutrients. Vitamins, minerals and trace elements are essential to keep your hormones in balance.

Crash diets often lead to a lack of nutrients and as a result, hormones can no longer be produced sufficiently. Or the opposite happens: too much is released of certain messenger substances.

For example, after weight loss or a longer period without food, the ghrelin level in your blood rises. Ghrelin is known as an appetite-stimulating hormone and as such regulates your hunger and feeling of satiety. An excess of this neurotransmitter can leave you feeling hungry all the time and having difficulty controlling your appetite. Uncontrollable binge eating in combination with a reduced-calorie requirement is also a possible reason for the annoying yo-yo effect after a crash diet.

A drastic diet can also increase your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone. When there is too much cortisol, your body goes into survival mode. Various bodily functions are then of minor importance for the time being. As a result, you may suffer from sleep disturbances, decreased performance, fat deposits and possibly water retention.

In addition, other hormones are also affected by an unbalanced diet. This can potentially lead to menstrual disorders, mood swings, fatigue and skin problems.

#6 A crash diet is mental stress

Radical crash diets don't just mean pure stress to your body: after all, it fights for survival. An extreme change in your diet can also have psychological consequences. You have to constantly forbid yourself to eat, even if you have a big appetite and are just really hungry. A dinner party with friends quickly turns into torture. And besides, counting calories continuously also costs time and energy. This can cause a lot of stress.

A crash diet also suggests a division of foods into “good” and “bad”. Your self-image can suffer: for example, if you eat “bad chocolate” contrary to strict rules, you may automatically feel bad. In the long run, these kinds of evaluations can also lead to self-sabotage in other areas of your life.

 

 

Prohibition and control also entail the risk that after the diet you go into overdrive and consume certain foods in abundance – “because it's allowed again!”. This can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food that fluctuates between not eating and overeating.

A crash diet may make the pounds fly off, but it certainly won't lead to success in the long run – so you won't be slim in the long run, but you won't be satisfied either.

conclusion

• Crash diets are designed to lose as much weight as possible as quickly as possible. For this, you have to radically limit your food intake.

• In most cases, a high-calorie deficit leads to a lack of nutrients, which can weaken your immune system and disrupt your hormones, among other things.

• Rapid weight loss through a crash diet is due to the fact that your body loses a lot of fluids and breaks down the muscle mass in the beginning.

• A crash diet slows down your metabolism and lowers your calorie requirement.

• A crash diet also carries a high risk of a yo-yo effect and while it can help you lose weight in the short term, there is a good chance that a crash diet will lead to weight gain in the long term.

• Crash diets cause physical and emotional stress, which can affect your health and mental well-being.