How many people do you know that crash diet like a yo-yo yearning to spin to the top, only to spiral down again? Attention crash and fad dieters…it’s time to stop the madness. Repetitive crash dieting has serious health consequences and can be detrimental in the long run.

Over the decades, we have been exposed to a plenitude of “crash diets”. From the latest juicing craze to the original Master Cleanse of water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Seriously…who designed that one? Aunt Jemima – we are on to you and your marketing ploys.

Why crash diets don’t work
Research has repetitively shown that rapid weight loss can:

• Slow your metabolism (no wonder you gain the weight back so quickly!)
• Deprive your body of essential nutrients
• Weaken your immune system
• Increase your risk of dehydration
• Lead to heart muscle loss & loss of tissue in your liver, kidneys, brain and other organs
• Damage your blood vessels (the shrinking and growing causes micro tears that lead to disease)
• Increase heart palpitations and cardiac stress
• Increase your risk of heart attack
• Lead to osteoporosis
• Almost guarantee you will gain back all the weight you lost after you go off the “diet”

Now here’s the science
For one, our bodies do not need help eliminating waste. Truth. That’s what you have a liver for.

Once you start your new diet, your body starts to go into starvation mode. Your body will lose weight quickly, but not lose any fat. You are actually losing your body’s stored carbohydrate glycogen…and your water supply. Both of which make you think you are losing a lot of weight.

Your metabolism quickly slows down and you become irritable, tired and lethargic from the lack of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. You become hungrier and your body begins to break down muscle for energy.

When you start eating again, your body works to ensure you regain not only the fat you lost, but some extra fat to protect you from future starvation. It can take months to years for your body to readjust. Crash dieting can easily become a never-ending cycle of rapid weight loss followed by rapid weight gain.

Shh…We are about to reveal a huge secret
How do you maintain your weight for years and stop being married to the scale? Practice a healthy, non-processed balanced diet and regular exercise routine. No crash diet can speed up your metabolism. Only exercise can.  There. We let the cat out of the box.

D-I-E-T is a four letter word that should be eliminated from your life.  Make healthy eating and exercising part of a daily lifestyle and something you actually enjoy – not depriving yourself repeatedly and temporarily until you are forced to binge out of pure withdrawal. As my father always said, everything in moderation.

Think of all the time, energy and money you will save if you stop scrutinizing over your next weight loss scheme and live your life without obsessing over what you will eat (or not eat) tomorrow.

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