There are an endless number of diets to lose weight. However, practicing them could be fatal

We are in the countdown to end this year, which means celebrating the holidays with family, friends, and food. As a result, it is common to gain weight during the holiday season. The Horror! For sure, one of my resolutions for next year will be, again, to lose weight.

Who hasn’t done the vanilla ice cream diet, or the one about the cabbage soup, or even the Moon’s diet? Those were very popular in the 90’s. Apparently, they have the right justification about why they are going to help you lose weight. However, at least in my case, although they were not lethal, they ended up being myths because I gained weight.

There is no doubt, some diets have detox benefits when you eat dishes or drinks with one or two ingredients. Nevertheless, without knowing it, or without medical guidance, you can stress your body too much. Therefore, the results you are looking for could be farther than what you wish. Thus, it can be translated in a myth to lose weight that can be fatal.

When you start one of these lightning diets, you will lose weight rapidly and effectively. However, it is not only normal to recover the lost weight but to double the pounds you lost. You have a very high risk to pig-out whatever you can find in front of you. Furthermore, in cases where diets are taken beyond its original purposes, they can be fatal due to the damages human body experiences.

There are situations where people will not stop having cravings and the loss of good cholesterol can be significant. On the other hand, dieting can mean not consuming enough nutrients and vitamins to our body keep working. The number of calories some diets have is way too low for what our body needs to just work properly.

For sure, people won’t experience damages immediately but in the long term their bodies will star manifesting the consequences. If these types of diets are not performed permanently resulting conditions will have a minor impact.

 In fact, there are religions which promote fasting to purify body and soul; nonetheless, they last just a few days, since they do not have the nutriments needed for a person. By doing this frequently, the body receives confusing signals that cause damages. In some cases, diets reach a point where they are deathly for those who practice them.

An example of a lethal diet is the one based on only eating fat. The diet consists on only eating food without carbohydrates and ingesting exclusively proteins and fat. In this case, the insulin, which is in charge of controlling sugar in our blood, let the enzymes in charge of fat oxidation to work free.

One more time, you will lose weight, but you are also going to lose muscle tissue. The glucose level, which is vital for our correct function, will drop automatically. Consequently, you will experience fatigue, dizziness, and problems to get deep sleep.

Human body is a perfect machine, which adapts to whatever you give to it, healthy or lethal. In the mornings, when it requires more energy, it is the best time to eat food rich in carbohydrates like grains, fruits and cereals, even refined.  And in the afternoon, where your metabolism becomes slower, try to reduce the amount of carbohydrates. But sodas and junk food, are out of the table. Do some exercise and little by little start losing weight.

Remember, your body will be with you until your last day on Earth, so don’t fall IGNORE INTO myths to lose weight that can be lethal.

LatinAmerican Post | Gabriela Gallardo

Copy edited by Marcela Peñaloza