This is what happens when you go on a diet on your own

This is what happens when you go on a diet on your own

Nutrition

Losing muscle mass, putting both intestinal and mental health at risk and risking nutritional deficiencies are some of the consequences of trying to lose weight without consulting a professional

In all likelihood, and almost without fear of being wrong, I would venture to say that most of us have at some point started a diet on our own to lose weight. And maybe we have succeeded for a while but the most certain is that afterwards we have abandoned it and we have recovered everything we lost. This happens due to not having a clear and defined strategy, but also due to not knowing how to act after reaching the desired weight.

Each person is different, with specific needs that must be set according to their anthropometry and their objectives. We must propose a medium-long-term approach, where we integrate new habits when it comes to feeding and nurturing ourselves, which we can develop forever and guided, if possible, by a professional. Going on a free diet is not a good idea and can harm our health. Let’s see what the consequences can be …

1. We do not know how to continue in case of stagnation

There will come a time, almost certainly, when our weight stagnates and we do not know how to proceed. That point is very dangerous, since we can incur a caloric deficit too high, with all that this can entail: from nutritional deficiencies to developing an eating disorder, frustration, fear of food, etc.

2. We consume few calories

Simply by pure ignorance of the food strategy that we must apply, we may have started a diet that is too drastic, being so deficient at the energy level, that it is not sustainable over time. This will make us very fatigued, will affect the rest and it will cause us to abandon it quickly.

3. Unnecessary restriction of certain foods

This point is very important. The restriction of certain foods due to ignorance, can lead to serious nutritional deficits, some of them being negative for our health. Normally, carbohydrates and fats tend to drop alarmingly. Above all, when it comes to fats, special care must be taken. These are an essential macronutrient that intervenes in the proper functioning of various physiological processes in our body and is especially important for women. A very marked deficit in fat intake It directly affects the female hormonal system, causing important pathologies that, in turn, can lead to undesirable consequences for health.

On the other hand, the consumption of fats is essential to keep the cholesterol. Without healthy fats we cannot keep our cells healthy or synthesize vitamin D, which has a direct impact on bone mineral density, among many other processes.

4. We do not know if we are nourishing ourselves correctly

We do not know if we are meeting the necessary macro and micronutrient requirements. This point goes hand in hand with the previous point, since the restriction of certain foods due to ignorance leads to nutritional deficiencies. There are certain vitamins that play leading roles in our physiology, such as those of group B, with direct action on metabolism. Or antioxidants, so essential in the capture of free radicals, which generate damage at the cellular level.

5. The rebound effect is guaranteed and that leads us to a vicious circle

This point would be the least dangerous of all that we have commented previously, but it is important to know that what goes quickly, quickly returns. If we want to get something durable and guarantee that the weight we lose comes from fat, it is necessary to know that it takes time and that, at a physiological level, fat loss occurs more slowly. If we go on a very low-calorie “fast” diet, most of the weight loss we experience comes from body fluids.

6. Loss of muscle mass

A characteristic feature when starting a free diet from ignorance, is usually ingesting a tiny amount of protein, being very characteristic to have a tea with fruit for breakfast, eat vegetables with an omelette or have yogurt for dinner. We know that proteins are directly involved in the formation and restoration of new tissues in our body, including muscle mass. Regardless of whether we are athletes or not, our body needs this essential macronutrient (it cannot synthesize it by itself) to build and repair itself, a process that occurs every day. If we do not ingest enough protein through food, the body, in order to survive, will use the muscle proteins themselves, with the consequent loss of muscle mass, atrophy, appearance of injuries, decreased basal metabolism, etc. Preserving muscle mass in good condition, is synonymous with health and balance, do not underestimate it and do not associate it only with athletes, it is essential and important for the entire population.

7. Imbalance in gut health

If our intestine stops receiving certain nutrients, it will no longer be in balance, which can lead to digestive dysfunctions of all kinds and some of them can be difficult to solve.

8. Effects on mental health

A weight loss plan taken to the extreme will have a very direct impact on our mood, compromising our mental and emotional stability.

As you can see, what may seem like an innocent diet to lose a few kilos (which we are also going to quickly recover later), can lead to a cascade of imbalances in the functioning of the body. In physiology, no process occurs in isolation or for its own sake, rather it is a system made up of different functions, perfectly ordered, where if one link in the chain breaks, it will affect the entire chain.

About the author: Raquel Capel is a sports and clinical dietitian-nutritionist, responsible for Nutrition of the Vikika Team, as well as a personal trainer.