The Dangers of Losing Weight Too Fast

Make no mistake about it – actively working to lose weight isn’t a cake walk. It’s tough. It requires motivation and effort. And, it’s particularly difficult when you go it alone. Options, like medically supervised weight loss, can help make the journey easier. With the support and guidance from a medical professional, healthy weight loss doesn’t have to be a go-it alone battle.

One of the main reasons to seek qualified professional help from one of our doctors, is to treat the underlying reason why you have weight gain in the first place — which helps to create a lifestyle that promotes ideal weight maintenance. It’s tempting to dream of dropping 20 pounds in a month before a big class reunion. Popular shows like The Biggest Loser tout the ability to drop 100+ pounds in just a few months.

Losing too much weight too fast can pose some significant threats to your overall health, which we can help you avoid. The solution to losing weight safely, is to listen to your body, evaluate what it needs, and determine what it can handle.

Good, safe and healthy diets are not one-size-fits-all. Because we’re not one-size-fits-all.

Yo-yo dieting has been a problem dieters have faced for ages. But it’s never been so pronounced and studied until researchers began following contestants from ‘The Biggest Loser’ – the popular reality television show highlighting obese individuals dropping serious pounds over a short period of time.

Ryan Benson, the first ‘Biggest Loser’ from 2004 season, dropped 122 pounds. Unfortunately, to achieve such extreme weight loss he was malnourished and began urinating blood – a sign of kidney damage, if not failure, reported in the New York Post, in 2015.

Benson’s experience is not abnormal. Most ‘Biggest Loser’ contestants have experienced not just a little weight gain after the show – but a lot. According to the New York Times, ‘Some [contestants] are even heavier now.’

Extreme Weight Loss Diets Can Slow Down Metabolism

Why are these supposed weight loss success stories such utter flops? Some suggest it’s just a lack of self-discipline and laziness. However, science suggests otherwise.

The 2016 study ‘Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after “The Biggest Loser” competition,’ published in the Wiley Online Library, reveals that rapid weight loss causes a massive slowdown to the metabolism. Further, it shows that when weight is regained, the metabolism doesn’t also increase, making it even more difficult for previously heavy individuals to keep the weight off.

Weight loss dangers aren’t just for ‘Biggest Loser’ contestants. Anyone trying to significantly speed up the weight loss process can experience:

• Hair Loss
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Constipation
• Menstrual Irregularities
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Depression
• Loose Skin
• Gallstones
• Liver Issues
• Cold Feet and Hands
• Difficulty Sleeping

Naturally Lose Weight: How Much Weight is it Safe to Lose in 1 Month?

As we said before, your weight loss journey is an incredibly personal experience. There is no one-size-fits-all to how much weight it is safe to lose in one month.

That being said, when it comes to healthy weight loss, it’s generally recommended you lose no more than two pounds per week – for an average of eight to 10 pounds a month.

For those who haven’t worked out much previously in their life, walking is often the best place to get started. Discover nine ways to incorporate more steps into your life.

Food journaling can be a great way to track how many calories you have eaten. Smartphone apps can make this food easier. For example, Lose It! allows you to create your own foods, look up common foods, scan barcodes, and find menu items from popular restaurants.

Tracking how much you workout can also be another helpful tool. Activity trackers (like FitBit, Garmin and Apple Watch) can monitor everything from steps taken and flights of stairs climbed to heart rate and percentage of day spent sedentary. Not only can this data help you identify areas where you could improve, it can provide motivation.

Consider joining one of the community challenges or setting a goal for yourself. You might also find it fun to compete against yourself, seeing if you can beat the previous step records or workout for a specific number of days in a row.

Hormone Imbalances Can Slow Metabolism

As we age, our hormones change. This is a natural occurrence, but it can be accompanied by some unwanted side effects (especially if the change is happening too fast). Among the many side effects of hormone imbalances is a slow down of the metabolism. 

In a 2023 research analysis, researchers found critical evidence that insulin and estrogen imbalances could substantially slow down the metabolism. 

While there are a variety of lifestyle changes that can help regulate hormones, many patients find these adjustments don’t provide the results they want. At Premier Integrative our naturopathic doctors work directly with patients to identify any imbalances (no matter how slight) and create a treatment plan that can help correct these imbalances.

Why Medically Supervised Weight Loss Helps You Lose Weight for Good

The problem a lot of dieters face is that they reach their goal weight and then go right back to their old routine. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need to make lifestyle changes you can sustain.

This means finding a diet that works for you. It means knowing that if you slip, you can recover. And, it means incorporating joy into your life. If your ‘new diet’ is miserable, you won’t stick with it.

But another huge part of weight loss success is making sure your body isn’t fighting against you. Hormone imbalances and vitamin deficiencies can hamper your ability to lose weight.

Our medically supervised weight loss program helps you identify any imbalances or deficiencies. Your naturopathic doctor will work closely with you to create meal plans and provide menu guidance to maximize your success.