Metabolic and Mental Health
Five Reasons to Make Weight Loss Slow and Gradual
I outline the potential risks of losing weight quickly using rapid weight loss protocols with an extreme caloric deficit.
Firstly, weight loss and fat loss are two different concepts. The primary difference is the content of weight.
In fat loss, the body mobilizes and burns fat molecules. It requires the body to adapt by creating the biochemicals needed for the process.
In weight loss, the body flushes fluids and might burn amino acids from muscles, causing muscle loss.
So as I keep highlighting, burning stored fat as an energy source is metabolically healthier and more sustainable than losing weight rapidly.
However, there might be exceptions for some people to lose weight quickly due to medical conditions with supervision by qualified healthcare professionals.
While the body loses weight quickly, it temporarily fails to balance.
The body stringently maintains homeostasis as the primary survival mechanism. As I introduced in a previous article, health revolves around homeostasis.
In addition, behavior interventions and modifications play a role in weight management. For example, awareness of problematic behavior, such as emotional triggers, in a diet plan is essential.
Therefore, a support system can contribute to positive behavioral modifications.
In my experience, fat loss is a kind of trade-off between comfort and desired results. Without challenging our comfort, losing fat can be impossible unless medical procedures remove the fat.
But even a medical operation brings discomfort to the body as it needs to heal after the surgery.
In my perspective, the ideal position to lose fat effectively is to enter the fat-adapted state. This requires some fundamentals in place before starting a program.
The optimal strategy allows the body to naturally adapt to chemical changes to initiate fat loss.
In the subsequent sections, I present five reasons we should not lose weight too quickly using extreme caloric deficit.
Here are five compelling reasons to lose fat slowly and progressively.
1 — To Prevent Muscle Loss
The risk of losing muscle during rapid weight loss programs is well-documented in the literature.
Quick weight loss programs use the caloric deficit model, primarily limiting food intake such as under 1,000 calories and increasing exercise, usually cardio form.
From my experience and observations of other people who tried this risky protocol, this approach looks hazardous for metabolism.
The body has to sacrifice muscle, the most precious organ for our health and longevity, to maintain the energy balance.
In my experience, to lose fat gradually and steadily, we need to make the body fat adapted. This adaptation process requires the body to prepare the necessary biochemicals to balance the energy.
One proven way to adapt the body fat is by performing a time-restricted eating regimen without cutting calories too much or sacrificing essential nutrients.
We know that insulin sensitivity, leptin sensitivity, reduced cortisol, and increased growth hormone can protect muscles by improving metabolism.
Thus, this steady approach can burn more fat than glucose and amino acids.
Finally, let’s keep in mind that our metabolism slows down more when we lose muscles, making weight loss more difficult.
2 — To Prevent Nutrition Deficiencies
As I mentioned before, weight loss and fat loss are different. When we lose weight by an excess calorie deficit, the first body attempts to consume glycogen stores from muscle and liver cells.
Glycogen is the stored form of glucose. It consists of connected glucose molecules. When the body consumes glycogen stores, it also reduces fluids.
This 2015 study demonstrated that “each gram of glycogen is stored in human muscle with at least three grams of water.”
Fluids holding minerals and amino acids are required to balance biochemicals. So, my point is fluids keep essential nutrients such as electrolytes.
In addition, when we reduce calories to under 1,000 daily, the risk of missing out on crucial nutrients such as essential minerals, amino acids, and fats is too high. Nutritional deficiency can cause fatigue and diminish immune functions.
However, increasing calories, such as eating a nutritious 1,500-calorie meal in a time-restricted manner, might reduce this risk and provide additional hormonal benefits, as I mentioned in the previous section.
3 — To keep the Metabolism Active
The body has a built-in mechanism to sense starvation. If the body receives starvation signals, it automatically slows down the metabolism to preserve energy.
Rapid weight loss diets cutting calories too much with less food and more exercise can create starvation signals.
Ironically, some quick weight loss protocols recommend less than 1,000 calories in three meals and three snacks, causing the insulin to rise and leading to insulin resistance.
They think that frequent eating speeds up metabolism.
Digestion might increase the metabolism rate slightly, but the body will have difficulty tapping into fat stores in the presence of insulin.
Instead, it will quickly burn the calories from food and then attempt to consume amino acids from the muscles, further slowing down metabolism.
However, using a time-restricted eating protocol when we provide the body with required calories but consuming them in a specific window does not create starvation signals, so it will not slow down metabolism.
For example, growth hormone, which rises during the fasted window, will prevent muscle loss. Besides, the body gets more fat-adapted, increasing the chance of using stored fat as energy.
4 — To Prevent Gallstones
When we are on low-calorie diets for rapid weight loss, the liver releases extra cholesterol into the bile.
This chemical imbalance due to caloric deficit might also prevent the gallbladder from unclogging correctly.
Gallstones are hard crystalline masses formed in the gall bladder, causing blockage of the bile duct. I never had one, but I heard that they might cause severe pain affecting one’s mental health.
This paper in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology points out that “the prevalence of cholesterol gallstones is increased in obese persons. The risk is especially high in those with the highest body mass index.”
The paper also mentions that “Weight loss further increases the risk of gallstones: the prevalence of new gallstones reaches 10–12% after 8–16 weeks of a low-calorie diet and more than 30% within 12–18 months after gastric bypass surgery.”
5 — To Prevent Mental and Emotional Impact
I left this point to the last, as rapid weight loss can significantly affect our mental health. Metabolic and mental health are tightly related as the body and mind are connected.
During rapid weight loss, hormones and neurotransmitters change, causing risks of mental health conditions.
In addition, our behavior significantly affects our metabolic health. Since the 1970s, numerous studies have focussed on behavior modification in treating obesity.
One of the behavior patterns is mood effects in losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight. Our mood plays a crucial role in losing weight, especially for obese people with emotional eating problems.
In addition, people with low moods struggle to maintain a healthy weight due to emotional attachment to food. Since metabolism is dented during rapid weight loss programs, people quickly get back the weight they lost or gain more later.
It is relatively minor, but after quick weight loss, people end up with too much loose skin, affecting their mental health.
Eliminating loose skin can be very challenging. As I mentioned in this story, it took me a decade to eliminate hanging skin in the belly. It is difficult but possible with time and effort.
Conclusions and Takeaways
We need to understand the difference between weight and fat loss. Our goal is to reduce visceral fat steadily and maintain a healthy weight to support our metabolism and mental health. Turning white fat to brown fat is an option.
Unless there are underlying medical conditions, healthy lifestyle habits are the best approach to losing fat and maintaining a healthy weight.
Rapid weight loss through excessive calorie-cutting might dent our metabolism, cause muscle loss, create a nutritional deficiency, induce gallstones, and adversely affect our mental health.
As for takeaways for sustainable fat loss and healthy weight management, we may consider the following points:
1 — Create a customized diet with the help of dieticians or nutritionists.
2 — Create a personalized workout regime focusing on adequate resistance training and supplementing cardio moderately.
3 — Consider time-restricted eating, skipping a meal gradually, and reducing snacks.
4 — Reduce stress by improving sleep quality and resting adequately.
5 — Create meaningful connections and seek help when needed.
Here’s How I Got Healthier and Smoother Skin via 5 Lifestyle and Holistic Health Methods.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.
Petechiae, ALS, Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorders, Anemia, Dysautonomia, cardiac output, and urinary track disorders.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients.
Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.
Sample Humorous Stories
Finally, After Burning Her House, Georgia Found Enlightenment
Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling
8 Psychological Points I Had to Unlearn and Relearn the Opposite
Based on my writing experience and observations, I documented findings and strategies that might help you amplify your voice, engage your audience, and achieve your desired outcomes in your writing journey.
I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on cellular, mitochondrial, metabolic, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.
You might join my six publications on Medium as a writer by sending a request via this link. 22K writers contribute to my publications. You might find more information about my professional background.
As a writer, blogger, content developer, and reader, you might join Medium, Vocal Media, NewsBreak, Medium Writing Superstars, Writing Paychecks, WordPress, Cliqly, and Thinkers360 with my referral links. These affiliate links will not cost you extra to join the services.
