Unhealthy Vs Healthy Weight Loss Methods

Illustration 3: Pills or Meals?

Obesity is currently a trend among the old, young, men and women, especially in developed countries. The lack of education with regards to health and proper nutrition is one of the causes of obesity. Also, with the ease of getting our food ready within minutes from shops and stalls situated at every corner of the street, it would require an extraordinary amount of willpower to control our food intake. 

Alongside the increase in the number of obese people, the popularity of weight management and weight loss programmes are also increasing. With such a great market base for a lucrative business in the weight management and weight loss industry, we would undeniably be excessively exposed to the different types and methods for weight loss and weight management by a myriad of companies.

Our task now, is to unravel the types of methods used in some of the programmes and to question their effectiveness and safety for our consumption. 

Here, we have the common unhealthy ways to shed off those extra kilos.

1. No calorie diet. 

Illustration 4: Low-Calorie Diet

Our bodies need fat, especially healthy fats to burn the unwanted fats. Sadly, the zero-calorie trend is one of the most popular, leasing people to consume artificial sweeteners in the name of health and losing weight. Also, diet cokes can actually make you gain more weight.

2. Drugs and pills

Illustration 5: Diet Pill

We all know that there is no magic pill that will make you lose weight drastically overnight. Illicit and legal drugs have been used for weight loss for years. Drugs like cocaine are also often used as a quick fix for weight loss. What is common to all drugs is that when they are discontinued, the body no longer receives the effects of the drug. The consumer will also suffer from the side effects of the drug (e.g. severely damaging your heart and brain). The effect of discontinuing the drugs can lead to withdrawal symptoms and most likely regaining the weight lost while taking the drug. 

3. Fad diets

Illustration 6: Fad diets

Ever heard of weight loss or weight management programmes that restrict your diet to only certain types of food? There are a few programmes out there that promise guaranteed weight loss just by drinking meal replacement shakes everyday for at least 2 meals, or drinking just cabbage soup for a week  or to undergo the tapeworm diet. The consumers of these programmes would definitely lose weight, but they do so unhealthily. When they are off the diet, they would gain back those kilos as fast as they had lost them, resulting in a yo-yo weight loss effect.

4. Laxatives

Illustration 7: Laxatives

Laxatives are foods, compounds, drugs or supplements which induce bowel movements or loosen the stool. They come in the form of pills, powders suppositories and teas. Excessive use of laxatives in weight loss is not a new concept. Some people have been led on to believe that by detoxing and churning out excessive waste from the body means losing weight faster. In actual fact, continuous use will weaken your digestive system and can cause abdomen related complications. Short-term problems associated with laxative abuse include dehydration and hemorrhoids. Long term effects include intestinal paralysis, renal failure, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and even pancreatitis. 

5. Saunas and sweatsuits 

Illustration 8: Melt all those fats away in saunas

Saunas have been used for many years as a weight loss method. The weight lost by using saunas is entirely water weight. Saunas or sweat suits can cause deadly problems. The least dangerous effects of dehydration and increased body temperature can both become deadly if they get out of control. One extreme example of unhealthy ways to lose weight was a high school wrestler who used multiple unhealthy ways to lose weight in preparation for a wrestling meet. He took the dangerous diet supplement ephedrine while he ran stadium steps in a sweat suit in order to make weight for the next day’s competition. He was found dead the next day. Even though he had been dead for over 8 hours, his body temperature was still over 100 degrees.

As you can see, well-known weight loss methods might not be the safest and healthiest way to lose weight. We should take into consideration our daily nutritional needs as well. There are healthy ways to lose weight such as eating the right proportion of the different food groups, regular exercise, and a good night's sleep. Sometimes, the simplest and most natural method works well and is safer in the long run.

If you are interested to know more about weight management and how to start, you can contact us!

What Are We Losing When We Lose Weight?

"Losing weight" is a term that has been widely misused by many. What does "losing weight" actually means? There are a lot of substance in our body and all of them contribute to our overall weight. In order to lose weight, it is important to know which "substance" in our body we are losing.

Hence, losing weight can mean:

1. Losing muscle mass. Muscles are important in helping us do work, move around and play. Muscles also help us to burn off energy and fats in our body. If you lose your muscle mass, then there wouldn't be enough muscles to help you burn off those fats, isn't it?


2. Losing water. Have you been going to saunas to sweat it all out? Yes you do lose weight, but all that you are losing is just water. This weight can be gained back when you drink water, causing a yo-yo weight loss effect. Losing too much water too fast and too often will leave you dehydrated and can even be fatal.
    
3. Losing large amounts of stool. Some may know this type of process as "detoxification. Detox (short for detoxification) diets are extreme weight loss diet plans that claim to flush toxic chemicals from your body. Some people turn to laxatives to detox as well. This will disrupt the digestive system and can cause abdomen related complications. Short-term problems associated with laxative abuse include dehydration and hemorrhoids. Long term effects include intestinal paralysis, renal failure, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and even pancreatitis.


4. Losing fats. Of course, losing fats (especially visceral fats) is the most ideal and healthiest way to lose weight. Unwanted fats are harmful to our body and that should be the main target for effective weight loss. 

With the connotations of weight loss listed above, which one do you think you are losing? If you are unsure, we are here to provide a detailed health analysis for you with our in-house consultants. 

Visit us at http://www.facebook.com/RechargeWithZ.




Next article: Unhealthy vs Healthy weight loss methods

Visceral Fats? What's that?

Illustration 1. Visceral Fats surrounding the organs

Have you heard of visceral fats before? They are the internal fatty tissue which surrounds the vital organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas. Visceral fats accumulate actively in an inactive body and they will increase your risk of getting health problems which might prove fatal.

Other than accumulating around the vital organs in our tummy, visceral fats can also inhibit the functioning of vital organs. This toxic fat is known to release dangerous levels of chemicals (including hormones) into the body. As such, excess toxic fat can lead to health problems namely: heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers (including cancers of the oesophagus, pancreas, bowel and breast). 

Illustration 2. Statistics of obese people in Singapore

The rate of overweight and obese people in Singapore (and possibly all over the world) are increasing as years go by. This is due to the availability of food, typically fast food and junk food, in almost every corner of the street. 

There are methods to reduce and limit the accumulation of visceral fats in your tummy for example, exercising well and having proper meals and nutrition. If you are looking into weight loss programmes, ensure that you do a research beforehand on what you will actually lose throughout the programme. 

Next article: What are we losing when we lose weight?

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