With wedding season finally upon us, many brides want to lose weight for the big day. However, popular crash diets can actually be harmful for your health.
Extreme diets are used by many women to get in shape quickly by reducing calorie intake, but these methods are rarely successful in the long run.
This can involve replacing meals with light soups and vegetables, skipping meals or starving through the day – usually surviving on 600 to 800 calories.
Dietician Helen Bond has warned brides that crash diets can be detrimental to your health, she said: “Quite simply, crash diets are bad news. They are nutritionally unbalanced and can lead to long-term poor physical and mental health.
“Such severe restrictions on food and calorie intake aren’t sustainable, so it’s not long before people revert back to the eating behaviours that made them put weight on in the first place.”
She added: “Extreme hunger means we can end up overeating when we finally do eat – and often choose less healthy foods – and the pounds start to pile back on.”
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Dr Julianne Barry, General Practitioner at London Doctors Clinic has urged women to adopt healthy weight loss methods, including exercise and clean eating, as crash diets can jeopardise your wedding day.
Here are five reasons you should avoid crash diets before the big day:
Feeling tired and irritable
Heavy calorie restrictions will cause your energy levels to be low, alongside blood sugar levels too.
Coupled with hormone imbalance, this can leave you feeling irritable, anxious, and sluggish.
Most of the weight lost from crash diets comes from the reduction of glycogen and water stores in the body, which can result in the loss of energy, making you feel fatigued.
Dr Julianne Barry told Cosmopolitan UK: "Fad diets can trigger the release of corticosterone from the brain, which predisposes us to heightened stress levels, irritability and risk of depression.
“You may also experience poor concentration and disturbed sleep which can lead to fatigue," she adds.
Extreme dieting can lead to stress, which can cause skin breakouts such as pimples, eczema, rashes and psoriasis, leading to a lack of confidence on your wedding day.
It can also increase the stress hormone cortisol, which increases water retention – causing more frustration as weight can be reluctant to shift.
Depriving body of essential nutrients
Poor nutrition can lead to a host of other deficiencies, including iron, Vitamin B-complex and B-12, all of which can impact your immunity.
The emotional toll of crash diets can also cause stress and reduce your body’s immune response, making you more susceptible to becoming unwell.
Dr Julianne said: "If you cut out all fatty foods from your diet, absorbing fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K may prove problematic.
"These vitamins are necessary as they help to support your immune system, so lacking in them could cause future issues."
Limiting vital vitamins and nutrients may have a negative impact on your physical appearance, leaving your skin feeling dry and you could experience an acne breakout.
Similarly, the lack of nourishment may also be reflected in your hair, causing it to look lacklustre and prone to falling out.
Bowel problems
Tummy trouble can cause serious problems and discomfort on your wedding day.
Crash diets can lead to irregular or inconsistent bowel movement due to a lack in nutrients.
The consistency of your stool can inform you whether your diet is healthy, explains Dr Julianne.
She added: "If it is either too runny or very difficult to pass, it is a sign that you should make a dietary change.
"If you are worried be sure to contact your GP."
Dehydration
Juicing diets lead to rapid weight loss as you’re losing water weight, but this is not ideal for long term weight goals.
Dr Julianne said: "Glycogen stores, which are a source of energy that binds water, are depleted faster than the fat cells releasing the water. So, when you start eating again, your body will replenish glycogen and water stores and weight gain follows.
"You run the risk of dehydration as a result, which can manifest with a headache and dizziness."
You'll regain the weight
A high metabolism can help you lose weight, but crash diets can actually reduce your metabolic rate.
The doctor explained: "Muscle breakdown is much greater with extreme dieting, rather than a steady prolonged approach.
“Less muscle reduces your metabolic rate, which is the number of calories you burn while resting and can ultimately result in weight gain later on.”
When you go back to normal eating, your body will put on weight very quickly and a low metabolic rate may cause you to gain more weight than before.
Alternatives to crash diets
Your wedding weight goals are more likely to be achieved with long-term lifestyle changes, including a nutritious and balanced diet.
Dr Julianne has advised some healthy alternatives to crash dieting, these include:
Reduce sugary and processed food intake
Include more lean protein in your diet
Reduce stress levels
Aim for 10,000 steps per day
150 minutes of moderately intense exercise per week, including resistance training
Reduce alcohol intake
A diet rich in fruit, vegetables and nuts, pulses and whole grains
Avoid foods that contain trans fats and choose healthy fats
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