What is crash diet?

Let’s start the article with clarifying what a crash diet actually means. In simple words it’s a diet with very restricted, low calorie intake. Most people on a crash diet consume about 1000 calories and are very pleased with the initial effect. The weight and measurements go down rapidly, you think you’ll achieve a dream body in a few months, but after a few days or weeks the disappointment kicks in.

You realize, that the weight you lost is mainly water, your muscles look flat, because you have depleted glycogen from them and the fat you wanted to get rid of is still there. You are always hungry and miserable. You cannot sleep and the only thing you can think about is food. That’s the moment, when you cannot carry on any longer and you break. You eat like there would be no tomorrow, because you try to compensate all the food you rejected during the diet. As a consequence your weight increases much higher then what you initially started with. This weight re-cycling is called the ‘Yo-Yo’ effect and is very common for people trying to lose weight without the help of specialists.

Crash diet and weight loss

Going back to the title of the article, do crash diets work? No, they do not. Mainly, because they are not maintainable in the long run. No one can adhere to a diet which consists of 1000 calories a day. One will crave for food so much, start cheating and regain all the weight lost.

The other downside is mental exhaustion thereafter. We think we have been on a diet for so long and there has been no positive effect. We then wonder, what’s the point of dieting? Being on a diet does not work for me… But the truth is, you have not been on a diet at all, because you were overcompensating the days on a diet with the days you were cheating. If you calculate the average calorie intake for the whole dieting period, you will find you ate more calories, than you needed to lose weight. That’s why a diet plan is a must and should be adjusted to each individual.

Can you speed up weight loss process?

I’m afraid there are no natural shortcuts in a weight loss process. You need patience and commitment. Ask any of my clients, the journey may feel long and tiresome but it’s most definitely worth it!