You’ve probably heard that if you want to lose weight, the fastest way to do it is by starving yourself. After all, that’s what so many celebrities, social media influencers and super-fit Instagrammers do right? However, we all know that’s not exactly healthy or sustainable in the long-term. Because of this, many people feel like there must be another way to lose weight without putting our bodies through such a torturous process. Luckily for us, there is another way! There are plenty of things you can do to help accelerate your weight loss, from eating more green veggies to drinking more water. Starving yourself isn’t one of them. In this article, we’ll explore why you shouldn’t starve yourself for weight loss, and instead focus on making small changes that will lead to big results over time.
Starving yourself is bad for your health
It may seem like a quick and easy fix, but starving yourself is one of the worst things you can do for your health. When you starve yourself, your body thinks there’s a food shortage and begins to store fat as a source of energy. This is something that is not sustainable, as your body can only store a limited amount of fat before it turns to muscle and organ tissue to fuel itself. When your body has a limited amount of food to burn each day, it burns fat at a much slower rate. You may lose a few pounds in the short-term, but it’s not sustainable. These pounds will come back quickly once you start eating normally again, and you’ll find that you’ve lost muscle along with fat. In the long-term, starvation diets can cause women to lose their menstrual cycle, can damage your bones, and leave you feeling weak, lethargic and exhausted.
Starvation diets are very difficult to maintain
Starvation diets are extremely difficult to maintain, meaning you’re much more likely to give up before you see results. When you have a restricted calorie intake, you’re likely going to experience a range of negative emotions, including fatigue, irritability, moodiness and general feelings of unhappiness. Starvation diets can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and low self-esteem. If you’re feeling this way, it’s likely you’ll give up on the diet before you see any results. And if you do manage to make it past the two-week mark, you’ll be left with incredibly bad habits that will be extremely difficult to break. These bad habits can cause you to gain weight in the long-term, which means your hard work was in vain.
Starving yourself can lead to binge eating
Starving yourself can lead to binge eating, which is a vicious, unhealthy cycle that is extremely difficult to break. When you’re starving yourself, the hunger pangs can become so intense that you feel like you’re losing touch with reality. You may find yourself raiding the fridge at 2 am because you’re so hungry. Binging after you’ve starved yourself is a common occurrence, and it can be extremely difficult to get back on track after one of these binges. You’ve likely created bad habits surrounding food, and your self-esteem may be so low that you feel like you’ve failed at your diet. Binging after starving yourself isn’t just an emotional issue. You’re likely to gain weight after these binges, which means you’ve actually put on weight after starving and purging. This can cause serious emotional damage and have a long-lasting impact on your mental health.
Starving is simply not worth the pain and effort
Starving yourself is an extremely painful and intense experience that many people eventually find themselves unable to sustain. When you’re restricting the amount of calories you consume each day, it’s common to experience feelings of extreme hunger. This can make you irritable, moody and generally unhappy. You may find yourself experiencing dizziness, headaches, low energy levels and in extreme cases hallucinations. These symptoms are likely to be so bad that they affect your daily life. You may find that you’re unable to concentrate at work or school, and you’re finding it hard to form genuine relationships with friends and family members. You might even find yourself skipping meals, which isn’t healthy or sustainable.
How to lose weight without starving
As we’ve explored, starving yourself isn’t the best way to lose weight. Instead, you’re much better off focusing on making small changes to your daily routine that will lead to big results over time. Here are a few tips that can help you lose weight without starving yourself:
Eat more green veggies: Eating more green veggies is a great way to get more nutrients, fibre and vitamins into your body without adding a lot of calories. Plus, they’re very low in calories, which means you can fit more into your diet without adding a lot of extra calories.
Drink more water: Water is essential for many bodily functions, including metabolism. Drinking more water can help your body metabolise calories at a faster rate, which can lead to weight loss.
Eat slowly: Eating slowly can help you to feel fuller for longer, meaning you’re less likely to overeat during your meals.
Get moving: Exercising regularly can help you to burn more calories and shed a few pounds.
Stay focused: Starving yourself can be incredibly difficult, and you’re more likely to give up if you don’t have a plan.
Eat smaller portions: Throughout your day, you should try to eat smaller meals every few hours. By not overeating and eating smaller portions, it will speed up your metabolism preventing the food from being stored as Fat.
Don’t be too strict: You’re likely to lose weight if you make small changes to your daily routine. However, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t be too strict with yourself. It’s important to allow yourself one slip-up a week if you want to keep your self-esteem high.
Starving yourself is one of the worst ways to lose weight. Instead, you’re much better off making small changes to your daily routine that will lead to big results over time. If you want to lose weight, you don’t need to starve yourself. Instead, focus on making small changes to your daily routine that will lead to big results over time.