Dieting Side Effects

Description
To follow, a discussion of some of the common pitfalls and side effects of dieting.

Dizziness
Sudden dizziness, and ear noises (ringing in the ear) are some of the most common diet side effects caused by a temporary nutritional unbalance from excessive dieting. Recovery is easy if healthy eating habits are resumed, but a continued poor diet can have a fatal effect on health.


Yo-yo Effect
Even after dieting successfully with a firm resolution, it is by no means easy to constantly keep it up. Compared to fit people, obese people have larger and more fat cells. When such a person diets, the already larger fat cells do not decrease in number but only grow smaller. So the body returns to its original state when food intake increases after a diet. This phenomenon is known as the yo-yo effect, and rather than being pleased with a diet, it is important to have a long-term plan to keep off lost weight.

Gastroenteric Disorder
The stomach secretes acid and prepares to accept food at fixed times. But irregular meal times and skipping meals confuses the body, weakening digestibility and causing frequent burning sensations. If symptoms continue, it can lead to a stomach ulcer or inflammation of the stomach.

Helplessness, Depression
It's natural not to want to do anything besides what's necessary when living on less energy. As this cycle repeats, the body droops and sags and a melancholy mood sets in, which can lead to increasing irritation and annoyance.

Constipation
When food intake decreases, there is a natural decrease in the amount of consumed and left over waste. Consequently, the digestive organs do not feel the need to be active, and even if they try to be active, there isn't enough strength. This decline in the intestinal function causes constipation. Fiber and laxatives can help, but only in a supplementary way and not as a final solution. This is why it is important to eat adequately while dieting.

Edema
A lack of nutrition weakens the functions that maintain balance in the body, such as bodily fluids, causing the body to swell more easily, which is responsible for occasional complaints about "faces get bigger" despite eating less. Control the amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, but to lessen this swelling effect, don't reduce vitamin and mineral intake.

Undergrowth
The time for sufficient growth is limited to puberty. If there are elements interfering with growth, growth may be stunted. Severe obesity hinders growth, but excessive dieting causes even more side effects. Therefore, an obese child should never try to lose weight alone or with only his/her parents' guidance, but, instead, a medical specialist should be consulted.

Skin Abnormalities
Unreasonable dieting will upset the body's nutritional balance and cause deficiencies of iron and other minerals. If the unbalance is severe, excessive amounts of fat are lost and the skin will atrophy and become rough. Usually, rough skin is caused by the loss of water rather than fat. Drinking plenty of water while dieting should prevent such a phenomenon. If it doesn't solve the problem, a moderate amount of fat intake is necessary. In order to prevent skin from becoming rough, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables without disturbing the balance among various microelements, such as vitamins and iron.



Menstrual Irregularities
If a state of nutritional unbalance continues, and body fat percentage is too low, women experience menstrual irregularities. In extreme cases, infertility becomes a possibility. If periods become longer while dieting, there's a need to watch with interest. Menstrual irregularities caused simply by malnutrition, can be treated easily by increasing nutritional intake, but if that's not the case, treatment may not be so easy.

Osteoporosis
Many middle-aged women have been warned about the dangers of osteoporosis, but osteoporosis is now a danger to all age groups. One of the main reasons for this is dieting. Anyone who diets should be aware of osteoporosis. Besides making the bones weak, it makes holes inside the bone and causes bones to fracture easily. Because osteoporosis is a disease that limits movement; it is extremely uncomfortable and inconvenient to manage everyday life once it's been contracted. As bone density weakens, body weight decreases, but this weight loss is not related to loss of body fat. It is hard to recover the lost bone density just by taking calcium. Proper exercise and a balanced diet are absolutely needed.