Weight loss takes time, patience, and discipline. While crash diets, shortcuts, and intense gym routines may help you shed kilos faster, they can also lead to health problems that ruin your progress.
Dr Shreya Sankhe, an aesthetic physician, in her recent post on Instagram, shared that your body doesn’t really care about how small it looks in appearance, but it does care about the way you got there. “Fast, unbalanced weight loss might shrink your waist, but it can also shrink your glow, hormones, and immunity,” she added.
While most people tend to restrict calorie intake or skip meals, she suggested that they should instead learn to nourish themselves intelligently. Weight loss, when done in desperation, can lead to these ten signs that you may not even realise.
Dr Sankhe shared that a faster weight loss or restrictive diet leads to insufficient intake of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and protein. These nutrients are essential for a healthy skin and support the production of sebum, the skin’s natural oil. Low fat intake can reduce sebum production, which may lead to skin dryness and flakiness. Similarly, low intake of protein and zinc can affect keratin production, making hair brittle and weak.
The doctor explained that hair follicles are metabolically active tissues and need iron, biotin, protein, and B vitamins for growth. However, crash diets affect calorie and nutrient supply, making the follicles enter the “telogen” (shedding) phase. Low thyroid hormone levels, which are common in chronic dieting, can also slow down the hair growth cycle.
Dr Sankhe explained that rapid weight loss due to unhealthy diets can make you lose the layer of fat under your eyes. This can make them appear hollow or sunken. Dark circles also become prominent due to poor circulation, iron deficiency, or gut inflammation. She said, “Imbalanced diets also reduce collagen synthesis, which leads to thinner skin and visible veins.”
Nails are made of protein and require nutrients such as amino acids (cysteine, methionine) and biotin. But when your body doesn’t get these from your diet, nail growth slows down and the nails become weak and brittle.
If you begin to experience muscle cramps and fatigue, consider it a sign. Dr Sankhe said, “Muscle contraction depends on calcium, magnesium, potassium, and ATP. Energy or electrolyte deficits lead to hyper-excitable nerves, which causes cramps. Low protein also leads to sarcopenia (muscle loss).”
Those who don’t eat enough are likely to have a weakened innate and adaptive immunity, according to the doctor. This is because white blood cell production and antibody formation require adequate amino acids, zinc, vitamin C, and D.
When the protective fat around the joints gets affected and the strength of collagen and cartilage decline, the joints become more vulnerable. Chances of inflammation also increase when omega-3 intake is low and omega-6 dominance prevails.
If you are restricting calories intake, skipping meals, or working out too much, you can experience dizziness and weakness. This is because low glucose and low haemoglobin lead to poor oxygen and energy delivery to the brain and muscle. “Inadequate iron, B12, and folate lead anaemia. Dehydration and electrolyte loss further worsen orthostatic hypotension (the dizziness you feel on suddenly getting up),” she explained.
The hormonal system that controls the menstrual cycle needs sufficient energy and body fat to function. When the body gets sufficient nutrition, the brain releases hormones that help the ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone. But in calorie restriction, the body tries to conserve energy by slowing down this hormone release. This can lead to irregular or painful menstruation.
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She said, “Vitamin B12 and B6 are crucial for myelin sheath integrity and nerve conduction. Deficiency causes demyelination and leads to neuropathic symptoms.” These are basically protective nerve coverings that get affected due to an insufficient amount of B vitamins.
1. What is considered unhealthy weight loss? Unhealthy weight loss usually refers to losing weight too quickly, without proper nutrition or through extreme dieting. It can also happen unintentionally due to illness, stress, or underlying health conditions.
2. How much weight loss is considered too fast?
Health experts generally consider losing more than 0.5–1 kg per week without medical supervision as rapid weight loss, which may not be sustainable or healthy.
3. What are common unhealthy signs during weight loss?
Warning signs include constant fatigue, dizziness, hair loss, weakness, irritability, poor concentration, and frequent illness.
4. Can extreme dieting lead to unhealthy weight loss?
Yes, crash diets or severely restricting calories can deprive the body of essential nutrients, leading to muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, and metabolic problems.
5. Why does hair fall increase during unhealthy weight loss?
Rapid weight loss or poor nutrition can lead to deficiencies in protein, iron, and vitamins, which may trigger hair thinning or shedding.
Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.
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