You promise yourself that this year, you’re finally losing the excess weight that you carried around for years. You’re prepared to make all the necessary sacrifices to achieve that goal, including exercising regularly and eating clean.
You’ve finally grown tired of all the hassles associated with being overweight, from the
associated health concerns down to the changes in your appearance.
Don’t be too hasty
Some people rush into their weight loss journey, thinking of it as a sprint rather than a marathon. But the truth is that if you rush things and take shortcuts, you could end up doing more harm than good.
If you insist on going on a crash diet, you risk depriving yourself of vital nutrients that your body needs to perform optimally. When your body is deprived of these nutrients, your metabolism begins to slow down.
Initially, when you look at the mirror, you’ll be amazed at the drastic changes your body has undergone in a short span of time. However, these results could come back and bite you at a later time in the form of fluctuating weight. This is what many call yo-yo dieting, wherein a person loses weight only to regain it later and, in some cases, put on even more weight.
Another adverse side effect of rapid weight loss that many people are unaware of is loose and sagging skin.
Weight loss and skin elasticity
What exactly happens to your skin when you lose weight at a fast rate?
In order to better answer that question, there are a few things you need to know about your skin. First, the human skin is comprised of different proteins like elastin and collagen. Elastin
is responsible for giving your skin elasticity and tightness. Collagen, on the other hand, provides the skin with both strength and firmness.
When you gain weight, the skin expands to accommodate the increase in size in the different parts of your body. The same thing happens during pregnancy. The difference is that in pregnancy, a woman loses the weight she carried, and her skin reverts to its original form.
However, when a person is overweight, she carries that excess weight for years. In some people, that could mean from childhood or adolescence through adulthood.
Now, when the skin is stretched for an extended period of time, the skin (specifically its collagen and elastin fibers) is damaged and loses the ability to revert to its original form.
Apart from carrying excess weight for several years, there are other factors that affect skin elasticity. These include the amount of weight that you lost, your age, smoking, exposure to the sun, and genetics.
Preventing sagging and loose skin while losing weight
Instead of going on a crash diet, the better approach to losing weight is to take things slowly by combining a sensible diet with regular exercise and ample rest.
Furthermore, you should target anywhere between one to two pounds of weight loss per week or four to eight pounds per month.
It is also imperative that you perform both cardio and resistance training exercises. Cardio exercises help burn calories and facilitate weight loss. Strength training, on the other hand, enables you to build lean muscle mass.
If you push things fast, go on a crash diet, or do cardio exercises without resistance training, the likelihood of having loose and saggy skin is higher.
Building lean muscle mass allows your body to replace the fat that has been lost. The muscles then begin to fill in your skin in place of the fat. Plus, additional muscle mass helps you burn more calories faster.
You might also want to consider taking supplements like collagen hydrolysate, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C to boost collagen production in the skin. It is also imperative to drink lots of water.
On the other hand, if you have already lost a significant amount of weight and you already have sagging skin, there are a few procedures that can help you. These include body-contouring surgery and ultrasound.
Haste makes waste
You can approach your weight loss like a sprint and get instant results, but this will lead to a few harmful side effects. The better alternative is to approach it like a marathon – slow but steady – and lose weight and keep it off permanently.
The choice is yours. Wouldn’t it be better to go for a safer and healthier approach towards losing weight?
AUTHOR BIO
Vandana Luthra founded VLCC in New Delhi, India as a beauty and slimming services centre in 1989. Today, it is widely recognized for its comprehensive portfolio of beauty and wellness products and services and also enjoys a high level of consumer trust. The VLCC Group’s operations currently span 330 locations in over 150 cities and 14 countries across Asia and Africa.
