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Hormonal imbalance -

Extreme weight loss leads to severe hormonal changes. These can deeply affect how you feel and have a negative impact on both your body and mind.

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Metabolism -

Fast and extreme weight loss will have an impact on your metabolism. More often than not, your metabolic rate will decrease, meaning all processes will slow down, including fat loss.

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Loose skin - While some of your skin might have enough elasticity to shrink back, when you lose a lot of weight, excess saggy skin is unavoidable.

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Loose skin - In many cases, people are left with folds of excess skin. If there’s not too much of it, you can always fill up your frame with more muscle mass. But in extreme cases, surgery is the only option.

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Stretch marks - The same goes for stretch marks. You’re at higher risk if you lose weight too quickly. So a slow and steady approach is recommended, as is the use of creams to keep your skin moisturized.

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Depression - You’d have thought that getting to your desired weight would make you happy, but sometimes, this is not the case.

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Depression - A study has found that losing weight may increase the risk of depression. This may have something to do with the fact that oftentimes, people have unrealistic expectations, and have to deal with a great deal of frustration and disappointment.

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Depression - Eating a healthy diet and getting adequate sleep is essential to keeping depression at bay. You should reach out for help if you experience any symptoms.

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You will lose fat unevenly -

Weight will come off unevenly. This has to do with the type of fat cells you have in each part of your body and how they respond to hormone signals.

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You will lose fat unevenly -

For instance, fat cells in the abdominal area have more cortisol receptors. This means that being constantly under stress will make your body release more cortisol, and consequently it will be harder to get rid of visceral fat in that area.

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It can affect your period -

Losing weight fast can actually stop your period. Carb restriction affects a protein called lectin. As a consequence, your body might enter into “starvation mode” and shut off your menstrual cycle.

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It can affect your period - This is to avoid you becoming pregnant, as it would not be healthy to do so in such state. 

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Gallstones - You’re at a higher risk of developing gallstones if you don’t consume enough fat. These can be very painful.

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Gallstones - To avoid gallstones, make sure you add healthy fats to your diet. This way your gallbladder will work properly. 

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Muscle loss -

Some people focus on losing weight and don’t realize that they’re not only losing fat, but also muscle mass. While not easy, this can (and should) be mitigated.

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Muscle loss -

Having more muscle will actually help you burn more calories, and consequently lose more weight. The only way to minimize muscle loss is to consume enough protein (aim for 20-30g per meal) and do strength training.

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It might affect your sleep -

This one is mostly due to carb restrictions and the impact it has on your hormones. Consuming some carbs at night might help you get a better night's sleep.

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Feeling cold -

If you lose lots of weight quickly, you might start noticing that you feel cold more often. A slower metabolism signals your body to conserve calories that would otherwise be used to keep you warm.

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Feeling cold -

Less fat means less insulation and protection from the cold. So, it’s normal for people with less body fat percentages to become more sensitive to temperatures, when compared to those who have an extra layer of fat. 

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Plateau - Rapid and extreme fat loss can only go so far. You’ll get to a point where you reach a plateau in weight loss and need to understand what is causing it. This can be a frustrating process.

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Identity -

You might not recognize yourself in the mirror. If being big was a key part of your identity, you might have trouble accepting the new you.

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Your relationships may suffer - A study has found that weight loss might have a negative impact on romantic relationships. This is particularly true for couples where only one person is going through the process of losing weight.

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Hunger -

This can mean anything from ferocious hunger to complete lack of appetite. Extreme weight loss messes with ghrelin (a hormone that increases appetite) and leptin (a hormone that decreases appetite).

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Your taste changes -

The hormonal impact of extreme weight loss will affect how food tastes. Your taste buds will become more sensitive and food will consequently taste differently.

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Cravings -

You might have really strong cravings for some particular types of foods, and usually not healthy ones. This can be overwhelming as you can feel guilty and disappointed if you give into the temptation.

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Cravings - A way to avoid these is to not be hungry, and focus on eating foods that will make you feel fuller, for longer. And if you’re eating a sustainable, healthy diet, a bag of chips or a chocolate bar won’t be as bad as you might think.

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Moody and cranky - Many diets restrict the consumption of carbohydrates. These play an important role in mood regulation, so extreme carb restriction might lead to crankiness and moodiness.

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Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) -

If you lose weight at a fast rate, you might develop BDD and actually believe that your body hasn’t changed. You might continue to see yourself as big, even though you’ve lost lots of weight.

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See also - For some healthy weight loss, get in shape in 30 days with these 7-minute workouts!

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