In Defense of “Crash Dieting”
A “crash diet” is defined as “a way of losing body weight quickly by eating very little,” and nearly every YouTube doctor, social media influencer, and personal trainer will tell you this is the absolute worst way to lose weight. Slash your calories too low and lose weight too fast, they warn, and you’ll burn muscle , “ damage ” your metabolism, and quickly regain all of the weight you lost. Instead, they advocate a “slow and steady” approach: eat a little less, move a little more, and let weight loss occur as a side effect of a healthy lifestyle rather than as the explicit goal. This approach can work, but it fails more often than not. For many, “crash dieting” is superior to the “slow and steady” approach to fat loss. Here’s why. 1. Crash Diets Are Usually Easier to Stick to than Gradual Weight Loss Diets Whether you lose weight quickly or slowly, dieting is always unpleasant. What makes it worth it? Rapid, visible progress. Co...