A health-first approach to weight loss is what makes my approach different from most weight loss programs on the market.

It means we don’t sacrifice your health in order to lose weight. It also means we focus on any existing health problems or imbalances and fix those simultaneously. Sometimes it’s those hormonal imbalances and health issues that are making weight loss more difficult in the first place. Unfortunately, most weight loss programs fail to consider a holistic and comprehensive view of the person. Instead, they focus on quick and instant results because it's human nature to desire instant gratification.

However, the body isn’t designed to lose weight too fast. When this happens, the body receives a signal that something is wrong– there’s not enough food or your survival is threatened. This is because your stress hormones also increase during times of rapid weight loss. Your body will respond in a way that’s designed to protect your survival, and normally this means ramping up the metabolic hormones that make you good at storing fat.

Increasing your fat storing capability is only part of the issue though. Rapid weight loss can also come with some serious risks:

1. Muscle Loss: There’s a difference between losing weight and losing fat. Rapid weight loss often results in the loss weight– both fat and muscle. Losing muscle mass can decrease your metabolism, making it more difficult to maintain weight in the long run. Muscle is your best friend when it comes to losing fat.

2. Nutrient Deficiency: Quick weight loss may not provide the body with sufficient nutrients, leading to deficiencies. This can result in fatigue, weakness, and other health issues. Plus, over time it will make you hungrier. The brain is monitoring our nutrient status, and if that gets low or imbalanced, it will increase our hunger to make up for the deficit.

3. Electrolyte Imbalance: Similar to other nutrient deficiencies, fast weight loss can lead to electrolyte imbalances, which may cause dizziness, fatigue, and in some severe cases, heart palpitations.

4. Hormonal Changes: Rapid weight loss can disrupt hormonal balance, affecting the menstrual cycle in women and causing changes in testosterone and cortisol levels in both men and women.

5. Lack of Sustainability: Crash diets or extreme weight loss methods are often hard to sustain in the long term. People may revert to old eating habits, leading to a cycle of yo-yo dieting, which is associated with a damaged metabolism and negative health outcomes.

6. Psychological Impact: Rapid weight loss can be mentally and emotionally challenging. It may contribute to feelings of deprivation, frustration, and an unhealthy relationship with food. Many people come to me feeling that they’ve “failed” at their previous diets. But this isn’t the case. Willpower only lasts for long before our bodies fight back! Our body is much smarter than we are and will do what it needs to keep us alive. 

Don’t take the risk for instant gratification. It almost always backfires or at the very least, becomes too difficult to maintain for life and you gain all the weight back. Instead, do it right, and you only have to go through the process once! Slow and steady wins the race.