Fast Weight Loss: Why This is a Trap

I have learned a lot of really hard lessons about weight over the last few years.

The first lesson I learned that it can't be about weight loss.

Why is this the lesson? There are several reasons.

1. Weight loss, if done well, is frustratingly slow. It can be as slow as only a few tenths of a pound a week. Some people even get frustrated by 2 pounds a week.
2. Pushing weight loss is both dangerous and unpleasant.

Let's talk about the side effects of fast weight loss.

Feeling deprived.

Everyone who has watched their calories for any amount of time knows what this is like. The gnawing hunger. The constant thinking about food. Watching the clock waiting for your next meal.

Feeling bitchy.

I have a theory that one reason women have reputations as cranky bitches is because so many of us are "dieting" at any given time.

Gall stones.

I found this one out the hard way. I lost 50 pounds in about 6 months (not an unhealthy amount by most normal standards. I started having horrible horrible pain. I've given birth and this was way worse than that. Literally, curled up on the floor, sweating, panting, wanting to die pain. Turned out my gall bladder was distended from stones. The dirty little secret? The doctor said this happens often when people lose weight quickly. Now that I've had this experience, I keep meeting others who've had the same experience. Don't take my word for it (please, really, don't ever, it is important that everyone do their research and form their own opinions), do a search for gallstones and weight loss and you will find article after article. WebMD says up to 50% of people who've had gastric bypass with develop gall stones. 15-25% will need surgery to have their gall bladders removed.

Sadly, I am not without a gall bladder, which really has changed my experience with digesting food. Though I will not subject you to details, suffice it to say it is not wholly pleasant or side effect free for everyone.

Gaining all the weight back.

Statistically, 95% of people who lose weight gain it back. I have certainly regained weight often enough to know how depressingly, frustratingly true this is.

So if it shouldn't be about weight loss, what should it be about? For me it is about being happy, feeling healthy, and capable of doing the things I want to do in my life at all costs. I will talk about some of my strategies for happiness in my next entry.