Borys CarpenterIt is quite normal for every individual to have a certain idea about their look and health. As humans, we strive for greatness and the best place to start is from ourselves. When somebody wants to look and feel better, and most importantly feel healthier, there is only one course of action to take. It is of course losing weight, and we have all tried it at some point in life.
The key thing to remember is that it should not be overdone to the point of any longer being healthy during and after shedding pounds. There is such a thing as bad weight loss since it can cause more harm than good. While it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice, losing too much and ending up on the other end of the spectrum is not only possible but common these days.
In order to diet in a healthy way and lose weight correctly, there needs to be a right way of doing it. The most important thing to make sure of is not to weaken your immune system while eating less. Energy, nutrients, and vitamins our body needs to properly function come in through food which means there must always be enough of it present.
If you are unsure how to lose weight and want to escape doing it wrong, you came to the right place. Right here in this text, we talk about how you should protect your immune system while dieting and does losing weight actually weaken it. Keep reading to learn about this and be sure to visit this website for additional info on weight loss and health.
Strong Stress on the Immune System
Think about any system, whether in a machine or in nature. Think about what it needs to function properly and thrive, what it requires to put in optimal performance and never break down. Now suddenly start decreasing that and see what happens. The thing you are watching will start breaking down and eventually, it will stop working.
In this scenario, the thing is your body, or rather its immune system and what you stop giving it is enough food. When we are on a diet, our organism reacts to the sudden lack of nutrients. When there is less sugar and carbohydrates, stress hormones work more in order to decompose the accumulated fats.
This is a core mechanism of dieting, burning excess fats instead of the energy we get from food during the day. The fats decompose, they are transported through the blood and into the liver, where they become glucose. Therefore, it is the stress hormones that cause weight loss. However, too much of this stress is also bad for the immune system, and here is why.
The immune has this seemingly unfortunate double function for a reason, but that is a different topic. What matters here is knowing that every weight loss is directly connected to the immune system being slower and less responsive. Intense diets cause an overwhelming feeling because the hormones are working overtime. The immune system is weakened more than it should be and the body suffers.
Lack of Essentials
There is another threat to the immune system while dieting, one that is much easier to explain and makes more sense. The body, and therefore its first line of defense that is the immune system, is deprived of essential nutrients it gets from a healthy, balanced diet. There can never be enough proteins, minerals, and vitamins in the body even for the most basic of functions if the person dieting eats way too little for their physique.
Even the strictest of diets pay attention to keeping the body afloat and still giving it everything it needs to remain healthy and protected. The worst types of diets for the immune system are those that advise only eating a certain type of food, for example only meat and eggs. Humans are omnivorous and they get what they need to be healthy and thriving from numerous sources.
Limiting one’s diet so much is an extreme take on losing weight and it can never be healthy. Unless you eat a little bit of everything, your immune system will suffer eventually. This is why the best weight loss is done through a good combination of eating healthy and working out.
Being active and using your body increases its resilience, builds muscle, improves heart rate, and boosts the performance of the cardiovascular system. It is always smarter to start eating healthier and a little bit less than before while working out regularly. Extreme diets are never the way.
Problems that Occur with Extreme Weight Loss
Losing a lot of weight the wrong way does weaken the immune system, that much has been established. In this section though, we have to mention what the most common symptoms are and what needs to be taken care of. During and following a distinct weight loss, the body needs time to recover and get used to the new situation.
Losing as much as a fifth or a quarter of your body weight is a huge shock initially, so the immune system will struggle at first. This can last up to a year following the diet.
During this time, as well as during the whole diet, avoiding infections is extremely important. A lot of people who pay no attention to their immune system while dieting and after they are happy with the results struggle with infections and inflammations.
Taking care of the teeth, wounds, sleeping enough, and taking it easy when you have a cold are increasingly important the more weight you plan to lose. Weeks and months after the diet are the most important and it is when the body is most vulnerable.
A good way to counter this is to take healthy supplements like minerals and vitamins that are already present in the food we eat. Increasing your daily intake should help you stay protected.
Vitamins C, D, and the B complex, Zinc, Magnesium, and Omega 3 are your best and safest bet to keep your body in check while dieting and later. You can also take ginger and turmeric from time to time, and anything else that boosts the immune system.
Hugh Hay
