The Dangers of Rapid Weight Loss

I figured this was the best way to share some information related to my recent Facebook post lambasting The Biggest Loser for using obscenely excessive methods to produce dangerously rapid weight loss and producing ridiculously unrealistic expectations. 

Many people seem to think that being fat is the worst threat possible to a person's health. This is not a given; it is not necessarily true for every person; excess body fat does not mean the same thing for everyone. So, while I will concede that extremely obese people who weigh half a ton are probably in greater danger by not doing anything at all, people need to understand that when they lose weight using drastic methods they may just be trading off one kind of medical problem for another.

Here is a sampling of information I found on the interwebz:

"In addition to potentially damaging the gallbladder, says [Christine] Gerbstadt, other risks of losing too much too fast include kidney failure, thyroid problems, osteoporosis (especially in young men), increased estrogen production, lessening of sexual functions, heart irregularity and changes in blood pressure. It can also be the start of an eating disorder (and no, you aren’t accidentally reading a story for young women)."
[This is apparently an article specifically aimed at men.]

from a Weight Watchers article

"Severely slashing calories may lead to weight loss, but the lost weight includes precious muscle and lowers metabolism. Drastic calorie restriction also causes a shift toward a higher percentage of body fat, which increases the risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes."

and

"Extreme exercise may make for good reality television. But in the real world, it can cause grave problems. It causes severe wear and tear; increases the risk for injury, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance; and psychologically turns exercise into punishment for eating, May says."

from a webmd.com article

"When you gain or lose weight, your heart must adjust to accommodate more or less body weight. Since your heart is a muscle, rapid weight loss or constantly losing and then gaining weight can place a lot of stress on your heart. As your weight changes so does your blood pressure and heart rate. You may also experience irregular heart rhythms and eventually heart failure. It is actually better for your heart to maintain a set weight then to continually gain and lose weight."

from a livestrong.com article

Then there's this blog entry from an obesity doctor:
http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/04/biggest-loser-destroys-participants.html

And yet another piece criticizing the show:
http://www.livescience.com/9820-biggest-loser-big-problems-health-experts.html

I've spent about 35 years dealing with fat-shaming, researching, debating, fighting with myself and with the rest of the world about obesity, and trying to find The Right Answer in regards to body fat and health. There isn't one. But if there was, it wouldn't have a single thing in common with The Biggest Loser.