Why extreme, rapid weight loss

can be problematic 
There are many social, physical health, and mental health reasons why rapid
weight loss can be problematic.

Built on unattainable beauty standards

Weight is a concern for many people.

A large review of 72 studies that included data on over 1 million participants

from around the world found that between the years 2010 and 2015, about
40% of adults in the general population had tried to lose weight (3Trusted
Source).

The review also found that weight loss attempts were more common among
women — even those with a healthy weight. The researchers suggested that
this could be due to cultural pressures to be thin and unattainable body and
beauty standards (3Trusted Source).

You might regain the weight

While some people realize that weight loss takes time and opt for sustainable
methods, others crave extreme, rapid results.

For example, people who wish to drop 10 pounds in just 1 week — perhaps to
fit into a certain outfit for an event like a wedding or family reunion — may
focus on the immediate future and how to lose the most weight in the shortest
amount of time.
This could cause them to use unhealthy and unsustainable diets and
cleanses, such as eating just a few hundred calories a day, taking unsafe
dietary supplements, or engaging in extreme exercise coupled with a liquid
diet.

While you’re likely to lose weight by following these methods, you might
regain the lost weight soon after returning to your prior eating and exercise
habits (2Trusted Source).

You may lose more muscle and water weight

Studies show that rapid weight loss is generally accompanied by more lost
muscle and water weight compared with slower weight loss methods.

In a small study in 42 people with overweight or obesity, one group lost 5% of

their body weight over 5 weeks through a daily 1,000–1,500 calorie deficit,
while another group lost 5% of their body weight over 15 weeks with a 500–
750 calorie deficit (4Trusted Source).

At the end of the study, the people in the rapid weight loss group lost less
body fat, more muscle mass, and more water weight compared with the slow
weight loss group (4Trusted Source).

Can affect your resting energy expenditure

Losing weight too quickly may also affect your resting metabolic rate (RMR),
which reflects how many calories you burn at rest.

In the previously mentioned study, those in the rapid weight loss group
experienced greater reductions in their RMR compared with those in the slow
weight loss group (4Trusted Source).
To be clear, any weight loss method that reduces your calorie intake will likely
also lower your RMR.

Still, you can minimize negative metabolic adaptions from calorie restriction,
such as muscle loss, a decreased RMR, and increased hunger, by opting for
a less restrictive diet, a smaller daily calorie deficit, and an overall slower
weight loss strategy (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).

Might land you in a loop of yo-yo dieting

Because you’ll likely regain any weight you’ve lost through restrictive dieting
methods, you may be tempted to try another crash diet later on.

This can lead to a pattern of weight loss and regain called “yo-yo dieting” or
weight cycling. This not only takes a physical toll on your body but also
potentially your mental health (7Trusted Source).

While it’s completely understandable why you might want to lose excess body
fat quickly, it’s best to create a plan that promotes weight loss over the long
term. This is especially true if you have a significant amount of weight to lose.