If you want to be healthy, you need to eat right and perform regular exercise. However, some people prioritize weight loss over health. They take dieting and exercise to the extreme in an attempt to quickly lose pounds and inches. When this happens, these otherwise healthy practices become detrimental to one’s health and quality of life. You don’t want to fall into this trap of desperation and extremes. Watch out for the seven signs that indicate that you’re going overboard with dieting and weight loss.
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Food is also supposed to give you pleasure and energy. If you restrict yourself from eating the food you love and enjoy just to lose weight, then you may be taking things a little too seriously. Setting an unrealistic daily calorie limit is another sign of that you are taking things to the extreme.
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You could be developing an eating disorder if you start making excuses to avoid eating. You could also be going overboard if you don’t join activities or events that include partaking in a meal.
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If you are desperate enough, you might workout even when you haven’t had any rest. Remember that your body needs sleep to rejuvenate and repair itself. Constantly working out despite being tired can lead to fatigue, headaches, irritability, increased resting heart rate, and even depression.
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You may be an over-exerciser if you feel anxious, guilty, or angry about missing a workout. Exercise is supposed to complement a healthy and well-balanced life. It shouldn’t lead you to miss professional responsibilities and social engagements.
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If you are not a training athlete, then excessive cross training can be an indicator of going overboard with trying to lose weight. You should not feel obligated to make up for rest days by cross training in one day. Your rest days are there for a reason.
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Have you observed weight loss competitions on television? They do weekly weigh-ins for a reason: you will not see a considerable change in your body weight from day to day. If you do see a change, it would be a loss of water weight. That is not the kind of weight loss you want. If you do daily weigh-ins, you could be becoming obsessive about weight loss.
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For women, missing or losing menstruation could mean that they’ve lost too much body fat. If you are a woman and are experiencing this, then you could be losing too much weight. You might not be able to conceive if you don’t regain body fat and resume menstruating.
Putting your body through too much dieting and working out can wear it down. Remember that you do not achieve weight loss and a healthy body through short-term changes brought about by desperation. A healthy body and weight are achieved by making permanent and sustainable lifestyle changes. Modify your approach to a healthier life and try not to go overboard with dieting and weight loss.
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