Believe it or not, crash dieting takes the biggest toll on the water reserves in our body. Not only is crash dieting totally wrong and misleading, the loss of water on account of crash dieting can reach dangerous proportions.
Crash dieting that restricts nutrient and water intake only attempts to fool people into believing
that 3 medium sized fruits and 6 glasses of fruit juice give you all the daily requirement of energy and nutrition. Restricting water intake leads to rapid water loss from the body and on a weighing scale shows as a reduction in weight leading people into believing that the crash diet is successful.
Drop in body weight is not the same as reduction in body fat
i.e. body weight and body fat is not the same thing. While body weight is the sum total of everything in your body, body fat is just fat. In the case of crash dieting, the loss of body weight is actually the weight of life giving water that was lost. Loss of water in the body impairs circulation, results in stretch marks, reduces muscle tone, makes bones and especially joints brittle, and overworks the kidneys (you end up poisoning yourself with your own wastes), heart and lungs. It also leads to a more intense body odor.
Frankly, losing weight is no big deal. Fat loss is what you want…
Body builders, wrestlers and film stars routinely lose or gain weight under expert supervision. They can bring down their weight by as much as 8–9 lbs on the day prior to a competition or film shoot. In any case, what they do is very dangerous and can lead to death because on the one hand loss of water impairs body functioning whereas on the other hand, these professionals actually need their body to be functioning as if in peak condition. The extra demand on a weakened system can cause internal havoc. For successful fat loss and weight management, you have to stay hydrated and move, the least.
Enzymes, digestion, circulation and even fat loss is not possible without adequate levels of hydration in our body.
Muscles will not contract (commonly felt as cramps and dull aches), joints will hurt and skin will look dull. Your lungs too function in a highly impaired condition. To stay well hydrated, drink one glass every hour or so. In any case, no less than eight glasses a day. The color of your urine is the clearest indicator of the hydration level in your body. Anything other than crystal clear is trouble. Light yellow means you need to hydrate. Dark yellow or reddish means you are in deep trouble. Read more on the importance of water in our diet.