Starvation Diets: A Solution to a Weight Problem or Dangerous Masochism?

True starvation is a serious problem for millions of people in the poorest countries; it kills thousands every day, especially in Africa. In the gluttonous Western "civilization", overfed yet under nourished adults and children, are generally over weight or obese. Of those, many think about "going on a diet." Simplistically, and foolishly, a small percentage of those will think instinctively of going on a starvation diet, in the naive belief that they will permanently lose a lot of weight quickly.

Deliberately starving yourself in the short term is not starvation, it is a fast. Inevitably, you will lose weight; the longer you "starve yourself" of food and nutrients, the more weight you will lose. But never forget that starvation leads, ultimately to death. Starvation is a long and extremely unpleasant way to day, so remember that. It is a long process of a deterioration in your health; in starving, you do not feel great for three months and then suddenly die in your sleep over night.

If you starve your body, it is declining in health every hour of every day. That should be enough to tell you that a real starvation diet is not a sensible way to lose weight; it could cause you all sorts of health problems.

If you seriously want to lose weight long term, why starve yourself? It will not serve your purpose in losing weight, although you may do so initially.

One of the reasons a starvation diet is not a good diet aid is that, as your food supply is drastically reduced, your metabolism will slow down to preserve the stored excess fat and calories. It is naturally trying to save your life, in this case from yourself.

Starving Yourself of Necessary Calories

For a safe diet, it has been said by the American College of Sports Medicine that women need a minimum of 1200 calories a day, while an adult male needs at least 1800 calories a day.

A starvation diet is likely to provide you with fewer than the basic calorie needs, so is not good for your health long term, even quite short term. If you are serious about losing weight then you are looking for a healthy diet, one which you will provide you with quality nutrition at a healthy level of calories per day. Not enough calories in your diet, and you will feel more and more tired, and causing unseen damage to your health.