Are there any negative effects of losing weight?

Author: Prof. Kristin Bednar PhD  |  Last update: Sunday, January 11, 2026

In addition to decreased muscle mass, rapid loss of adipose tissue reduces the load on the skeletal system over time, leading to a higher risk of osteoporosis. [94] Throughout a 24-week caloric restriction diet, women averaging the age of 38 years lost more than 16 kg.

Is there a downside to losing weight?

Anxiety and Stress

There may be some fear and anxiety about regaining the lost weight. Some people can become obsessed with maintaining an exact weight. If you were an emotional eater before weight loss, be aware that hormonal changes will affect your disposition and temperament.

Is it safe to lose 2 pounds a week?

Yes, losing 2 pounds a week is generally considered safe and sustainable for most individuals when done through a combination of healthy eating and regular exercise. This rate of weight loss allows for gradual, long-term changes and reduces the risk of muscle loss or nutrient deficiencies.

What are the side effects of weight loss on body?

Potential adverse effects of weight loss include a greater risk for gallstone formation and cholecystitis, excessive loss of lean body mass, water and electrolyte problems, mild liver dysfunction, and elevated uric acid levels.

What is a consequence of losing excess body weight?

Reduce Your Health Risks

Obesity increases your risk for many health problems. Losing the extra weight can help eliminate those health problems or lower your odds for them. Weight loss can reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol. It can also slash risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and osteoarthritis.

What Could Happen If You Lose Weight Too Fast?

Is losing 10 pounds in a month healthy?

And, if you're into big goals, you may wonder if it's safe to lose 10 pounds in a month. Here's the truth: The average person cannot safely lose 10 pounds in a month, says Michael Glickman, MD, a board-certified family medicine and obesity medicine physician and founder of Revolution Medicine, Health and Fitness.

Which body part loses fat first?

Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.

What organ is affected by weight loss?

Detailed descriptions of organ-level changes in humans after a weight-loss intervention have been reported. In one study (4) after a 9% weight loss over 3 mo, investigators observed decreases of 4–6% in the masses of the heart, kidney, and liver, whereas the brain remained unchanged and SM decreased by 3.1%.

Can losing weight cause health problems?

Weight loss has been associated with psychological disturbances, including depression, anxiety, binge eating, and an obsession with food. [105] Rapid weight loss, while it can be successful in the short term, is challenging to sustain and can lead to secondary effects such as irritability, fatigue, and anger.

Is a 20 pound weight loss noticeable?

Yes, 20 pounds (lbs) of weight loss is typically noticeable. However, this may vary depending on an individual's current weight, body composition, and distribution of weight.

What is the 30/30/30 rule for weight loss?

The 30/30/30 is a weight loss method that involves eating 30 g of protein within the first 30 minutes of your day and following it with 30 minutes of light exercise. This morning routine is rooted in sound science, and it could be a good way to increase your capacity to burn fat while keeping lean muscle.

Is losing 6 pounds noticeable?

CDC further recommends that you need to lose around 5-10% of your total body weight to notice changes. For instance, if you weigh 170 pounds, you need to lose roughly 8.3-17 pounds to notice a difference.

How to flush out water weight?

  1. Exercise Regularly. Daily exercise provides several health benefits, including preventing water retention. ...
  2. Drink More Water. Drinking water to reduce water weight sounds counterintuitive, but it helps. ...
  3. Manage Salt Intake. ...
  4. Cut Carbs. ...
  5. Focus on Certain Foods and Herbs. ...
  6. Try Supplements. ...
  7. Up Your Caffeine Intake.

What age is the hardest to lose weight?

People naturally lose muscle after 40, especially women after menopause. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, this can slow down your metabolism and make it harder to shake those stubborn pounds.

Where does fat go when you lose weight?

As your body metabolizes fat, fatty acid molecules are released into the bloodstream and travel to the heart, lungs, and muscles, which break them apart and use the energy stored in their chemical bonds. The pounds you shed are essentially the byproducts of that process.

Will my breasts get smaller if I lose 20 pounds?

Do Your Breasts Get Smaller When You Lose Weight? Whilst breasts can get smaller after you lose weight, breasts do not always get smaller after you lose weight. Size changes may be common, but it depends person to person.

At what point is weight loss a concern?

How much weight loss is a concern. Your body weight can regularly fluctuate. But the persistent, unintentional loss of more than 5 per cent of your weight over 6 to 12 months is usually a cause for concern. Losing this much weight can be a sign of malnutrition.

Is losing 30 pounds noticeable?

Re et al.) found that people notice changes in their faces if they lose around 1.33 points of their BMI score. For people of average height, this amounts to a loss of around 8 or 9 lbs. Losing 30 lbs should be noticeable to most people.

What is considered a crash diet?

A very-low-calorie diet (VLCD), also known as semistarvation diet and crash diet, is a type of diet with very or extremely low daily food energy consumption. VLCDs are defined as a diet of 800 kilocalories (3,300 kJ) per day or less.

What is the hardest body part to lose weight from?

Areas Where Fat Can Be Hardest to Lose
  • Abdomen. More fat cells reside around the stomach than in other parts of the body, making it particularly susceptible to weight gain. ...
  • Thighs. For women, the main reason for weight gain in the thighs is estrogen. ...
  • Upper Arms. ...
  • What You Can Do.

How much weight loss is too much?

But many health care providers agree that a medical evaluation is called for if you lose more than 5% of your weight in 6 to 12 months, especially if you're an older adult. For example, a 5% weight loss in someone who is 160 pounds (72 kilograms) is 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms).

Why am I getting fat when I don't eat much?

If you're asking yourself, “Why am I gaining weight when I barely eat,” several factors may be at play. Your body may be holding onto fat stores if your eating habits are inconsistent or restricted. Or, your weight gain may be the effect of a sedentary lifestyle, medical condition, or long-term stress.

How much weight loss is noticeable?

These changes might be subtle at first—like your clothes fitting a bit looser or noticing a slight difference in the mirror. Even if the transformation isn't dramatic right away, it's a sign that your efforts are paying off. A noticeable difference often comes after losing about 5% of your body weight.

Where do females gain weight first?

Before the menopause, women store fat mainly in the subcutaneous fat stores (buttocks and thighs), while men are more prone to develop visceral (abdominal) fat. After the menopause, women also become more prone to storing fat in the abdomen.

When does face fat go away?

Different fat pads start shrinking at different ages. The fat under our eyes starts to decrease the earliest, beginning in our twenties, and is followed in our thirties by the beginning of the loss of fat in the temples and parts of the cheeks. The superficial fat tends to persist unless there's major weight loss.

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