Lose Weight! What's the worst that could happen?

There is no doubt in my mind that diet and exercise are good for you. You feel good, you look good! but there are some things that people never consider when they decide to lose a significant amount of weight. These were things that I basically didn't realize until it was nearly too late.

Significant change in weight can cause:
a) Loose Skin
b) Hair Loss

If you didn't know this and went and lost 20 kgs, you might feel a bit duped, but lucky for you, you have me! These things are fixable! but as with anything to do with skin and hair, it is much easier to prevent problems than cure them, so get in early!

Loose Skin

The most common places for this are the inner thighs, breasts, underarms, stomach, back.. basically everywhere is susceptible, depending on where you carry most of your weight.

Our skin is very elastic, provided the "elastin" doesn't break; it can stretch and reform pretty well, especially when you're young! When you gain weight, your skin obviously has to stretch to accommodate this, but if you've gained weight very quickly or have been overweight for a long time, the elastin can stretch beyond redemption and snap, this is what happens when you have stretch marks.

When you begin losing weight, the skin may appear to be coming in closer and closer to your muscles, but if you lose a significant amount, eventually you may notice that the skin can become sort of empty, many extreme weight-loser's have mentioned not being able to make it "tighten up".

Prevention/Cure (without surgery!):

1. A lot of people try to lose weight without exercise, and while you may very well lose "weight", you won't be the slightest bit toned, and the end results may not be exactly what you were hoping for. This doesn't mean you have to develop massive amounts of muscle, but lean muscle (not bulky) does encourage your skin to tighten immensely, and this can be done with basic no-weight/light weight repetitive exercises. Think deep stretching, ab routines, leg lifts and light arm work with your regular cardio.

2. Moisturise! I swear by this because it really does make a difference! Moisturising helps with toning the skin, uneven colouring (stretch marks, scars) and circulation (cellulite). The most effective in my opinion is a rich moisturiser like Cocoa Butter. It only takes one application all over your body (not your face, but everywhere else) once a day, I find at night before bed easiest. Although this can feel like a bit of a bother at first, it only takes a minute and really is worth making apart of your daily routine.

"It's not just about looking good in clothes, its about looking good out of them!"

Hair Loss

Now this is one that a lot of people would never have thought of, myself included. Although weight loss is great for your health, the sudden shift can sometimes translate to physical stress and even malnourishment, which both lead to hair loss. There are many different reasons why someone (man or woman) may start losing more hair than usual, this could be just a bit more hair on your brush, thinning or legitimate patches.

Causes and fixes:

Strand loss/thinning:

Malnourishment: As tempting as it is to starve oneself, it certainly won't help with your appearance. A bit of fat is necessary for filling out your face, a lot of women (and men) who lose weight can look aged and deflated, healthy fats are also very useful if you exercise, for joint health and energy. Eat a little bit of fat and you will actually lose more. Protein, you need it, you know you need it, so display your commonsense and eat it. A lack of protein can easily cause hair loss, and it doesn't necessarily have to be from meat; Yoghurt, nuts and protein supplements are all perfect sources of protein. If you can't fit in those vegetables and fruit, than take that multivitamin. To help thicken your hair if you notice thinning, you could try scalp massaging, to encourage hair growth or supplements such as Qsilica (that one really does help, but you have to keep using it)

Physical Stress: Exercise is great for health, but excessive cardio (as in, beyond your ability) can be stressful for your body, so work up your fitness slowly. Stress on your actual hair should be avoided too. Over-washing, over-styling, over-brushing, tight ponytails, teasing, tying your hair back in a way that puts a lot of pressure and pulling on a particular area, none of these things will help you. I had to stop wearing ponytails when I workout for this reason, instead I tie the length of my hair into a low bun, and pin my short layers back on top, that way there is little to no pulling (this can be a real problem if you have long hair).

Scalp health: Dandruff, grease and fungal infections (ringworm), can be very detrimental to hair growth, see your dermatologist.

Patches:

This is more complex and shouldn't be caused by weightloss. Patterned baldness (male and female), alopecia, patterned thinning, these can be very hard to deal with and can occur at any age, but the best thing to do is not leave it! Sometimes, as in the case of alopecia, if you get to a doctor early enough, they may be able to fix it before it becomes permanent so don't be placid!- go to a doctor and get a referral.




Weight loss can be amazing, you'll feel great, you'll look great but be aware of what is happening with your body because much of the downsides are preventable!


Exercise, Eat Clean and Moisturise!
Rosie.x