ER Doctors Recommend:

Stay Away from Extreme Weight Loss Routines

The beginning of the year is great time to set goals for ourselves, and losing a few pounds, getting more exercise, and improving our fitness level is a wonderful way to start the year, not to mention these goals and easily achievable, but, in our eagerness to get in shape we might end up taking things a little too far.  Avoid any type of extreme weight loss routines.

When our focus lies only on the result, we are more likely to make bad choices, instead, we should be focused on planning the best route to achieve our goals, this way we will avoid making common diet and fitness mistakes that can end up harming our health.

The Dangers of Extreme Dieting

Anyone who is carrying a few extra pounds dreams of a quick, easy effortless solution to losing their muffin top or love handles, a pill that burns all the fat in a matter of days, a shake that will make us drop a couple of dress sizes in a week, unfortunately, those products are not only ineffective, they can be extremely dangerous, as are fad diets.

Extreme dieting is a very unhealthy way to diet, most fad diets center around cutting back on calories, they do this not taking into account the type or quality of the calories consumed, what they do is limit the amount of food a person ingests to a point where it can border on starvation. This is the reason most fad diets usually don’t last more than 2 weeks, in addition, the body’s response to starvation actually slows down the metabolism, making it harder to lose fat.  Extreme weight loss dieting is dangerous.

Extreme weight loss dieting can have serious health consequences including:

• Fatigue

• Gallbladder Disease

• Muscle Atrophy

• Malnutrition

• Constipation

• Acidosis

• Rashes

• And worst of all the regain of any weight loss achieved

Extreme dieting can also have negative effects on our psychological well-being, causing:

• Irritability

• Depression

• Reduced Sex Drive

• And an increased risk of developing eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.

Signs of Alert! Tell Tale Signs that you need to
Visit the ER Immediately

If you have been trying dangerous diets and experience any of the following signs, please seek immediate emergency medical assistence:

• You can’t keep food down.  Constant vomiting for over 2 days.

• Diarreah for more than 3 days, bloody diarreah,

• Fever higher than 103 F (39.4)

• Confusion and Lethargy

• Difficulty breathing

• Unbearable abdominal pains or cramps

• Dizziness and Fainting

• No urine in the last 12 hours

• Heart Palpitations, Chest Pains

If you are in Texas, go to Altus Emergency Center for the best ER Care 24/7 with No Lines in Baytown, Lake Jackson, Lumberton and Waxahachie.

The Benefits of Healthy Dieting

In contrast, healthy dieting will produce an overall feeling of wellbeing helping you:

• Feel more energetic

• Become stronger

• Strengthen your immune system

• Improve the body’s natural ability to heal itself and repair cell damage

• Sleep better

• Ward off diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney, and liver disorders

• Keep your bones strong

So, this year focus your efforts in eating right, choose fruits instead of sugary treats, drink more water and less carbonated drinks, eat more vegetables and lean meats instead of fried foods, small changes in our eating habits go a long way in improving our health.

The Dangers of Extreme Weight Loss Exercising

Being motivated to get fit and adopt an exercise regime is great, we can all benefit from some physical activity, but extreme exercising is not something any of us should contemplate. We have been bombarded by reality TV shows where contestant’s workout 8-10 hours a day, this is not only unrealistic, it’s not healthy.

Exercising too much can have the following negative side effects:

• Severe wear and tear of muscles and joints

• Dehydration

• Increased risk of injury

• Electrolyte imbalance

• Rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition that occurs when muscle fibers break down and enter the bloodstream, these fibers called myoglobin circulate through the body and cause severe damage to the kidneys, this condition can be fatal.

DANGER! Tell Tale Signs that you need to
Visit the ER Immediately

Whether or not you have been practicing unsafe extreme weight loss type workouts, please visit your nearest emergency center, emergency room or urgent care if you or a loved one exhibit any of the following signs:

• When an injury is accompanied by a pop or a crack and it doesn’t go back to normal.

• Inability to walk or bear weight on a limb

• A joint that locks up or feels unstable

• A muscle pull, strain that is badly bruised

• If you experience ANY type of symptoms after a head injury

• You have bleeding that will not stop

• Numbness, tingling or weakness

• Any pain that is unbearable or gets worse with time

• You feel a dull ache in your chest and you are unusually out of breath

• You have the mother of all headaches.

Don’t wait in line!  Visit your nearest Altus Emergency Center.  We are Open 24/7, with No Lines to get the best ER care.

How Much Exercise is Safe?

The American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association recommend healthy adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, this can be achieved with 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 times a week or 20 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise 3 times a week.

Adults should also train each major muscle group 2-3 times a week, making sure to wait at least 48 hours between resistance training sessions.

If you don’t already exercise regularly, ease yourself into the habit, don’t try to do too much in the first day, if your goal is to walk for 30 minutes a day, start with 10-15 minutes and work yourself up to 30 minutes, there is no rush, go at your own pace, avoid extreme workout videos and if possible join a gym and have an expert design your workout plan.

This year our goal at Altus Emergency Centers is for the members of the communities we serve to improve their health, eating better and exercising more in a safe and responsible way.

We are here for you to help you prevent but we are also Open 24/7/365 if you need us.  It’s good to know that you have where to go in the event of an emergency.  At Altus Emergency Centers, you are in good hands.  Plan today to be safe tomorrow.