PASSAGE
Water and weight loss
Crash dieting takes the biggest toll on the water reserves in our body. Loss of water is one of the biggest issues in crash dieting and its associated 'guaranteed weight loss'. Crash dieting which restricts nutrient and water intake leads to rapid water loss from your body. This on the weighing scale will show itself as weight loss.
This drop in body weight is not reduction of body fat but loss of all important water. Loss of water impairs circulation, reduces muscle bone, joint and bone health and obviously overworks the kidney, heart and lungs. Yes, it will also lead to body odour because the composition of sweat changes.
Losing weight is no big deal, if you lose body water. Body builders and wrestless routinely adopt this practice. They bring their weight down by as much as 4 kilos on the day prior to a competition. This allows them to complete in a lower weight group and improves their chances of winning. But what do common people like us gain by crash dieting.
To understand the meaning of 'crash dieting', let's analyze the options provided:
- Attempts to lose weight rapidly: This option aligns with the common understanding of crash dieting. It involves making drastic changes to one's eating habits to achieve quick weight loss results. Such diets are typically unsustainable in the long term and can be unhealthy.
- Frequent changes in diet: While frequent changes might be part of some dieting strategies, 'crash dieting' specifically refers to rapid weight loss, not just frequent alterations in diet.
- Avoiding junk food: Avoiding junk food can certainly be a part of healthy eating, but it doesn't encompass the extreme measures associated with crash dieting.
- Taking a healthy diet: A healthy diet generally involves balanced, sustainable eating habits aimed at maintaining overall health, which is contrary to the short-term focus of crash dieting.
Based on the options and passage provided, the correct answer is 'attempts to lose weight rapidly'. Crash dieting imposes severe calorie restrictions leading to rapid, but often unhealthy, weight loss primarily through water loss rather than fat loss. This is illustrated in the passage, which explains how crash dieting affects water reserves in the body, potentially impairing health.
Important Questions from Health Education
- Which of the following is a consequence of water loss due to crash dieting ?
- Why do bodybuilders and wrestlers lose water before competitions ?
- What is one of the main issues with crash dieting?
- What is the consequence of a drastic change the composition of sweat due to water loss?
- Which of the following are the objectives of the National programme for Health care of the Elderly (NPHCE)?
a. To provide accessaible and affordable healthcare services for the elderly
b. To promote active and healthy ageing
c. To provide life skills training
d. To establish medical services exclusively for urban population
Choose the correct answer from the options :
