Significant weight loss, dry skin, excessive hair loss – what does that sound like to you? Brittle nails, constant fatigue and a sickly pale complexion. I’m talking about what happens when you don’t eat.
A common myth among pre-teens and teens is that if you don’t eat, you will lose weight. That is true to a certain extent but do you know what kind of suffering your body is going through? Let me break it down for you.
IN 6 HOURS
When you eat, excess food that is not used is stored in your body as a sugar known as glycogen. After 6 hours, your body’s blood sugar starts to drop and in reaction to that, your body converts glycogen back into glucose to fuel your body.
FOOD-LESS FOR 3 DAYS
Stores are bound to run out – the same goes with your body. The glycogen will probably keep your body sustained for about a day or two then your body enters ‘Starvation Mode’ (yes, it is a real term). This stage is also known as ketosis, where there are higher concentrations of ketone bodies. Ketone bodies are produced by the fatty acids in your body. For the meantime, your body will get energy from the ketone bodies.
FAST FORWARD TO 6 DAYS
After the fats are used up, the body has no choice but to start breaking down proteins, which is essentially, muscle. Your muscles start to waste away for the first 72 hours. However, roughly after 72 hours, the body gets used to the hunger – it starts to conserve energy and as a result, your metabolism plummets.
STARVING FOR 3 WHOLE WEEKS
Your body’s metabolism has fallen to use as little energy as possible but your body is still looking for energy. After depleting its source of energy in your muscles, your body will start to break down tissue. Tissue makes up your organs like your stomach, your lungs. Your body is practically eating itself at this stage. You will most probably start to get sick because your immune system has been weakened and you are lacking many minerals and nutrients. Your bone density deceases as well.
Many people die from disease at this point because the body is unable to fight the external viruses. Even if you don’t die of disease, the body will be cannibalizing itself. People die from heart attacks at this stage too because the muscles in key organs such as the heart has been broken down.
MORE INFO
Even if you do abstain for food for several days, your body is bound to have some negative reactions, and some may even be irreversible. Not eating is basically torturing your own body and if you stop eating to lose weight and look skinny, trust me, you don’t look very great at all.
You will look gaunt and scary, you lose hair and instead grow soft furry hair on your limbs and back, a condition called lanugo. This is barely the tip of the iceberg so remember your mealtimes!
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