Dieting was specifically formulated by physicians and nutritionist for the sole purpose of losing excess weight that could possibly lead to serious health problems and to promote good health in general. That is why regulating your food intake does not mean simply eating lesser amounts of food than you did before but it stresses on the importance of having a well- balanced, low-calorie diet and is always paired with exercise.

But nowadays, dieting has somehow shifted its purpose to something more superficial – losing weight, simply losing weight. And new dieting practices have become alarmingly dangerous. People are now so concerned of just losing those excess pounds that they are ignoring the toll that it has on one's health. Listed below are several practices that dieters should be aware off and most importantly to keep away from.

1. Crash Dieting (a.k.a. fasting)

This dieting regime may guarantee weight loss in an instant but beware; this is by far one of the most dangerous ways of losing weight. Being on a crash diet means you are only allowed to take dangerously small amounts of food. Naturally, the body needs replenishment of liquid and food throughout the day to allow it to maintain its normal functions. Without food, organs will have no energy to keep working. Crash diets do just that; deprive the body of its needed minerals and nutrients. This weight loss program is known to lead to serious health problems such as organ failure and heart problems.

2. Diet pills

Diet pills can have very adverse and dangerous effects to the body. These drugs alter the normal processes of the body such as mineral absorption, metabolism and appetite. These pills are normally being prescribed by doctors to help control obesity for overweight patients. But for people who do not have this problem at all and would just like to shed off extra pounds, then it could be very dangerous for them. Most people who take these pills without an obesity problem also have a very high tendency of being addicted to the medication.

3. Muscle stimulators

Electrical muscle stimulators have been proven to help in physical therapy. But so far there have been no medical explanations as to how it could help lose weight. The US Federal Trade Commission has even seized several of these products for their misleading claims of being able to promote weight loss.

4. Diuretics

Diuretics help the body lose fluid but not body fat. This is very dangerous when taken over long periods of time. Along with the fluid released, important minerals and nutrients will also be drained from the body.

5. Skin patches

These products have claimed to be one of the easiest ways to lose weight. Just stick it on your skin and all the fat burning will be done entirely by the patch. Unfortunately, losing weight has never been that easy. Losing calories means a lot of movement, and therefore exercise.

So to all the dieters out there, keep away from these dangerous practices. Their promises may sound very tempting but these practices could possibly give you more harm than good. When planning to lose weight, always opt for the healthy way – good old dieting and exercise.