By Jasmine Perez |Staff Writer|

Trying to lose weight quickly, eating less without getting sufficient nutrients, and feeling stressed out after eating certain food are dangers that one may face when striving for that “healthy” lifestyle.

Orthorexia is a medical condition when eating healthy becomes an obsession. Dietitians and personal trainers discuss the misconceptions that come with eating healthy.

Having a healthy lifestyle is something that many strive for but when it turns into an obsession it can become dangerous.

“In my opinion, when people cut out carbs or protein they are actually not able to lose the weight that they would like,” said Teresa Gonzalez, an independent distributor from the nutrition company Herbalife.

“Protein helps the body in the fat burning process,” continued Gonzalez.

Individuals often strive for a certain body type and that influences the choices they make when they consume certain foods.

“Slow and steady is much healthier and long lasting,” said renal dietician for DaVita Debra Arguelloa.

“When you lose weight quickly, it usually means you are eating fewer calories than your body can handle and you will lose muscle along with fat which is obviously not healthy,” continued Arguelloa.

Nutrient deficiency can be caused when one takes their healthy diet to an extreme.

Individuals often don’t take into account that if they are on a healthy diet that includes mostly greens, they can lose a lot of nutrients that one’s body needs.

“If a person is eating a cabbage soup diet where all they eat is cabbage soup or an all liquid diet without medical supervision, yes it can be dangerous,” said Arguello.

“People can become nutrient deficient on harsh diets or use of certain ‘remedies’ or ‘lose weight fast’ pills,” mentioned Arguello. “People can also develop eating disorders from being obsessed with all their weight and food intake.”

Another misconception is that when you eat less food in a day, it will contribute to a faster weight loss process.

“How much an individual should consume each day relates to their Total Daily Energy Expenditure [their activity level during the day] and their goal,” said Rec Center personal trainer Jasmine Quintana.

“I would calculate a person’s maintenance based on their height, weight and activity level and then subtract 500 calories from that which would be a negative calorie level of 3,500 calories a week which is equal to a pound of weight loss,” said Arguello.

Personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts often believe in “cheat days” while others will feel stressed out if they have a “cheat day.”

A cheat day refers to when someone who normally eats healthy and clean consumes one unhealthy meal a week. This can be eating fatty foods for a day every two weeks or once a month just depending on the person and how they feel about it.

“Personally, I feel that moderation is key,” said Quintana. “If you’re with your family at the fair and you want a fried oreo, I’d say go for it. If you’re out to eat with friends and want some fries, I’d say have a few.”

Having a couple cheat days will not affect your fitness journey if you don’t take it to an extreme.

Next time you are planning your diet to stay fit, think about the misconceptions and do not let it affect your health because after all, health should be a number one priority.