Fact Check: Is starving to lose weight a healthy option?
Starving is a clear case of eating disorder and can lead to bulimia or anorexia nervosa, says medical expert
Read here: https://firstcheck.in/fact-check-starving-for-weight-loss-safe-orry/
Orhan Awatramani, an Indian internet personality, fashion icon, and socialite, recently claimed that he lost weight after practicing a grueling regimen of self-imposed starvation during late 2023. Speaking on an episode of “The Suvir Saran Show,” Orry, as he is widely known, said that the extreme routine paid off.
“I was really fat, I was really large, weighing 70 something kilos,” Orry said. “I was like, you can’t be fat and famous. That’s not going to work. No one wants to see a fat 5-foot boy walk around on TV.”
He admitted that some days without food were especially harsh. “I’d wake up and my neck would be hurting because I’d just fall asleep on the toilet seat after throwing up my dinner,” he said.
While acknowledging the dangers of starvation, he justified it as necessary to achieve his goals. “It worked, and I lost the weight,” Orry said. “That’s cheating technically, but I did it, and I did what I had to do to get what I had to get.”
‘Starving, a case of eating disorder’
First Check spoke to two medical experts, Dr Prem Gupta, a veteran general physician specializing in nutrition and gastroenterology and Dr Nimesh Desai, a renowned psychiatrist about the practice, and both termed it dangerous.
“Crash diets often lack essential nutrients, leading to long-term health issues like weakened immunity, slower metabolism, and even heart problems,” Dr Gupta said.
Dr Desai termed starvation as a clear case of eating disorder. “There are two major conditions which this can lead to, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. In both these conditions the person has disturbing thoughts which then leads to them voluntarily throwing up food (sic),” he said, adding that it was called ‘purging,’ the act of self-induced vomiting.
“Purging is where one does not allow food to stay in your system. Induced vomiting is the most common form but we also count excessive exercise as a form of purging. All of these point to an emotional disturbance for which the person should definitely seek some form of social help. It can even be as simple as sharing your thoughts with a close family member.”
Purging, he explained further, can lead to severe physical and psychological complications, including electrolyte imbalances, tooth decay, and even heart problems.
Dr. Gupta, on the other hand, stressed that regular exercise and a balanced diet are necessary for long-term weight loss. .
“Losing weight should be about improving health, not meeting unrealistic standards,” he said.
Also read: FACT CHECK: Can staying in 40°C water cause a 1kg weight loss? — First Check
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