“They can also lead to feelings of extreme hunger and cause fatigue and lethargy, as well as deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals. Over a long period of time they can result in women’s period’s stopping and can affect fertility.
“There’s also the tendency for people to get sucked into a starve/binge cycle and it can actually become harder to lose weight because of the fact that the metabolism is slowed down.
“I’m a firm believer in eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in all the essential nutrients that come from plant-based goodness, such as lots of fruit, vegetables, grains, pulses and plant-based proteins.
“This, combined with regular exercise, is in my opinion a far healthier way to achieve a healthy and sustainable weight and help you to live longer and happier.”
READ MORE: Expert’s seven exercises to tackle arthritis in fingers – movement provides ‘lubrication’
