The idea behind fasting for many people is to cleanse the body of toxins, but the fast weight loss associated with fasting is the allure for many others. While most people will say that our high tech bodies can extract toxins all on their own, fasting to lose weight is still effective for that purpose too – to a degree.
Fasting for weight loss can be done a number of ways. You can place yourself on a liquid diet, commonly referred to as water fasting (just water, juice), you can fast on alternating days, or you can simply cut calories drastically while eating very limited portions.
The effect of a fast diet on your body will result in your energy level dropping, meaning it will look for energy elsewhere, causing you to lose weight. Your metabolism will slow down and you will become sluggish and lack energy. Your appetite will drop as well, meaning you will get hungry less often.
The problem with all of this is that once the fasting ends and you return to your regular diet and/or eating habits, your appetite hormones will start raging again meaning you may fall victim to binge eating. More often than not, you will gain the weight back as fast as you lost it. Fast diets are a quick fix for sure, but not a long term one.
It is not recommended that anyone even try fasting in the first place without consulting their physician, and you should probably be prepared for them to suggest alternate methods for weight loss such as exercise and a healthier eating plan.
Fasting in general, if done properly and only for the length of a day or so, isn’t dangerous. However, it is not recommended as a long term fix in any way. The body needs vitamins and nutrients in food that keep your body healthy. Problems that could arise include chronic fatigue, dehydration, and a break down in your immunity system.
You know your body better than anyone. You’ll know if fasting is having an adverse effect on your body and it is up to you to do the wise and sensible thing if an issue should arise. Fasting can be quiet effective if done correctly, but it is a short term fix. The only way to lose weight and maintain it is to make lifestyle changes subtly over time. Cold turkey fixes are band aid solutions at best.
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