Fasting for Weight Loss: Is Fasting To Lose Weight Quickly A Good Idea?

Oct 1 by Joanna

Although fasting is not the most practical, easiest, or healthiest way to lose weight, many people use various forms of fasting to lose weight or detoxify the body.

Fasting is an excellent way to give your body a break from all the hard work it is doing digesting and eliminating the foods you eat. It can do wonders to your body, allowing it to cleanse itself, heal, and – of course – lose weight.

The simplest form of fasting – i.e. water fasting for weight loss - requires drinking nothing but pure water.

Many people argue (and I tend to agree) that water fasting is the only real form of fasting.

Other forms of fasting, such as juice fasting, for example, are just restrictive diets. Certain “fasting diets for weight loss” allow liquids such as juice or tea, eating only raw foods, or reduce calories consumed daily, without eliminating food altogether. Some people may try fasting every other day for weight loss.

You may be wondering “Is fasting good for weight loss?” The answer is, not really.

Why is fasting to lose weight not the optimal way to shed pounds for most people?

If weight loss is about expanding more calories that we eat, then fasting may seem like an ideal way to lose weight fast. Right??

Wrong!

While it’s true that during the fast, your body has to use the energy stores to get the fuel it needs to keep going, which results in weight loss, however, unfortunately, the results may not be as fast or as dramatic as one may expect.

The reason is that our bodies have been genetically programmed to minimize the effects of fasting, so when we eat less food, our metabolism SLOWS DOWN to conserve energy. When the fast ends, and you start eating again, you risk to regain the lost pounds quickly.

What you need to keep in mind is that fasting will slow down your metabolism, and this lowered metabolic rate will last for as long as SIX WEEKS after you end the fast.

That is why it is so important to establish some foundation of healthy eating habits PRIOR to starting the fast.

If you are unable or unwilling to make PERMANENT changes to your diet and follow a healthy eating plan after the fast, then there really is NO POINT in fasting. If you fast and then go back to your former unhealthy and excessive way of eating, you will eventually GAIN THE WEIGHT RIGHT BACK and the benefits of the fast will go to waste.

That is why fasting is not the best option for most overweight people who are simply trying to lose some weight. It is FAR MORE IMPORTANT for them to adopt a healthy diet and active life-style to maintain their ideal weight and be healthy in the long term.

So if you go back to your old eating habits – you will actually put on weight even more quickly than before. So it is critical to follow a healthy eating plan and NOT TO OVEREAT after the fast.

If you are truly concerned about being overweight, you must make permanent changes to your life-style and eating habits that you are willing to live with for the rest of your life!

A slim, healthy body will then be a natural result as a consequence of your new habits, which should include better food choices and – of course – fitness activity.

Is Fasting To Lose Weight Safe?

Fasting for a couple of days is safe for people who are in good health. However, fasting for longer periods of time should be done only under supervision of a physician who is knowledgeable in the subject of fasting.  Especially if you have a chronic illness, even the short-term fasting is not recommended. Women who are pregnant or nursing, or anyone with a chronic disease, also shouldn’t fast.

Recommended reading: “Fasting and Eating for Health” by Joel Fuhrman.

Questions? Comments? Weight Loss Tips?

Why not add to the conversation in the comment section below! Are you trying to lose weight? What type of diet are you following? What are you struggling with? Want to share some weight loss tips with other readers?

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Weight Loss Motivation: Are people in your life sabotaging your motivation for weight loss?

Aug 29 by Joanna

Daily weight loss motivation can be a huge problem for many people, and often our family and friends tend to make it even harder on us. Today I want to share with you some thoughts I just received via email regarding people in your life who may be sabotaging your efforts to shed those pounds. We all have them in our lives – our spouses, parents, friends and colleagues.  What is the best way to deal with them? Keep reading for some weight loss motivation tips.

Are people in your life sabotaging your fat loss efforts?

It never ceases to amaze me that the people in our lives we think would be the most supportive of our health and fitness goals sometimes are the ones that sabotage us the most.

You know who I’m talking about. Those family members and friends that tell you:

“Oh, just have one piece.”

“Oh come on, you only live once.”

“Are you really not going to eat any of this?”

We all have these “bad food” villains in our lives and if losing weight wasn’t hard enough, this does not make the situation any easier. (I know you can agree with me on that one.)

Trust me, I’ve heard it all. In all the years that I have been eating healthy, I don’t care to repeat some of the ridiculous statements that have been said to me by my family and friends (Love you guys).

Here are some ways you can deal with these “bad food” villains, I mean loving family and friends while still maintaining your cool and achieving all of your health goals.

1.) Remember most of the people who are trying to sabotage your new healthy eating plan are just jealous or upset that they do not have enough determination, will power and commitment to do it themselves. Please be compassionate. If we want people to be compassionate with us, we must show compassion towards them (yup, now we’re back in kindergarten). Respond to them with statements that only describe you, not them. You do not want to offend anyone or hurt anyone’s feelings (or at least I hope you don’t). Try statements like:

“I really feel great eating this way. It’s made such a difference in my life already.”

Or

“I know I am doing something great for my health and I feel awesome about it.”

Or

“I really want to be a good role model for my family and my children. I want to show them all healthy habits.”

Who can say anything negative to that? (I know, I’m sure you’ve got at least one person). What you have done however, is not attacked them at all and you have kept it positive. No sense in resorting to childish antics like “Nani Nani Poopoo, I’m healthy and you’re not.” Come on, nobody wants to hear that.

2.) Next are those situations where you are in someone’s home and you do not want to offend them.

If this is a dinner party, just do the best you can. I promise you, you will not be sabotaging all of your good efforts by eating one meal that is not part of your plan. It might actually be a good break from your routine. Here’s where most people go wrong. They think if they had one bad thing now need to throw in the towel all together. One meal is NOT enough reason to give up on your health goals. Make your grandma happy by eating her lasagna (or whatever the meal may be) and don’t go overboard. One piece is enough and you have not offended anyone. Wake up the next day and move forward with your healthy food, like nothing ever happened (Lasagna? What Lasagna? I didn’t see any Lasagna.) Don’t torture yourself, or reflect on the meal. Telling yourself you have failed and then harping about it is actually worse than eating the bad food. No more beating yourself up!

3.) If you find that there are just some people who are super negative about what you are doing no matter what you try, don’t talk to them about your eating. I would love to tell you to avoid these people, but sometimes they are people who are the closest to us. Show them the wonderful side effects of healthy eating just by your actions alone. Your results will speak for themselves. I gave up on trying to convince certain people of the true benefits of healthy nutrition a long time ago. It was just too exhausting and I’m pretty sure they are now well aware of all the wonderful benefits just by my own results and actions.

Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do anything, especially reach the health and weight goals that you want. Show them what you’ve got by your amazing results and that will be enough to keep most people from trying to knock you down.

Isabel De Los Rios
TheDietSolutionProgram.com

Questions? Comments? Weight Loss Tips?

Why not add to the conversation in the comment section below! Are you trying to lose weight? What type of diet are you following? What are you struggling with?

Want to share some weight loss tips with other readers? I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!

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