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.

c166894_m 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?