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Benefits of Fasting

Vladaar
Vladaar Posts: 147 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Good Morning all,

I know people tend to get anxious when folks get into a calorie deficit, and I totally understand why. However, for those who get their doctor involved and might be interested I thought I might delve into the benefits of fasting. First off I think it boils down to how the human body was created. We have something called a liver that stores fat. When we were hunters and gatherers we didn't necessarily eat 3 meals a day. Sometimes we went a few days before an animal was caught or veggies gathered up. Our bodies functioned from the fat we had stored in the liver. Now fast forward to modern day today, and some people eat 6 times a day.

So we could stand for cleansing out that stored up fat now and then. Yes, staying in constant calorie deficit is bad and could have bad effects, but fasting now and then is beneficial.

1. You lose weight.
2. Cleanse your body of toxins
3. You learn that I don't need to eat every meal on the meal and I won't die. I have fasted 3 days before and not been hungry. I drink water during the fast and that gives you the fullness feeling that many want. Human's were not designed to eat high calorie processed foods every hour on the hour.
4. Some say your mental state is clearer, I haven't really noticed that myself.

Personally I do intermittent fasting now, because it works rather well and doesn't upset my spouse that I am not eating. Monday through Friday I don't eat breakfast instead I drink black coffee in the morning. Then I don't eat after dinner which I try to make sure is over by 7pm. That's 16-17 hours that I fast between meals. Some folks do the "Warrior" version which is only eat one hour out of 24 hours. I find that is inconvenient for relating with friends and family on why your not eating.

Anyway do your own research, consult your doctor and you may find it to be something you enjoy as well.

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Noel_57 wrote: »
    This is so silly. Everyone knows that lemon water and green tea will cleanse your body of toxins. And no fasting required.

    no, no, no its the ACV as a shot through the eyeball for proper toxin cleansing....
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    suzannesimmons3 wrote: »
    Well folks....happy friday

    It does seem to be one of those days....
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    I'm with the others in that cleansing your body of toxins by fasting doesn't make sense. You might be changing your gut flora though.

    I saw a news review of a new study the other day saying that said that IF "kickstarts your metabolism". Like "cleanse your toxins" this is a red flag phrase. But I'd be interested in what other have to say about this study. It's with mice not people, so there's that. And I didn't see (although may have just missed it) convincing evidence that the study/control groups were eating the identical number of calories. Interesting still.

    Here is the link to the study: https://www.nature.com/cr/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/cr2017126a.html

    "Intermittent fasting promotes adipose thermogenesis and metabolic homeostasis via VEGF-mediated alternative activation of macrophage

    Intermittent fasting (IF), a periodic energy restriction, has been shown to provide health benefits equivalent to prolonged fasting or caloric restriction. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of IF-mediated metabolic benefits is limited. Here we show that isocaloric IF improves metabolic homeostasis against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction primarily through adipose thermogenesis in mice. IF-induced metabolic benefits require fasting-mediated increases of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). Furthermore, periodic adipose-VEGF overexpression could recapitulate the metabolic improvement of IF in non-fasted animals. Importantly, fasting and adipose-VEGF induce alternative activation of adipose macrophage, which is critical for thermogenesis. Human adipose gene analysis further revealed a positive correlation of adipose VEGF-M2 macrophage-WAT browning axis. The present study uncovers the molecular mechanism of IF-mediated metabolic benefit and suggests that isocaloric IF can be a preventive and therapeutic approach against obesity and metabolic disorders."
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I do IF. I still eat three meals. But go on about what I’m detoxing my body from!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    emmydoodles83 wrote: »
    This is going to sound mean but I don't mean it that way. I am actually just saying what I've noticed over the years. The OP's that write these kind of "helpful" posts usually have less than 30 posts under their belt. I attribute it to being excited about whatever they are doing and wanting to share and help others even if they are slightly off the mark.

    yep... doesn't mean they're right though! :laugh:
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I sometimes fast for 36 hours. The only benefit I've noticed is weight control, which is cool since that's why I do it.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    Vladaar wrote: »
    LoL, fiesty today. I can understand why, there are a lot of people that have different opinions on it. I'm not claiming to be a doctor, I say consult your doctor. Research it yourself. These are the benefits, I believe comes from fasting.

    They are researching fasting now, so hopefully they will have some solid scientific evidence one way or the other on fasting soon. I fast because it works with my night eating problem, so definitely beneficial for me as it helps me stay within my calorie goal while also letting me pig out in the evenings like I like to do ;)
  • bluets2011
    bluets2011 Posts: 241 Member
    Here just for the funny comments. You guys are so creative!!!!
  • JustRobby1
    JustRobby1 Posts: 674 Member
    *Sigh* Anytime I hear "detox", "holistic cleanse", etc. I pretty much stop paying attention. It's nearly always a load of new age nut-jobbery.

    That being said, if only eating a certain time of day helps you keep a caloric deficit, go for it, but timing is irrelevant to weight loss. Named diet practitioners always want to believe there is something special to regimens, but there never is. They are just like the rest of us and bound by being in a deficit to lose weight. They just choose to focus on the sizzle not the steak either because it's more interesting to them or else they actually still believe there really is something special about it.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    OP, are you trying to reference boosted autophagy during prolonged fasting when you talk about "toxins"? You should use the correct terminology and avoid the terrible diet industry buzzwords ("toxins", "cleansing", etc.).

    Here are some good studies:
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946160/
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5064803/
    https://examine.com/nutrition/the-low-down-on-intermittent-fasting/

    Basically, there are a few studies on fasting and how it affects health, and there seems to be some promising potential benefits. But there's not a lot out there yet.

    From what I've read:
    - Most health benefits (increased autophagy, muscle preservation, better longevity) come from prolonged water fasts of 3-5 days
    - The main benefit of IF (one meal a day, 16:8, etc.) is ease of sticking to a calorie deficit
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Oh boy more woo.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited October 2017
    Muscle preservation during fasting is woo.

    Please tell me how not eating is anabolic.

    I'm talking about prolonged fasting, not IF. I practice IF for appetite regulation and it's just a means of calorie control.
This discussion has been closed.

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