Can Fasting Assist Rapid Weight Loss?

icandoit
icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
edited September 18 in Food and Nutrition
Can Fasting Assist Rapid Weight Loss?

Every desperate dieter has at some point considered fasting for weight loss. Yes, fasting can promote fast & rapid weight loss. Now, before you go on a hunger strike, remember your real objective.

Your real objective if you have excess body weight to shed is to improve, maximize and maintain your health in every sense of the word (Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social health.).

As an inevitable result of that prime objective, body fat loss will eventually happen as your healthy body reaches an equilibrium body weight.

Your objective should never be mere "weight loss". It must be health, resulting in body fat loss.

Fasting assists in quick or rapid weight loss. It does not assist in rapid body fat loss. In fact, absolutely nothing assists in rapid body fat loss. Loss of excess body fat is a gradual process.

Fasting for weight loss, even when still consuming water, dehydrates the body. Evolutionary biochemistry / metabolic hormones recognise the lack of caloric and nutritional intake and slows down your metabolism to preserve its energy supplies. The lack of energy means the person who is fasting will reduce their physical activity levels to preserve their strength, thus reducing the burning of stored calories. This also results in the atrophy of muscle tissue.

The human body requires nutrition and, even if starved, will source its nutrition from any source it can. Your body effectively begins to "eat" itself. Your protein requirements are met by extracting protein from your muscle tissue. This, of course, slows your metabolism even further.

Recent research has shown that during fasting for weight loss, your calcium requirements are met by your body leeching calcium from your bones. This, of course, is a form of osteoporosis and results in weaker, brittle bones.

Sure, fasting results in rapid weight loss - but not rapid body fat loss, and is certainly not a healthy way to lose weight. The weight loss from fasting is mostly loss of fluids and muscle tissue.

If you think such health damage and "cannabilism" could only be a long term process, think again. The recognised world record for a total fast (no food or water) resulted in death in 18 days. More commonly, it will kill within 10 days.

With a water permitted fast, the known record is 365 days - and lived. However, 40 days sees most people dead.

I am not opposed to fasting in certain circumstances. Various religions see fasting as a spiritual activity where the carnal urges of the body are overcome while concentrating on meditation or prayer or similar spiritual purpose. I for one trust God to look after His own when they are sincerely seeking Him.


Overall, though, fasting should never be considered a treatment for obesity or as a valid rapid weight loss treatment. Even where it is being undertaken for spiritual or health purposes other than specifically for weight loss, I'd strongly advise regular water intake (not distilled water, which no-one should ever drink due to the absense of electrolytes) and twice daily intake of a broad spectrum multi-vitamin & mineral supplement

Replies

  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
    Can Fasting Assist Rapid Weight Loss?

    Every desperate dieter has at some point considered fasting for weight loss. Yes, fasting can promote fast & rapid weight loss. Now, before you go on a hunger strike, remember your real objective.

    Your real objective if you have excess body weight to shed is to improve, maximize and maintain your health in every sense of the word (Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social health.).

    As an inevitable result of that prime objective, body fat loss will eventually happen as your healthy body reaches an equilibrium body weight.

    Your objective should never be mere "weight loss". It must be health, resulting in body fat loss.

    Fasting assists in quick or rapid weight loss. It does not assist in rapid body fat loss. In fact, absolutely nothing assists in rapid body fat loss. Loss of excess body fat is a gradual process.

    Fasting for weight loss, even when still consuming water, dehydrates the body. Evolutionary biochemistry / metabolic hormones recognise the lack of caloric and nutritional intake and slows down your metabolism to preserve its energy supplies. The lack of energy means the person who is fasting will reduce their physical activity levels to preserve their strength, thus reducing the burning of stored calories. This also results in the atrophy of muscle tissue.

    The human body requires nutrition and, even if starved, will source its nutrition from any source it can. Your body effectively begins to "eat" itself. Your protein requirements are met by extracting protein from your muscle tissue. This, of course, slows your metabolism even further.

    Recent research has shown that during fasting for weight loss, your calcium requirements are met by your body leeching calcium from your bones. This, of course, is a form of osteoporosis and results in weaker, brittle bones.

    Sure, fasting results in rapid weight loss - but not rapid body fat loss, and is certainly not a healthy way to lose weight. The weight loss from fasting is mostly loss of fluids and muscle tissue.

    If you think such health damage and "cannabilism" could only be a long term process, think again. The recognised world record for a total fast (no food or water) resulted in death in 18 days. More commonly, it will kill within 10 days.

    With a water permitted fast, the known record is 365 days - and lived. However, 40 days sees most people dead.

    I am not opposed to fasting in certain circumstances. Various religions see fasting as a spiritual activity where the carnal urges of the body are overcome while concentrating on meditation or prayer or similar spiritual purpose. I for one trust God to look after His own when they are sincerely seeking Him.


    Overall, though, fasting should never be considered a treatment for obesity or as a valid rapid weight loss treatment. Even where it is being undertaken for spiritual or health purposes other than specifically for weight loss, I'd strongly advise regular water intake (not distilled water, which no-one should ever drink due to the absense of electrolytes) and twice daily intake of a broad spectrum multi-vitamin & mineral supplement
  • borjanap
    borjanap Posts: 232 Member
    365 days really???.... who, how is that possible?
  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
    365 days really???.... who, how is that possible?

    Somebody had an angle watching over them.
  • jbuehrer
    jbuehrer Posts: 285
    I try to fast a few days in a row here and there. It seems to flush out my system. I don't do it long periods of time... i hear it slows metabolism
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I try to fast a few days in a row here and there. It seems to flush out my system. I don't do it long periods of time... i hear it slows metabolism

    It does indeed.
    If you really want to flush your system...eat normally, drink 3 or 4 litres of water (over the day, not at once) and take several cranberry extract tablets. I promise, your urine will look like water and your kidneys will feel great. No fasting needed. You've just rinsed your filtration system right there.
  • jbuehrer
    jbuehrer Posts: 285
    I have candidas that's why i fast.... I also take a lot of crazy herbal pills that i got from a shaklee herbalist. fasting helps those herbs really react. but you're right! lot's of water... I am a water machine.... 10-12 glasses a day. whoot.
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