Fasting Diets - Any real short/long term benefit?

ronadams52

Taken from WebMD 04/28/12. I am just the messenger, not the author!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/fasting?ecd=wnl_wlw_042812

Fasting Diets

Most religions use periods of fasting as a means of demonstrating faith or penitence, and an opportunity for spiritual reflection. Fasting has also historically been a means to express political views and a form of protest.

Though it may not be the most practical -- or safest -- diet, some people use fasting as a way to lose weight or to cleanse the body of toxins, although experts say our bodies are perfectly equipped with organs that already do the job. How fasting is used for weight loss varies by diet. Some fasting diets involve drinking nothing but water or eating only raw foods for a period of one or more days, while others restrict food on alternate days. Certain fasting diets only allow liquids like water, juice, or tea, while others dramatically cut calories but do not eliminate food altogether.

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Does Fasting Help You Lose Weight?

When you fast, your body is forced to dip into energy stores to get the fuel it needs to keep going, so you will lose weight. The big question is how long you will keep that weight off. Because food was often scarce for our ancestors, our bodies have been genetically programmed to combat the effects of fasting. When you eat less food, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. Then, when you go back to your usual diet, your lowered metabolism may cause you to store more energy, meaning that you will probably gain back the weight you lost and possibly even put on more weight when eating the same calories you did before the fast.

As you fast, your body will adjust by reducing your appetite, so you will initially feel less hungry. But once you have stopped fasting, your appetite hormones will kick back into gear and you may actually feel hungrier and be more likely to binge.

Research has shown that fasting on alternate days can help people lose weight, but not for long. In one study, people who followed an alternate-day fasting diet shed weight, even when they ate all they wanted on the non-fasting days. However, they could not maintain the weight loss over time.

Can Fasting Detoxify the Body?

Some fasting diets claim that they can cleanse the body of impurities. However, there is no evidence that fasting detoxifies your body, or that your body even needs to be detoxified. It is naturally designed to remove toxins through the skin (by sweating), liver, colon, and kidneys.

Could Fasting Help You Live Longer?

Studies of fasting in both rodents and humans appear to indicate a connection between calorie restriction and longevity. In one study of overweight men and women, a calorie-restricted diet improved markers of aging, such as insulin level and body temperature.

Fasting might also improve longevity by delaying the onset of age-related diseases including Alzheimer's, heart disease, and diabetes. One study showed that skipping meals once a month, as members of the Mormon religious group do, reduces the risk of clogged arteries (the build-up of plaque that can lead to heart attacks and strokes). However, it is not clear from this research whether fasting alone or the Mormons' generally healthier lifestyle (they also abstain from coffee, alcohol, and smoking) is responsible for the improved heart health.

Researchers do not yet know whether the effects of fasting translate into an actual increase in lifespan, because they have not followed people for long enough periods of time.

Fasting for a day or two probably won't hurt people who are generally healthy, provided they maintain an adequate fluid intake. However, fasting entirely for long periods of time can be harmful. Your body needs a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from food to stay healthy. Not getting enough of these nutrients during fasting diets can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, constipation, dehydration, gallstones, and cold intolerance. It is possible to die if you fast too long.

Even short-term fasting is not recommended for people with diabetes, because it can lead to dangerous dips and spikes in blood sugar. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or anyone with a chronic disease, should not fast.

Before you go on any type of new diet, particularly one that involves fasting, talk to your doctor to find out whether it is safe and appropriate for you. Also ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietitian, who can show you how to design a healthy eating plan.

kate_sunflower

I'm a firm believer in fasting (particularly intermittent fasting)... as long as you are doing it for the right reasons... for the detoxification effects and not to compensate for a binge. I would like to be able to incorporate fasting into my diet soon but I am starting slow with eating windows everyday between certain hours.

rileysowner

This is a pretty basic article and leaves out a lot of information. For example, it speaks of decreasing metabolism from fasting. Research shows that decrease does not happen immediately, but takes at least 24 and usually closer to 72 hours. For that matter, in the first 24-36 hours there is an increase in metabolism in most people which makes sense since your body wants you to go hunt down your next meal, slowing your metabolism would not be beneficial for that. After a certain amount of time, that increase in metabolism becomes counterproductive, thus the decrease in metabolism. Positive effects of fasting are increased use of stored body fat, especially after about 16-18 hours, increase in growth hormone levels (again in those first 24-36 hours), improved insulin sensitivity, and others. It is for this reason I incorporate 1 or 2 twenty-four hour fasts a week. I fast from after supper on night to supper the next having a normal supper, so I actually never go a day without having a meal. Then I go back to my normal eating the other days. This is the Eat Stop Eat approach to intermittent fasting. It works well for me, but I am sure it would not work for everyone.

kate_sunflower

This is a pretty basic article and leaves out a lot of information. For example, it speaks of decreasing metabolism from fasting. Research shows that decrease does not happen immediately, but takes at least 24 and usually closer to 72 hours. For that matter, in the first 24-36 hours there is an increase in metabolism in most people which makes sense since your body wants you to go hunt down your next meal, slowing your metabolism would not be beneficial for that. After a certain amount of time, that increase in metabolism becomes counterproductive, thus the decrease in metabolism. Positive effects of fasting are increased use of stored body fat, especially after about 16-18 hours, increase in growth hormone levels (again in those first 24-36 hours), improved insulin sensitivity, and others. It is for this reason I incorporate 1 or 2 twenty-four hour fasts a week. I fast from after supper on night to supper the next having a normal supper, so I actually never go a day without having a meal. Then I go back to my normal eating the other days. This is the Eat Stop Eat approach to intermittent fasting. It works well for me, but I am sure it would not work for everyone.

The eat-stop-eat idea is something I'm trying to work up to! Did you notice better weight loss with it and did it get easier? Any advice?

rileysowner

This is a pretty basic article and leaves out a lot of information. For example, it speaks of decreasing metabolism from fasting. Research shows that decrease does not happen immediately, but takes at least 24 and usually closer to 72 hours. For that matter, in the first 24-36 hours there is an increase in metabolism in most people which makes sense since your body wants you to go hunt down your next meal, slowing your metabolism would not be beneficial for that. After a certain amount of time, that increase in metabolism becomes counterproductive, thus the decrease in metabolism. Positive effects of fasting are increased use of stored body fat, especially after about 16-18 hours, increase in growth hormone levels (again in those first 24-36 hours), improved insulin sensitivity, and others. It is for this reason I incorporate 1 or 2 twenty-four hour fasts a week. I fast from after supper on night to supper the next having a normal supper, so I actually never go a day without having a meal. Then I go back to my normal eating the other days. This is the Eat Stop Eat approach to intermittent fasting. It works well for me, but I am sure it would not work for everyone.

The eat-stop-eat idea is something I'm trying to work up to! Did you notice better weight loss with it and did it get easier? Any advice?

First piece of advice is read the actual e-book. Lots of good information in it. Well worth the purchase, especially since Brad Pilon gives free updates. When he comes out with a new edition you will get an e-mail so you can download it.

Second, I have had no problem doing it, but I naturally don't like eating small frequent meals. I am a 3 meal a day person generally, although there are days like today when I will end up having a fourth meal due to my schedule and what I have eaten. There are only so many veggies I can fit in my stomach at ones. I would suggest though, to help with getting into it, doing a supper to supper fast, that way you are sleeping or busy most of the time you are fasting. Drink lots, and I mean lots of water. I also drink unsweetened tea black (green tea because I like it, but white, black, oolong and all the rest too) or unsweetened black coffee. Don't neglect the non-caloric fluids. They keep the stomach full. The down side is they keep the bladder full too, so there are many trips to the washroom. Beyond that, I can only say your body will need to re-learn habits.

Third, fat loss. I have had good success with it, but I have had good success with almost every approach I have used for weight loss. For me the biggest benefit is that I learn what real hunger feels like, most of us never learn or really know what hunger is like because our meals take hours to digest so most of us, even after a night of sleep, are still digesting food from out evening meal. Learning what hunger really feels like is helpful to learn not to be fooled by the false hunger of boredom eating. I know hormone wise these one or two 24 hour fasts a week are beneficial raising growth hormone levels to preserve muscle, increasing insulin sensitivity, and more.

When it comes down to it, it is a matter of doing it. Realize there is a learning curve for some people, especially those who are used to eating all the time.

AngelAura777

I love intermittent fasting it has helped me break through my plateau and I am already noticing changes and its easier to keep my diet good and I can allow bad stuff every now and then without having to worry so much as long as im within my macros. I used to be on a 1200 calorie diet but now im eating 1900 doing weights and fasting and its so much better for me.