fasting: opinions

NatWillBeSkinny
NatWillBeSkinny Posts: 111 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
iv been reading on the internet that fasting for one or two days in a week can help with weight loss without effecting your health? im thinking of doing this every sunday see if it does help but dont want it to effect my health, what does everybody else think or have u tryed it or do you do it?? thanks

Replies

  • hendinerik
    hendinerik Posts: 287 Member
    If you are trying to do some type of "detox" that's one thing, but I know for myself I could not sustain something like that on a weekly basis. If you do it I would think you would want to pick a day where you are not exercising and is not too hectic. For me my metabolism is such that I tend to eat frequently and it just doesn't work for me to fast. If I did it, I would feel so hungry the next day I would probably eat two days worth!

    It might not be bad to have a fasting "partner" so you can keep "in check" with each other. Good luck and be careful.
  • Squible
    Squible Posts: 359 Member
    Majority of the guys at my work were doing the 5 on 2 off (eat whatever they want 5 days a week starve for 2) and one of them said he had lost a stone in about 6 weeks (he started just before xmas)

    I dont agree with this approach, your body needs fuel and nutrients and starving doesn't provide that at all, I yo-yo my calories (not on purpose just i over eat some days so i make sure i'm under the next) but I still try and eat lots of healthy fruit and veg and protein to keep me going.
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    There's no problem with fasting SAFELY. There's a million opinions on fasting & variations of fasting, but it really comes down to being safe. If you're doing it just 1 day out of the week, & on that day you're not intensely exercising & still allowing yourself water or other liquids, you should be fine.
    Some people do intermittent fasting (IF or 5:2.) Without me sounding like I'm promoting it (I'm not) people just reduce their calories 2 days out of the week, say by half, or as low as 500 calories.
    Generally anything more than that I would be skeptical if it's actually healthy or safe for you.
  • EdwarddeVere
    EdwarddeVere Posts: 178
    I fast 3 times within a 24 hour period with great results everyday.

    The break down is:

    13.5/4.5/4.5 hours of fasting

    First, I eat a good, healthy dinner as I start my main fast at night. After dinner, I fast for approximately 13.5 hours.

    Next, I eat break-FAST to break my fast. After a good, healthy breakfast I start my smaller fast of approximately 4.5 hours.

    Since, I am moving, using my body, I do a quick top up of energy and eat a good, healthy lunch and then fast for an additional 4.5 hours.

    Now, this process brings me back to dinner and you start the process all over again.

    I fast a grand total of 22.5 hours each day! Thats a total fasting time of 157.5 hours a week! This combined with exercise gets great results.

    Happy Fasting!
  • flanyo
    flanyo Posts: 15
    There is more and more info coming out about this all the time. Don't know if you live in the Uk or not but there have been a few programmes about it on the BBC etc. Apparently it can be quite good for you and has many benefits. Calorie restriction is another interesting lifestyle which brings about many benefits.
    It is something that will have have to try and see if it works for you. There are many that dismiss these ideas probably due to lack of understanding and knowledge...
    There are plenty of Youtube vids about all of this, check them out and make your own mind up. Fasting is tough at first - good luck with it : )
  • sugarxmexsweet
    sugarxmexsweet Posts: 44
    iv been reading on the internet that fasting for one or two days in a week can help with weight loss without effecting your health? im thinking of doing this every sunday see if it does help but dont want it to effect my health, what does everybody else think or have u tryed it or do you do it?? thanks

    If you can do it honey then why not but I on the other hand could not. I can go without breakfast and lunch and just eat dinner but I couldn't go the full day. Good luck.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,995 Member
    I did 5:2 intermittent fasting for a few months and was quite successful at losing weight through it. I lost 10 kilos in 3 months. I cheated, and netted 500 on the down days by actually eating 1000 and doing a big cardio workout. Had no problems working out fasted.

    Although I found the down days tough (after all, I cheated) I did enjoy building up a calorie buffer for social meals on the weekend. I fell out of the program when I went on vacation and never got back into it. I must say I lost weight more steadily doing 5:2 than with the comparable average daily deficit I am doing nowadays.

    My original reasoning for trying IF was because I thought that occasional extreme deprivation would be easier to handle than constant low level deprivation, psychologically. If you crave something naughty you only have to wait one day to have it.
  • Gianna5587
    Gianna5587 Posts: 59 Member
    http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/Pages/Does-the-5-2-intermittent-fasting-diet-work.aspx

    This is what the NHS in the UK has to say about it.. In summary, they can't recommend it because there haven't been any studies carried out over a long enough period.

    But I imagine it's pretty close to how we would have eaten back in the hunter gatherer days, and people have fasted for religious reasons for a looooong time without coming to any harm..

    I'd like to give it a go for a while and see how it goes.

    I think on the 5:2 you are supposed to eat a limited number of calories on your fast days? And personally I don't think I'd exercise on fast days.

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