Fasting...?

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Yesterday, I only had lunch, but it was a rather large and unhealthy lunch, and I should NOT have ate that..(whooops) BUT I feel like I need to refresh my body, and almost not eat today and fast for the day. Does anyone else do this? I do want to go to the gym and will be starving if I do, so I may make like a peanut butter smoothie or tuna but basically just eat nothing, to clean my body out. Is this a good idea or a bad idea?

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  • Dreamerlove
    Dreamerlove Posts: 441 Member
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    Yesterday, I only had lunch, but it was a rather large and unhealthy lunch, and I should NOT have ate that..(whooops) BUT I feel like I need to refresh my body, and almost not eat today and fast for the day. Does anyone else do this? I do want to go to the gym and will be starving if I do, so I may make like a peanut butter smoothie or tuna but basically just eat nothing, to clean my body out. Is this a good idea or a bad idea?

    I want to add, that this "lunch" kept me full all day..thats why I didn't eat anymore, and that's how bad it was!
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
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    I don't know if it is the best idea medically speaking but I can tell you that I do the exact same thing! I ate a lot yesterday so I am only eating tuna and veggies today. Plus a 20 minute workout. Of course if I feel bad or light headed I will eat something light but otherwise I am kinda fasting like you said.
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
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    Starvation = Not Healthy. You may want to refresh your body w/ healthy foods instead of depriving it of any.
  • Breathe_Glamour
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    Back in the day, during my dieting days lol, I ate whatever I wanted one day & fasted the next day. I read that it was a great way to lose weight & that I'd feel great - that only lasted 8 days for me.

    Yesterday is over & done with. Do you really think that by choosing not to eat today that you'll make up for any "damage" done yesterday? If so, you're fooling yourself.

    Eat, hunnie! If you're hungry, then you should eat. Just make sure you make wise choices & drink at least 8 glasses of water. If you workout, then hit the treadmill, elliptical machine or whatever you use. Dwelling on what you ate for lunch yesterday is not going to help you do well today at all.

    Good luck.
  • antiadipose
    antiadipose Posts: 447
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    wait why did u both say tuna? is that like a new cleanse or was it just a coincidence?

    I personally dont think u should "fast" because tomorrow if u start eating normally again, ur body is gna store a lot of it and ull feel super bloated. but i do know what ur talking about... and ive been there. so what i usually do is i steer clear from processed foods, drink LOADS of water, and eat loads of veggies and fruits with simple proteins... nothing cooked in stews/marinara/sauce. and that keeps my metabolism on its toes. but thats what i do =]
    good luck.
  • michlingle
    michlingle Posts: 797 Member
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    I think there is nothing wrong with not eating for the day, there is nothing wrong with taking one or two days to clease yourself by drinking a lot of water or tea and hitting the virtual reset button. You will NOT hurt yourself by not eating for a day or two.
  • angela75022
    angela75022 Posts: 100 Member
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    You just need to forgive yourself for being bad and eat health foods... starvation only hurts you and your progress. Make that your cheat day for the week or the month and remember how it made you feel so you won't do it again lol :flowerforyou:
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
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    Okay folks...

    Skipping one to two meals, or hell, a whole days worth DOES NOT equal starvation.

    Doing this multiple days in a row or continually eating far below recommended calorie intake is essentially, a form of starvation.
  • vencellia
    vencellia Posts: 89 Member
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    Well I have done plenty of fast. And I didn't gain back anything after them but the key is the after fast menu. You cant fast today and eat steak with gravy mac n cheese yams and potato salad the next day! Of course the pounds will come back. Right now I'm doing a 14 day full liquid fast with my doctors permission but I do check in once a week these 2 wks. And I can have farina,oatmeal, jello's,custards,broths and juices, just no solid food and I lost 4.4 in 4 days and the after fast is tuna,veggies,salads and fruits for 3 days then regular diet again.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    good article on fasting here http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/intermittent-fasting/fast-way-to-better-health/

    Historically, humans would have gorged following a kill or after coming across some wild fruit, then gone for extended periods with no food. In other words, we would have experienced alternating periods of feasting and fasting.

    That being said, eating once every three days isn't realistic or easy in today's day and age. But that doesn't mean we can't use some of these principles to fast-forward our own weight loss.
  • cb1039
    cb1039 Posts: 6
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    You cant really "cleanse" yourself by not eating. I understand the mind set behind this and I also did a restart after a couple of oopsies. I bought a detox product and used that as a reset point, but i still maintained my daily set calorie intake. What I do after an episode of not eating right is hit the gym extra hard the next day. Another way I do it is i plan my calories for the day...for instance, tonight I am going out to eat with friends and i already know that i will prob have lots of wine along with my food...soooo, i am planing an extra healthy breakfast and will have my butt kicked at the gym so I have extra calories to play around with tonight. point is, dont beat up on urself and stay positive!!
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    You are making food such an emotional thing if you are choosing to fast because you feel guilty. Fasting in and of itself for a limited period of time is not a bad thing, but you need to look at your motivation. MFP is more about fitness, so I would suggest you be more attentive to your food choices and what will sustain you, especially when you are exercising because your body needs fuel. Eating 1 meal a day on a regular basis is not a wise choice, but can certainly understand if you were not hungry and didn't want to eat, that it is not an issue for that particular day. Hoping you will glean things from all your supporters out here and find what works well for you. Just be healthy!!!!
  • Dreamerlove
    Dreamerlove Posts: 441 Member
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    Hey, I like everyones different persoective, but just to clear things up, I do not want to fast because I feel guilty or to make up for the calorie intake, I just feel like my body is bloated and full of fryed food, so I just feel full, I am not even hungrey (for a first). I would'nt call it starvation. If not fasting for some of you who don't think it is ok, How do you cleanse your body?
  • Dreamerlove
    Dreamerlove Posts: 441 Member
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    wait why did u both say tuna? is that like a new cleanse or was it just a coincidence?

    I personally dont think u should "fast" because tomorrow if u start eating normally again, ur body is gna store a lot of it and ull feel super bloated. but i do know what ur talking about... and ive been there. so what i usually do is i steer clear from processed foods, drink LOADS of water, and eat loads of veggies and fruits with simple proteins... nothing cooked in stews/marinara/sauce. and that keeps my metabolism on its toes. but thats what i do =]
    good luck.


    Hey I like tuna, bc it is super good for you and yummy! I can eat it right out of the can and be happy, some people use mayo, salt, and pepper, but that is when it can be bad for you. Plus after a workout, it makes you full w/out feeling like you worked out for nothing.
  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
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    Hey, I like everyones different persoective, but just to clear things up, I do not want to fast because I feel guilty or to make up for the calorie intake, I just feel like my body is bloated and full of fryed food, so I just feel full, I am not even hungrey (for a first). I would'nt call it starvation. If not fasting for some of you who don't think it is ok, How do you cleanse your body?

    I don't think fasts are necessary if you eat clean, stuff that either came from the ground or had a mother. Though I'd go for the fiber: veggies and fruit ... tuna isn't exactly going to help the fried stuff move. I'm just saying.

    By the way, the cavemen didn't exactly gorge on deep fried and baked goodies!
  • 1Steph1
    1Steph1 Posts: 145
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    Your killing your metabolism! I agree with eating clean thats what refreshes me. Fasts suck.. :) Fuel your boddyyyyyy
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    Hey, I like everyones different persoective, but just to clear things up, I do not want to fast because I feel guilty or to make up for the calorie intake, I just feel like my body is bloated and full of fryed food, so I just feel full, I am not even hungrey (for a first). I would'nt call it starvation. If not fasting for some of you who don't think it is ok, How do you cleanse your body?

    I don't think fasts are necessary if you eat clean, stuff that either came from the ground or had a mother. Though I'd go for the fiber: veggies and fruit ... tuna isn't exactly going to help the fried stuff move. I'm just saying.

    By the way, the cavemen didn't exactly gorge on deep fried and baked goodies!

    This is kind of what I was going to say. Instead of eating nothing I'd munch on high fiber veggies and get some food in, but food that will help get that fried stuff moving. I honestly don't think that one day of not eating will starve you or "cleanse" anything. I typically just try to eat a billion times cleaner the next day.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Absolutely don't work out if you plan on eating small or not at all. You can't eat small when you work out because your metabolism is revved up and you will be REALLY hungry after awhile if not right away, especially if you haven't eaten before. You need something in your belly before you work out so you don't pass out and die, and afterwards so your muscles can recover...otherwise, it will be a wasted work out and you will probably do your body more harm than good.

    I'm fine with you fasting, just please don't work out.
  • DanielleCable
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    Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, even sex, for a period of time, usually for spiritual enlightenment. What you're doing Is bingeing and then starving your self. Excessive "fasting" for calorie restrictive purposes, accompanied by intense fears of becoming overweight are often linked to mental disturbances, like anorexia. If you don't learn how to eat and exercise properly, long term permanent weight loss will be hard to achieve. Proper dieting may take longer, but its better for you in the long run.
  • beutiful5678
    beutiful5678 Posts: 58 Member
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    ...I just feel like my body is bloated and full of fryed food, so I just feel full, I am not even hungrey (for a first). I would'nt call it starvation...

    Discerning between what our bodies *needs* and what our bodies *feel* is a tricky thing sometimes. After all, if all of us ate according to how we feel, many of us would never have started losing weight. During the initial phase of cutting calories we are retraining our bodies and minds to think that this new level of calorie consumption is appropriate while our minds still send signals that we are hungry because they are used to us consuming more calories.

    That being said, eating when you are not hungry can cause discomfort - not fun! I'm not sure what you mean by "cleanse" but if I were you I would gulp down water and eat some fruits and vegetables. Drinking water will rid your body of much of the sodium I assume you ingested (and it's just refreshing!) Fruits and vegetables also contain water and many of the much-needed nutrients that you would be depriving yourself of (even if it's just a day).

    If you aren't going to eat anything or very little I wouldn't exercise vigorously. Go for a walk around the block or something - it will make you feel better physically and mentally.