Week Long Water Fast - Good idea or bad idea?

I haven't done one, and I am not a health professional by any measure. But I would say this given my (limited) knowledge, it might be a good idea to get the number on the scale down. HOWEVER, it will not be good for your overall health. There is also no real proof detoxing has any effect on our bodies at all: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4576574.stm

Why? Do you feel it's only doing you good if you suffer?

Your liver and kidneys probably work just fine as it is. No "detox" diet is going to shift anything from your body you wouldn't normally get rid off.

And who cares about losing water weight? It fluctuates anyway. Focus on losing FAT.

BAD IDEA! Your body needs nutrients and energy. You are not a shaman. You should not do this.

If your only reason for fasting is weight loss, then I say bad idea.

Like everyone else said, this is probably not a good idea. Would you run your car without gasoline for a week?

On second thought, try running your car without gas for a week. After pushing it around town for a week you will lose weight. But definitely keep eating food. Do it smartly - maintain a well-proportioned diet, don't drink your calories, stick primarily with plant fats instead of animal fats, and don't let your blood sugar spike or drop too much.

That just sounds terrible :frown:

Bad idea. Have you ever had to fast for a medical test? Even an 18 hour fast is pretty horrible. You will be fatigued, hungry and irritable. And, assuming that your TDEE is around 2000/day, the best case scenario is that you lose 4 lbs of fat. In reality, it would be some fat and some muscle. So not worth it.

if you want to starve yourself but do a somewhat more realistic "fast" get a juicer and do some juicing diets you will still be detoxing but your body will at least get some of the nutrients it requires. But your body will go into starvation move with a dramatic cut in calories and tend to hold on to fat.

I fast regularly for spirit, mind, and body. I did a 28 day water-only fast in my mid 20's that cured my chronic eczema rashes, which haven't returned since. There are a lot of health benefits to fasting, as well as a plethora of ignorance and misinformation.

This isn't the place to ask about fasting. Most people here haven't any clue whatsoever about the process, nor how the human body (positively) reacts during a proper fast. For most fasting=starvation, and they couldn't tell you the difference between the two. There are thankfully a lot of resources on the web that are pro-fasting for health on all levels, and I'd recommend you search them out. Good luck!

I fast regularly for spirit, mind, and body. I did a 28 day water-only fast in my mid 20's that cured my chronic eczema rashes, which haven't returned since. There are a lot of health benefits to fasting, as well as a plethora of ignorance and misinformation.

This isn't the place to ask about fasting. Most people here haven't any clue whatsoever about the process, nor how the human body (positively) reacts during a proper fast. For most fasting=starvation, and they couldn't tell you the difference between the two. There are thankfully a lot of resources on the web that are pro-fasting for health on all levels, and I'd recommend you search them out. Good luck!

So she should drink nothing but water for 7 days?
I'm so glad I have a healthy relationship with food.

NO. Worst.idea.ever :noway:

You need food to do little things like ya know..LIVE.

When I'm retaining water I watch my sodium intake, eat at a reasonable deficit, exercise, and hydrate.

This may come as a shock...but it works.

Eat healthy foods, drink some water. BAM! Detoxed. Whatever that actually means, which is nothing.

I've fasted for 3 days and it wasn't that big of a deal probably because I was already eating low carb and going in and out of ketosis to begin with. There was weight loss, of course, but really not too much more than what I was already losing. I still fast occasionally when it feels easy to but I really wouldn't recommend such an extreme fast -- 7 days is a long time! -- in the hopes you'll lose a ton of weight. It's just not going to happen.

Here's a series of articles on fasting from Mark's Daily Apple that you might be interested in:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-weight-loss/#axzz2Xupgr3yp

I fast regularly for spirit, mind, and body. I did a 28 day water-only fast in my mid 20's that cured my chronic eczema rashes, which haven't returned since. There are a lot of health benefits to fasting, as well as a plethora of ignorance and misinformation.

This isn't the place to ask about fasting. Most people here haven't any clue whatsoever about the process, nor how the human body (positively) reacts during a proper fast. For most fasting=starvation, and they couldn't tell you the difference between the two. There are thankfully a lot of resources on the web that are pro-fasting for health on all levels, and I'd recommend you search them out. Good luck!

THIS! I can't give you any advice on doing a water fast because I have not done it NOR am I a dietician/nutritionist who has studied both the positive and negative effects of a water only fast. Most people here are going to only tell you what they read in a fitness magazine, or some kind of online article. They are going to tell you the same ole same ole of your body will go into starvation mode, you will gain back all the weight plus some if you do it, your body does all the detoxing for you, yada yada yada. However, I have done a fresh juice fast for two days recently in which I juiced my own fruits and veggies and drank them for two days along with my normal intake of water (which is in the range of 19-22 cups). Since coming off of the fast, I have only gained 1 lb back of the 6 I lost. I gained so much from that one fast. My taste buds have TOTALLY changed. I actually crave fruits and veggies where as before I craved cheese, salt, and sugar. My whole diet has changed from just two days of a juice fast. That has been my experience. I would suggest that you talk with someone who has done a water only fast to see what they're experience was, both the transition into it, the actual time spent doing the water fast, and the transition out of it. That would be my advice.