My doc said "NO" to fasting

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icandoit
icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, I had to call the doctor about this fasting thing a couple of you are interested in. She said, "NO". Fasting for medical testing, blood testing, surgery is ok, otherwise it is not.
Your body needs food to function. Your brain too. You do this to lose weight, you are more likely to gain back and then some. If you need to detox, there are many books and articles and doctors that can tell you a healthy and safe way of doing it.
When you fast, you will feel tired, dizzy, headache, weak, cramps just to name a few. Your body will also go into starvation mode and it will begin to store fat.
She also said if you chose to fast, you must do it under doctor supervision. Not under the advise of a person who says it's ok.


If you decide to go this route, please, please, please talk to your doctor.

Replies

  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
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    Ok, I had to call the doctor about this fasting thing a couple of you are interested in. She said, "NO". Fasting for medical testing, blood testing, surgery is ok, otherwise it is not.
    Your body needs food to function. Your brain too. You do this to lose weight, you are more likely to gain back and then some. If you need to detox, there are many books and articles and doctors that can tell you a healthy and safe way of doing it.
    When you fast, you will feel tired, dizzy, headache, weak, cramps just to name a few. Your body will also go into starvation mode and it will begin to store fat.
    She also said if you chose to fast, you must do it under doctor supervision. Not under the advise of a person who says it's ok.


    If you decide to go this route, please, please, please talk to your doctor.
  • Loretta_Jo
    Loretta_Jo Posts: 609 Member
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    Thank You !!

    Thank You !!

    Thank You !!
  • miche1e
    miche1e Posts: 11
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    not to mention, when fasting a majority of the weight you immediately shed is only water weight.

    also, what many people fail to realize is that our body is a very complex "machine" that detoxes itself on a regular, on-going basis and does not require fasting.
  • Healthier_Me
    Healthier_Me Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Uh oh!!!
    Who's trying or thinking of fasting????:angry:
  • diannholland1965
    diannholland1965 Posts: 782 Member
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    I did go ahead and ask the Doctors here.
    Not a single one of the 25 that I asked said fasting was good for you.
    There are 40 nurses here and of the ones of them that I asked again resoundingly NONE of them thought fasting was a good idea for weightloss or for health.
    So with your doctor and the 25 here, and the 40 nurses, We have almost 66 Health professionals that say NO to fasting!
    --Diann...
  • Healthier_Me
    Healthier_Me Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Now, if those numbers don't change your mind then you're in for a rude awakening:huh:
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    Thank you! Fasting overnight while sleeping is enough of an energy drainer, why would you want to put your body through unneccessary starvation???
    :laugh:
  • p90x_Dude
    p90x_Dude Posts: 332
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    Funny I've fasted for 3 days before for more intimacy with Christ and it never affected me. In fact I could have gone longer then 3 days. I'm talking no food or water. Now I know it may be different for someone nursing or on medications (ie. diabetes).
  • p90x_Dude
    p90x_Dude Posts: 332
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    Thank you! Fasting overnight while sleeping is enough of an energy drainer, why would you want to put your body through unneccessary starvation???
    :laugh:

    :laugh: Definitely my easiest fast, shoot I fast every night. :happy:
  • obliged
    obliged Posts: 465
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    how does one detox without fasting?:huh:

    no i'm not interested in fasting, but that was the first question that came to my mind
    sorry if that seems stupid:embarassed:
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    Fasting or cleansing for weight loss is NOT the way to go IMHO. Here are some links. Internal medicine doctors and Gastrointestinal doctors almost universally agree, fasting and cleansing are unnecessary and possibly harmful. About 6 or 7 months back I did a heck of a lot of research on this because it was a hot topic. Do it for spirituality or religious purposes, I have no issue with that (as long as you realize what it does to you), but it's an UTTER myth that it will help your body. I have yet to see a large scale study done by any medical establishment that condones this practice, and I have looked. If you have one, please post the name of the study, I'd love to see the results.

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/fasting

    http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/127/116795.htm?pagenumber=1

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/detox-diets/AN01334
  • mjfer123
    mjfer123 Posts: 1,234 Member
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    I read the exact opposite in Men's Health in the July/August issue.
    My will power is far too weak to fast for a day, but I read it wasn't too harmful.
    They don't recommend it for weightloss though.
    They also limit it to 36 hours a week.
    They say it is for better appreciation of food itself?
    Odd I know, but yea, just thought Id throw this in there since I just read the article.

    The guy who wrote the article is also the one doing this, and has been for a year, and advises anyone who does it to ease into it, and gives pointers on the types of meals to have before and after fasting.

    I don't make any recommendations one way or the other, just saying there are other sources out there that say differently.

    Not sure about the doctor spoken to here, but most say no right off the bat, but most don't know as much about fasting as they could because its not up there on the top priority list in med school.
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    I read the exact opposite in Men's Health in the July/August issue.
    My will power is far too weak to fast for a day, but I read it wasn't too harmful.
    They don't recommend it for weightloss though.
    They also limit it to 36 hours a week.
    They say it is for better appreciation of food itself?
    Odd I know, but yea, just thought Id throw this in there since I just read the article.

    The guy who wrote the article is also the one doing this, and has been for a year, and advises anyone who does it to ease into it, and gives pointers on the types of meals to have before and after fasting.

    I don't make any recommendations one way or the other, just saying there are other sources out there that say differently.

    Not sure about the doctor spoken to here, but most say no right off the bat, but most don't know as much about fasting as they could because its not up there on the top priority list in med school.

    Which is why I put up articles from internal medicine doctors and gastrointesineologists. They know all about this, because that is their area of expertise.

    also you put "They say it is for better appreciation of food itself?" which implies spirituality, in a sense.

    can you post a link to the men's health article, I'd like to read it.
  • mjfer123
    mjfer123 Posts: 1,234 Member
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    Hey banks, I appreciate your postings too, they are pretty detailed.
    I get the magazine hard copy, but I'll check to see if its online.
  • shkaki
    shkaki Posts: 234 Member
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    there have also been a lot of studies that showed that "detoxing" or doing a "detox" diet doesn't actually do much actual detoxing.
  • mjfer123
    mjfer123 Posts: 1,234 Member
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    Sorry banks, I trolled MH website, no luck, I couldnt find an archives section.
    Im also at work, so I can't be goofing off TOO much.
    I mean besides MFP that is.
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    Sorry banks, I trolled MH website, no luck, I couldnt find an archives section.
    Im also at work, so I can't be goofing off TOO much.
    I mean besides MFP that is.

    No worries, I'll pick one up at the store, which issue is it? September?
  • mjfer123
    mjfer123 Posts: 1,234 Member
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    Unfortunately, I got 2 on the same day, something about a shipping problem,
    so its either the latest or the one before.
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    by the way, perusing MensHealth website, I found this.

    http://www.menshealth.com/cda/advicedetail.do?site=MensHealth&channel=guy.wisdom&conitem=7907f8a4e6184010VgnVCM200000cee793cd____&expertId=1c74f5b65fa53010VgnVCM100000cfe793cd____

    oh crap, let me shorten that up.

    ok, here

    http://tinyurl.com/3c2ad7

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