fasting and weight loss?

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casshole
casshole Posts: 68 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Last night, I was reading this book called "skinny *****". The book stated that it is healthy to fast for a few days once a month to burn extra fat hanging out in our bodies. ive heard this before too. But I have also heard that if you fast for a few days, our bodies go into that dreaded starvation mode, and then when the fast is over, no matter how slowly we re-introduce food, we gain weight like crazy. Does anybody have any information on which side is the most correct? Im considering fasting, but not if it will make me gain weight! :indifferent:

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  • esthersnippe
    esthersnippe Posts: 6 Member
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    I have been fasting once or twice a week for the past few weeks, and the pounds are dropping off. I think the starvation mode has its weight, but to be honest, it is one of the oldest ways of losing weight.

    Try it out, see if it works, if it makes you fatter, stop, if it makes you skinnier, keep going!

    x
  • chrisc31
    chrisc31 Posts: 137 Member
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    Just from personal experience: The only kind of fasting I've ever done is during the Islamic month of Ramadan. We don't eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset....not even water. Then you eat whatever you want after the sun goes down. I have always lost weight during the month and never found myself gaining it back fast.
  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
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    Brad Pilon's book "Eat Stop Eat" is basically a diet completely based on intermittent fasting. That is, you eat normal 5-6 days per week, then once or twice a week you fast for a day, but not back to back. So you could fast Thursday and Sunday, for example. I've heard of lot's of people having good success with this.

    Joel Marion's diet, Xtreme Fat Loss, is also based on this principle. The diet consists of 5 rounds of a 5 day cycle (I've never done it, but I do have a copy of it thanks to some family friends) and the second day of the cycle is a fast day.

    Both claim that it takes at least 36 hours for your body to even register the lack of food, so I imagine fasting for 24 hours is perfectly okay, and probably good for you. Joel also states that leptin, the hormone that more or less controls your metabolism (and the one that drops when you undereat causing "starvation mode") can be raised back to it's normal levels with just one day of regular eating. So I think it's more of a prolonged starvation thing that would cause actual damage to your metabolism.

    Vince Delmonte (another fitness specialist) also fasts once a week, but he says it's for health reasons, not weight loss. Apparently it's good to give your body a break from digesting.

    I've never done either of the diets, but I have fasted before. (Up to 3 days, but I was young and stupid and wouldn't recommend going for more than a day now). It sucks at first, but you grow to love it. You have so much more free time when you're not worrying about food, and your body really does feel refreshed after.

    Hope this helps =)
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    I just don't see fasting as a way to lose then maintain long term weight loss. You are not creating a healthy lifestyle. I have been obese all my life, tried every diet/fad and nothing ever lasted until I reslly committed to a lifelong change of making healthy choices. Now 3 years & 254lbs later, I am still going strong.
  • joleciamichelle
    joleciamichelle Posts: 139 Member
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    I've never fasted before but I know people who have and they say they lose a bunch of weight and then when they reintroduce food, they gain a little back, but not all. Good luck to you!
  • Munchiemooka
    Munchiemooka Posts: 176 Member
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    I just don't see fasting as a way to lose then maintain long term weight loss. You are not creating a healthy lifestyle. I have been obese all my life, tried every diet/fad and nothing ever lasted until I reslly committed to a lifelong change of making healthy choices. Now 3 years & 254lbs later, I am still going strong.

    Agree, I had digestion problems last year and could hardely eat, now my appitate is back to normal and I am not going days not eating and then eating the same as a toddler I have put on over a stone (hopefully will now turn a corner with MFP)
  • OLP76
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
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    I do a 3 day cleanse - not fastin' I'm on meds so it won't allow me to do that. But each person is different - but don't get yourself to sick...faintin' anywhere can be dangerous :) Do alot of research before you fast...best wishes xo
  • skrall83
    skrall83 Posts: 3
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    Hey Cass,
    I work with/for registered dieticians. After I read Skinny B@#$%, I asked one of them her thoughts on it. She said she had read it, and it was amusing, but that it was all very extreme. She did not suggest following much of their advice to "the T".

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