Is 3-4 day fasting good for you?

Angie191919
Angie191919 Posts: 1 Member
edited October 2022 in Health and Weight Loss
I’ve been looking into fasting and I have read about the good things that extended fasting can do. I have heard that the 1st day is super hard but after the 2nd or 3rd day, people have said that they feel lighter, that they even think more clearly. Any feedback or tips?

Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,217 Member
    Long but very informative.
    https://youtube.com/watch?v=9tRohh0gErM



  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,281 Member
    Not eating for 3 or 4 days - I don't think that would be good at all.
  • _Dan1985
    _Dan1985 Posts: 310 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    It wouldn't be good for the people around me. :)

    Perfect answer 🤣
  • Caralarma
    Caralarma Posts: 174 Member
    Horrible idea. Please don't
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,826 Member
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    Some studies show that extended fasting with calorie deficit can lead to greater loss of lean body mass than the same calorie restricted diet without the fasting periods.

    And that is precisely why I don't fast. I'm having enough trouble already building muscle mass, I have no desire to follow a strategy that goes contrary to that goal.
    And I can't imagine getting through my exercise schedule while fasting either.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,217 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    Some studies show that extended fasting with calorie deficit can lead to greater loss of lean body mass than the same calorie restricted diet without the fasting periods.

    And that is precisely why I don't fast. I'm having enough trouble already building muscle mass, I have no desire to follow a strategy that goes contrary to that goal.
    And I can't imagine getting through my exercise schedule while fasting either.

    Surprise, there are studies that show the opposite.

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27569118/
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10837292/
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20300080/

    If someone is overweight or obese, especially obese they have enough lean mass to sacrifice in any kind of deficit, so lean mass will be sacrificed regardless generally speaking and weight loss should also be about overall health, which IF have other beneficial health effects.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,217 Member
    edited October 2022
    Lietchi wrote: »
    neanderthin wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    Some studies show that extended fasting with calorie deficit can lead to greater loss of lean body mass than the same calorie restricted diet without the fasting periods.

    And that is precisely why I don't fast. I'm having enough trouble already building muscle mass, I have no desire to follow a strategy that goes contrary to that goal.
    And I can't imagine getting through my exercise schedule while fasting either.

    Surprise, there are studies that show the opposite.

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27569118/
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10837292/
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20300080/

    If someone is overweight or obese, especially obese they have enough lean mass to sacrifice in any kind of deficit, so lean mass will be sacrificed regardless generally speaking and weight loss should also be about overall health, which IF have other beneficial health effects.

    First study: concerns obese people, and alternate day fasting (not 3 or 4 days as is the subject here). So possible relevant for OP (no idea of he/she is obese) although I find 26 people quite a small group.
    Second study: "Resting energy expenditure increased significantly from 3.97 +/- 0.9 kJ/min on day 1 to 4.53 +/- 0.9 kJ/min on day 3". I'm no scientist, but the increase in RMR is smaller than the margin of error, if I'm reading that correctly? Even without margin of error, for me that would mean burning 200 resting calories/day extra on fasting days - hardly seems worth it compared to the discomfort of not eating for 3 or 4 days and most likely I'll 'lose' more calories than I gain from not being able to exercise as I do when not fasting (and possibly losing muscle mass on top of that).
    Third study: concerns obese people, and alternate day fasting (not 3 or 4 days as is the subject here). (And only 16 subjects in the study)

    Interesting studies, but only one concerns muscle mass (and with only obese test subjects and alternate day fasting).
    In my personal situation certainly (not obese, no cardiovascular risk factors) the potential benefits certainly don't outweigh the risks. It's a consideration every person must make for themselves (as well as determining which studies we believe/find relevant or not).

    Yeah, different fasting regimens give different results and I would suspect the other study showing lean mass loss is probably IF and not extended because extended is pretty much going to show LM loss anyway much like most deficits. Most RCT's will be low numbers at least that is my observation and I again suspect the other one showing a loss is similar, but RCT for metabolic processes are generally low because RCT are very very expensive and these types of trials and the results generally show up rather quickly and the longer they go the more cost prohibitive they are. Considering 75% of the population is overweight and obese IF is a conversation that should take place, instead of the knee jerk reactions that seem to be fairly common around here.

    As far as assessing risk outweigh potential benefits would require a decent knowledge of IF and the potential benefits to then determine that the potential loss of LM aren't worth it. Maybe you have good knowledge or maybe you don't.

    The link I provided in my previous post is 2 hours talk on fasting and it's metabolic effects on the human body done by Andrew Huberman who is an American neuroscientist and tenured associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine and I suspect very few or any will actually listen to what he has to say, but there just might be something valuable there. Andrew is engaging and keeps it interesting imo but I admit if someone isn't familiar with nutrition on a scientific level then I don't have much hope that person gets through the first few minutes, and I understand that and I encourage anyone to give it a shot. Cheers
  • pridesabtch
    pridesabtch Posts: 2,464 Member
    I guess to me it just sounds like punishment or torture. Losing weight does not have to be miserable. Set a maintainable goal and try to stick to it 90% of the time or more. It's about progress not perfection.

    For me I get dizzy when I don't eat for a day (blood work late in the day), I'd be worthless on a 3-4 day stretch.

    Yes I do think people would feel lighter. There would be no waste in their system after not eating for 3-4 days. Water will flush that stuff out, along with electrolytes and nutrients if you aren't replacing them with more.

    I'm not messing with IF, it's a way to limit your calories that works for some, but it is usually not 3-4days long...
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited October 2022
    I once did a week long juice fast. Sure, I lost some weight, but gained it all back when I resumed eating.

    As to any subjective benefits, well, it was @ 20 years ago and nothing stands out.

    Do not recommend.

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