Is it a bad idea to food detox today by fasting just one day

Butrfli
Butrfli Posts: 50
I don't want to throw my metabolism off so was wondering if I fasted all day today with just my coffee, water, and diet tea and exercise to rid my body of the high caloric food yesterday will it screw up me up? I can't see that one day would hurt anything. Do you agree or not? It's 1pm and I haven't had a bite. I've already walked for an hour and I'm going biking in a little bit for another hour. What do you think? Thanks.

Replies

  • FairuzyAmanuzy
    FairuzyAmanuzy Posts: 221 Member
    I am detoxing today too. I had a banana to kickstart my metabolism as soon as I woke up. I had at apple at 12 and I've been chugging water like it's my job. I think you can detox without not eating completely. You should just have a piece of fruit or a little something to get your body burning.
  • I've fasted for a day before and nothing bad happened to me. If it's something you want to do then go for it. Just take care on re-entry :smile:
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    If you can do it, more power to you. I guess I might worry you're setting yourself up for a bad pattern-- overeating and then starving yourself, but since it was Thanksgiving and likely a once-a-year deal at most, I say you are probably fine.

    If you get hungry, you can probably eat some lean protein or something. Don't worry too much about being totally solid-food free.
  • not a bad idea. but you should eat food. or smoothies. no dairy. no grain. just spinach, kale, apple, pear banana, water. and drink that. have a salad full of veggies, evoo, raw apple cider vinegar, or coconut vinegar, salt and pep. DONT starve yourself. like you said, its just one day.
  • I'm doing SlimFast-type drinks for breakfast and lunch, and then a high protein, low fat dinner. And lots of water. I figure I'm taking the average caloric intake for the two days (yesterday and today).
  • ashnm88
    ashnm88 Posts: 748
    One day of overeating isn't going to kill you. But I'd never have a day were I basically starve myself, its not good.
  • Sometimes I eat very little. If I'm not hungry I won't force it. And often my best workouts are on a Saturday morning with just a protein shake and a snack all day.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,330 Member
    No need to detox. Unless your digestive system is not working correctly it detoxes you just fine.

    As to the skipping eating one day: There is nothing, I repeat, nothing wrong with fasting and drinking just water for one day. A whole bunch of people do it one or two days a week. It is called intermittent fasting and will not hurt your metabolism at all. In fact the whole eat breakfast to rev up your metabolism is a myth which horribly misrepresents the thermic effect of food. If you want my information you can join the Intermittent Fasting group here or check out http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    Fasting for a day will NOT harm your metabloism.

    Eating breakfast (or a banana) will not kickstart your metabolism.

    Fasting for a day will not "detox" anything - your kidneys and liver are doing a fine job of that for you today and every day.

    Fasting for a day *may* help you get off the food train that you hopped on (rightfully!!!) yesterday - but that is likely to be the only thing it does for you.

    :flowerforyou:
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    I don't want to throw my metabolism off so was wondering if I fasted all day today with just my coffee, water, and diet tea and exercise to rid my body of the high caloric food yesterday will it screw up me up?
    -You will only be hungrier tomorrow.

    I can't see that one day would hurt anything.
    -Bad habits are learned fast.

    Do you agree or not? It's 1pm and I haven't had a bite.
    -How do you feel?

    I've already walked for an hour and I'm going biking in a little bit for another hour. What do you think?
    -No fuel, yet you still excersize? This seems a lot like an eating disorder.

    Thanks.
    -You're welcome.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I have some opinions on this that I want to share.

    1) Not eating for a day is fine and won't do damage to you.

    but

    2) In my opinion, there's a big difference between guilt-based fasting to try and remedy a day of overconsumption, vs. fasting as part of a specific protocol.

    The difference is psychological but it's one worth mentioning as the former can be a precursor to an eating disorder.

    In my opinion, best bet is to just resume your normal plan today and act like your T-day never happened.

    Lastly, you're not detoxing anything, you're just not eating because you want to compensate for the previous day.
  • TheBraveryLover
    TheBraveryLover Posts: 1,217 Member
    Fasting for a day will NOT harm your metabloism.

    Eating breakfast (or a banana) will not kickstart your metabolism.

    Fasting for a day will not "detox" anything - your kidneys and liver are doing a fine job of that for you today and every day.

    Fasting for a day *may* help you get off the food train that you hopped on (rightfully!!!) yesterday - but that is likely to be the only thing it does for you.

    :flowerforyou:

    Everything I wanted to say, so quoting you.

    I plan on doing a water fast today to combat my cravings and because of my over-eating yesterday. It evens me out and I'd feel happier doing it. I've had over-eating days where I did go back to normal the next day, but sometimes I need a full 24 hour fast in order to get back into my mental weight loss mode. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,330 Member
    I don't want to throw my metabolism off so was wondering if I fasted all day today with just my coffee, water, and diet tea and exercise to rid my body of the high caloric food yesterday will it screw up me up?
    -You will only be hungrier tomorrow.

    I'm not when I fast. What is your justification for saying that?
    I can't see that one day would hurt anything.
    -Bad habits are learned fast.

    What bad habit?
    I've already walked for an hour and I'm going biking in a little bit for another hour. What do you think?
    -No fuel, yet you still excersize? This seems a lot like an eating disorder.

    Many, Many people do this using the leangain approach. Nothing at all wrong with it. For that matter it is what our fat is there for.
  • SarabellPlus3
    SarabellPlus3 Posts: 496 Member
    I have some opinions on this that I want to share.

    1) Not eating for a day is fine and won't do damage to you.

    but

    2) In my opinion, there's a big difference between guilt-based fasting to try and remedy a day of overconsumption, vs. fasting as part of a specific protocol.

    The difference is psychological but it's one worth mentioning as the former can be a precursor to an eating disorder.

    In my opinion, best bet is to just resume your normal plan today and act like your T-day never happened.

    Lastly, you're not detoxing anything, you're just not eating because you want to compensate for the previous day.
    I agree with this.


    Though I have to post to ask what diet tea is! Do you mean less/no sugar or honey? I'm under the impression that tea doesn't really have any calories, if any a neglegible amount. Am I wrong? I have never logged it! LOL
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    I have some opinions on this that I want to share.

    1) Not eating for a day is fine and won't do damage to you.

    but

    2) In my opinion, there's a big difference between guilt-based fasting to try and remedy a day of overconsumption, vs. fasting as part of a specific protocol.

    The difference is psychological but it's one worth mentioning as the former can be a precursor to an eating disorder.

    In my opinion, best bet is to just resume your normal plan today and act like your T-day never happened.

    Lastly, you're not detoxing anything, you're just not eating because you want to compensate for the previous day.
    I agree with this.


    Though I have to post to ask what diet tea is! Do you mean less/no sugar or honey? I'm under the impression that tea doesn't really have any calories, if any a neglegible amount. Am I wrong? I have never logged it! LOL

    There are some brands of tea that are supposed to help you with the weight loss. Dunno if that's what's the OP is talking about.
  • NeonNikki
    NeonNikki Posts: 87 Member
    I don't want to throw my metabolism off so was wondering if I fasted all day today with just my coffee, water, and diet tea and exercise to rid my body of the high caloric food yesterday will it screw up me up?
    -You will only be hungrier tomorrow.

    I'm not when I fast. What is your justification for saying that?
    I can't see that one day would hurt anything.
    -Bad habits are learned fast.

    What bad habit?
    I've already walked for an hour and I'm going biking in a little bit for another hour. What do you think?
    -No fuel, yet you still excersize? This seems a lot like an eating disorder.

    Many, Many people do this using the leangain approach. Nothing at all wrong with it. For that matter it is what our fat is there for.
    Agreed - and I am pretty sure an eating disorder is in the mind- so as long as you continue to respect yourself and not go crazy- then fasting is a great idea- I ate a little breakfast and lunch but will probably do a 24 hour fast to give my body a break from all the thanksgiving festivities. I feel sluggish now and know that doing this- even if it is just 18-20 hrs- i'll feel much much better- maybe i'll have a little fruit - i will see how my body feels :)
  • Detoxing is great! Keep in mind however that you really want to protect your lean body mass. When you don't protect your lean body mass and go without eating food your body takes from your muscles before it takes from stored fat! When you intake LESS then 1200 calories a day your body goes into starvation mode. So it keeps everything as fat and burns your lean body mass. Protein and complex carbs like fruits, Veggies and even some whole grains together will give you lasting energy you need and not deprive your body of what it needs. Also rule of thumb is drink 1/2 of you body weight in ounces! Hope that helps!
  • Detoxing is great! Keep in mind however that you really want to protect you lean body mass. When you don't protect your lean body mass go without eating food your body takes from your muscles before it takes from stored fat! When you intake LESS then 1200 calories a day your body goes into starvation mode. So it keeps everything as fat and burns your lean body mass. Protein and complex carbs like fruits, Veggies and even some whole grains together will give you lasting energy you need and not deprive your body of what it needs. Also rule of thumb is drink 1/2 of you body weight in ounces! Hope that helps!

    There isn't a single correct statement in this post.
  • I vote for an intermittent fast. I usually just drink coffee, water, and tea until 1 or 2 and then stop eating by 8. Try to work out in the fasted state....burn fat, not sugar and carbs! And when you eat, eat super clean. Lots of antioxidants, veggies, fruit, and water! At least try to skip carbs (especially highly processed ones) for the day. Best of luck! :)
  • thanks for all the wonderful replies! You guys are awesome people! The tea I mentioned is a diet green tea...I drink them often simply bc I love the taste. I was just trying to "even out" the calories over two days from a high caloric t-day to fasting the next day and was worried about it crashing my metobolic system for the next few days. Trust me, I'm no where near having an eating disorder...I enjoy food, :) With all this said, I did end up fixing fried egg in pam cooking spray and ate it on a slice of 12 grain whole wheat bread. I also ate 3 deviled eggs and a cup of left over stuffing. I feel good and now going for my 12 mile bike ride. The high calories yesterday was just a day that we all have and i've accepted that. I'm moving on and getting in a good workout. It's too pretty to sit inside so off I go for my ride. Thanks again everyone! You guys ROCK!
  • No need to detox. Unless your digestive system is not working correctly it detoxes you just fine.

    As to the skipping eating one day: There is nothing, I repeat, nothing wrong with fasting and drinking just water for one day. A whole bunch of people do it one or two days a week. It is called intermittent fasting and will not hurt your metabolism at all. In fact the whole eat breakfast to rev up your metabolism is a myth which horribly misrepresents the thermic effect of food. If you want my information you can join the Intermittent Fasting group here or check out http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html


    I saw this in your link you posted. Thanks for sharing.
    4. Myth: Fasting tricks the body into "starvation mode".


    Truth: Efficient adaptation to famine was important for survival during rough times in our evolution. Lowering metabolic rate during starvation allowed us to live longer, increasing the possibility that we might come across something to eat. Starvation literally means starvation. It doesn't mean skipping a meal not eating for 24 hours. Or not eating for three days even. The belief that meal skipping or short-term fasting causes "starvation mode" is so completely ridiculous and absurd that it makes me want to jump out the window.

    Looking at the numerous studies I've read, the earliest evidence for lowered metabolic rate in response to fasting occurred after 60 hours (-8% in resting metabolic rate). Other studies show metabolic rate is not impacted until 72-96 hours have passed (George Cahill has contributed a lot on this topic).

    Seemingly paradoxical, metabolic rate is actually increased in short-term fasting. For some concrete numbers, studies have shown an increase of 3.6% - 10% after 36-48 hours (Mansell PI, et al, and Zauner C, et al). This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. Epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline/noradrenaline) sharpens the mind and makes us want to move around. Desirable traits that encouraged us to seek for food, or for the hunter to kill his prey, increasing survival. At some point, after several days of no eating, this benefit would confer no benefit to survival and probably would have done more harm than good; instead, an adaptation that favored conservation of energy turned out to be advantageous. Thus metabolic rate is increased in short-term fasting (up to 60 hours).
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