Fast to Lose Weight

Many people resort to fast to lose weight, but a question arises, is it healthy to fast at all? Can fasting help you lose those extra pounds? Read on to find out.
Fast to Lose Weight
Fasting has been defined as the act of willingly abstaining from some or all kinds of food or drink for a particular period of time. The fast period can vary from person to person. There are many reasons behind fasting. You fast to lose weight, to cleanse the body of toxins and for religious reasons.

Should You Fast To Lose Weight?
Since time immemorial, people have been fasting for religious reasons. Sometimes, people have also undertaken fasts for their political interests. However, these days the mantra is, "fast to lose weight". For some, fasting has also become a status symbol.

There are many kinds of fasts to lose weight. Some of the most popular and commonly suggested methods of fasting are; fluid fasting and bread fasts. With the various methods of fasting to lose weight, the eternal question "Is it healthy and safe to fast to lose weight?" still remains. The other question which arises is, does fasting to lose weight actually help in weight loss? When you consume less food, the body uses up the energy stored in the cells, and thus, weight loss is achieved due to fasting.

Each person’s body perceives different stimuli differently. Therefore, if fasting has given positive results to someone, it might not necessarily give similar results to another. However, a certain amount of weight loss can be achieved through fasting, the amount of weight lost depends on the constitution of the person, and the efficiency of the body to utilize its resources.

Points To Keep In Mind While Fasting
We shall now take into account a few diet tips and precautions to be followed while fasting:

Many people overeat after fasting and that leads to an increase in their weight. You should avoid binging after a fast. After a particular point, fasting does not help in losing weight and the person puts on weight. The reason behind it is, that the body starts storing everything the person eats as fat. This is just a defense mechanism employed by the body. The body is just storing for the "bad times", when it will not get anything, but still need energy. Hence, fasting to lose weight should not be implemented for a long period of time. It should be implemented, when it is important for you shed off some pounds rapidly or if the weight loss target is just a few pounds. For example, if you are gearing up for a wedding and want to lose some weight, you can undertake a fast for a few days.

The disadvantage of fasting is muscle loss. The muscle mass actually helps in fat burning. Fasting first attacks the muscle mass in the body and then the fat mass, as is actually thought by people who undertake the fasting ritual. If you have a very bulky body and want to lose your muscle mass, fasting will help you accomplish your goal.

Water fasting helps in detoxification of the body. Remember, water fasting can lead to low sugar levels in the body. Therefore, you can undertake a water fast for a couple of days, but not for more than that.

Fasting to lose weight has another disadvantage as well. The body is deprived of essential nutrients during the fasting period. The deficiency of nutrients can lead to various other health hazards. However, there are ways to avoid the deficiency of nutrients. You can undertake juice fasting to lose weight. Fruit and vegetable juices help provide your body with essential nutrients. The other kind of fasting is to fast throughout the day and have a healthy meal at the end of the day. With this fast, you will not lack nutrients and will be able to reap the benefits of fasting.

I will suggest a fast of a different kind to lose weight. Why not undertake a fast of fast foods? With this, you will reap the benefits of fasting to lose weight and also condition your body to healthy eating. People who fast in order to cleanse the body of toxins can opt for a diet containing just fruits and vegetables, instead of totally depriving the body of food. With this, cleansing will speed up and you will also not starve your body. I think this is easier than fasting to lose weight! Small lifestyle changes will give better results than your fast to lose weight. So, do you want to fast to lose weight? The decision is yours.

By Bhakti Satalkar
Published: 8/22/2009
 
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