Water fasting...does it work??
 

I am thinking about doing a short 3 day fast. I have heard there are many health benefits of doing it. I know you have to completely rest when you do it and I have the next 3 days to do absolutely nothing except relax and chill out. Does anyone have any advice or experience of water fasting?
Cat x

Never tried it. I get a bad migraine (surprise) if I don't eat, so I have a feeling it would be a bad idea for me.

A friend of mine does it every once in a while, and she does NOTHING while fasting. She just rents a lot of movies and parks it on her couch for the weekend. She swears by it, it just doesn't seem kosher to me.

I did it once. It's not a good idea. I was very tired and had a migraine, also by day 3 I started getting shaky. I lost 4 lbs and gained like 5 back when I was back to my regular eating self.

If you're doing it for 'cleansing' purposes then sure, but to lose weight? not good at all. Your body needs the energy and nutrients.

not sure what the benefits are supposed to be. Weight loss? Well yeah, you'll lose weight if you dont eat :P But you're likely to gain it back when you start eating again. Flushing "toxins" out? I would think that eating plenty of fibre, fruits and vegetables AND drinking lots of water would do that too. As an exercise in discipline? Maybe...but wouldnt a better exercise be to eat and control it?

I dunno. I'm a skeptic at heart :D Just sounds like it would make me miserable, and wouldnt give a whole heap of benefit

There aren't any benefits to starving yourself or "fasting".

My mother does lemon-water-cayenne-pepper cleanses. I tried it once. I felt nauseous and headachey after one day. Needless to say, I started eating again.

I did what Jebb's mom did... it's called the master cleanse.... if you do it like it says, it's about 500 or so calories aday.... I did it for 5 and lost 5 pounds.... I didn't go it to lose weight, but I did it to give my digestive system a rest.... some people say you don't need to fast, but I'm a firm believer in fasting at least once a year.... for 4 days... but I still do the master cleanse instead of just water... I think there are benefits to giving your digestive system a rest. I wouldn't do just water though... also there's this tea called smooth moove and it helps so you don't get constipated... it's just my two sense...

I'm no expert, but I have taken a lot of anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, pathology, etc. classes for school. To me, it seems like a bad idea to do a cleanse. Your body is set up to work a certain way and it needs food in order to do that. If you are starving yourself, your body can't perform normal functions (making your heart beat, sending nerve impulses, etc) as easily. Food is the gas for your "car". From what I have learned, none of your systems need a break, they are set up to do their job and they don't get tired.

Just seems like an awful idea to me... but I know a lot of people do it anyway, so I am sure you won't die from it, but I would think it would throw your metabolism off if you do it enough.

yeah, that!

I've never tried it, simply because I think I would fall out if I did. If I'm an hour or so late for a meal I start feeling woozy.

I'd like to third what janellody said

I'd like to offer a voice of dissent. Not that I endorse fasting (I don't eat large meals, 6 small ones at regular intervals work for me.) but I've read amazing things about Intermittent Fasting. Have a look at www.eatstopeat.com, and go from there. There's lots on the WWW about fasting, and it works as wellness maintenance for many.