Fasting?
 

Has anyone ever done fasting for a few days? Not for religious reasons or anything. I had done this a few years back to kickstart my diet by shrinking my stomach so I wouldn't crave as much food and it seemed to workout pretty well. I was thinking about trying it again. Does anyone know anymore about this, whether it is greatly unhealthy or not?

I'm sure there are lots of people on here that have an answer in terms of health.... all I can say is that I would be able to starve my body just as easily as punch myself in the face. Can't go without food. If I didn't die doing it, I'd definately kill someone the first day just by looking at them.

Last year I tried to kickstart by eating leek soup and nothing but leeks and leek soup for a weekend.
I lasted until lunch on the first day. Dumped the soup and got myself a proper meal. lol

You're going to get a lot of different responses here: some people will swear by it, while others will condemn it as a horrible idea. If you search the net (which I have) you'll find studies showing a multitude of results. Most of the more reliable resources I've found support fasting for short periods of time as a healthy addition to diet and exercise for most people.

A couple of years ago I lost 30 lbs. over a period of 4.5 months. I fasted for one day at least 2 times per month. I've never fasted for more than one day though. Fasting did seem to lower my appetite and increase my will power to resist temptations. For me, a day of fasting was a lot more about exercising my ability to control my urges to eat than about weight loss.

However, fasting for one day would pretty much guarentee a 2 to 3 pound loss for that week. As long as you continue to take your vitamins and drink lots of water, fasting does not have negative effects on your health. Also keep in mind that you'll need to control yourself and your diet after the fasting... Some people will fast for one day and the next day they'll feel like they have an excuse to cheat or eat junky foods, which completely counteracts the fasting.

I like fasting, but not for more than a day. Once my weight loss starts slowing down, or if I hit a plateau, I'll begin fasting again.

Is it healthy? No, I don't believe it is inherently healthy.

There are lots of reasons people fast and there can be benefits to it depending on how you look at it, but I don't believe there's much to be gained (no pun intended) by fasting as a weightloss tool. In fact it can be counter productive by affecting your metabolism.

If I were to fast I would be worried that I would go crazy once I was allowed food again and eat so much that it would counteract the fast. Also, be careful when you try it - Im not sure how long is safe. I have heard that some fasting can be cleansing, though.

Off topic: I'm just starting too - and we're at the same weight! I was actually 223 when I started, but I'm working from 220 now. I would love a (non-fasting) kick start too, Im trying to cut my portions in half for now.

Good luck!

Yeah, well like I said I had fasted before...I didn't go crazy with food after but felt a little more "guilty" when I did eat. It helped me be a little more conscious or whether I was really hungry or having boredom-cravings.

Awesome for us! I'm also eating smaller portions now, which is going ok so far but my stomach always tells me I want more and it drives me mad! Hence, the fasting popping into my mind.

I'm anti-fast. My metabolism is so weird that I'm afraid of slowing it down even more.

Heya Bunny,

I'm on the fence about this. I've "fasted" in the past, but it was basically an excuse to starve myself. I've never tried it in intervals, although I've *heard* that it can be beneficial when done correctly (e.g., for no longer than 1 day).

Like Stella, I'm afraid of making my metabolism go haywire. After almost ten years of bingeing, taking numerous diet pills, and the aforementioned "fasts," I think I may have done some damage to it. But I'm also curious to see if intermittent fasting can be done in an effective and healthy way.

If it's any consolation, I've been sticking to a 1200 calorie per day plan for two weeks now, and it definitely takes less food to make me feel satisfied now (especially depending on what I eat--e.g. protein, complex carbs).

If you do try it, I'd be really interested to hear how it goes!

I'm terrified of doing it. For me it's not necessarily a metabolism thing but the fact that my blood sugar seems to plummet very quickly when I don't eat enough for a few hours. I pass out or get massive headaches if I don't have anything besides water at least once ever 8 hours, and that's when I'm NOT doing any activity.

However, I think that ultimately what you choose to do is up to you. Everyone is different.

I sometimes fast, but it's for other reasons. It does make me lose weight really quickly, but the day after i'm always afraid I'm going to binge. (i haven't yet though, the temptation is astronomical though) I get dizzy spells when I do, and i've noticed it makes my depression worse, or can sometimes trigger it. I don't really recommend it, at all.

I've wondered about adding a day or two of fasting per month. I've heard that there are some benefits that I'm interested in, not so much rapid weight loss.

People get so paranoid about "starvation mode" and whacking up our metabolisms. The human body really isn't that delicate, it's not like if you fast for a day, your body will never burn a calorie again. We're actually built to be very efficient about maintaining a consistant metabolism. It's really just extreme calorie cycling. I also think that one or two days per month, it's probably a good idea to go over your daily calorie limit, possibly even past maintenance. All of a sudden your body will think "whoa! excess food! burn burn burn!"

I have a hard time finding much information in the subject though, whenever I search for "fasting" related to "weight loss," I naturally get a ton of information on eating disorders and stuff, lol.

I think it depends on what fasting is for you. The greek-orthodoxes fast for 40 days (old school, most fast from 14 to 7 days, or not at all this days). But that is not like not eating for the whole day. It is rather like you stop eating meat, fish (you can eat some seafood though) and egg products for 40 days. Some fast on dairy as well, but this is ambiguous. Anyways I fast for 14 days before christmas, and 14 before easter and I eat a lot of veggies, staples and fruit.

mkendrick- If you're interested in a really good, scientifically based book about fasting and it's benefits - check out Eat, Stop, Eat by Brad Pilon. The ebook is simply amazing. And you're right - the human body is not that delicate. Our bodies were made for brief periods without food, part of the whole hunter and gatherer thing. We've gone way overboard with as much food as we have readily available - and the food industry and nutrition industry has brainwashed us into thinking that fasting is the worst idea ever. It makes sense, no one who is in business to turn a profit (food/nutrition industry) will tell you NOT to eat food for a day. They'd lose money!

Anyway, I can go on forever on this topic. I have done intermittent fasting (1-2 times a week) for several months while keeping my diet "normal" - no reduction in calories, and have lost 2+ lbs a week. Granted this was before I gained it back due to poor choices and fast food, haha! The book is a GREAT read although the website looks a bit gimmicky, it really is not. Check out the book if you're interested - it will not disappoint!

kmelody, I have come across that "ebook," but like you said, I was turned off by the websites, haha. I'll have to look into it!

And like you mentioned with the hunter/gatherer thing, I'm interested in having "natural" eating habits. Learning to eat the way humans evolved to eat. That means grazing over the day (an early man might find a berry bush or catch a fish, small meals throughout the day), brief feasting periods (after the tribe made a big kill...aka, me at Christmas dinner, haha), and dealing with times of fast. Not saying that I always eat like this, but it's an interesting model to study and try to adhere to.

mkendrick - I graze all day. If I limit myself to 3 or so meals, it doesn't work, I get dizzy, bratty, etc. I just listen to my body's natural hunger pangs.

I just really don't like fasting. If I go for more than 5 hours without food I get dizzy, so that's my natural cue that its not meant for me :)

Hmm, thanks for the responses.

I think I'm going to try to fast this Saturday or Sunday. It's alot easier on the weekend because I can keep myself busy from food. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

hey stuffed bunny,

I read your blog comment on my phone but don't use the blog anymore because I switched to a more general blog on another site and I can't remember my password to that blog any way.

So i crafted this long pm for you (at least I was smart enough to save it by copying it) only to find out you don't accept pms! how can i get my response to you without boring everyone to death with info on my chosen diet and how it's working?

Oh, I am new so I'm not allowed to get/send pm's yet. You can email me if you'd like at MissKitka99 @ yahoo.com (without spaces, board won't let me post my email weird) or just comment on one of my blog entries or something. Whatever is easier.

i like fasting, even though i don't do it very often. but i usually have other reasons on top of weight loss but usually related to weight loss. like if i can't stop myself from overeating or eatings sweets I'll take a day of not eating to really think about my food choices and get back on track with my mind. i think fasting is fine and could be great if you have hit a plateau but i also think people prone to eating disorders shouldn't fast because fasting could kick start or become an excuse for the disorder to rear its ugly head.

p.s. i love your snakebites!!!

Thanks! I've had them for quite awhile, almost 2 years actually, but this weekend one just went crazy and was swollen beyond belief and red so I had to take it out. So my snakebites or pretty much over. It was a sad day...

I do what I call a "liquid fast" on the last day of the month. I eat pureed vegetable soups, juice, protein drinks, water, etc. Basically I am not really limiting my calories any more than any other day, but I'm giving my digestive track a little breather.
And even though I consume the same amount of calories, I usually drop a couple of pounds. Why this is I'm really not sure. I just know that I feel ALOT better doing this even though my diet usually consists of CLEAN food :D.
And I like the fact that I don't have to worry about what I eat that day. I can still go out with friends to eat, I just have soup or bouillon, liquids are soooo easy! But I only do this once a month like I said before, and it works for me.

When you are able to send PM's, you will also be able to post links, which include email addresses. However, it's always a good rule of thumb to break it up as you did to try to avoid spammers who look through message boards for emails. :)

Oh, ok thanks for explaining! I was confused. I'm also confused whether I am seeing things, or does the dancing carrot have a gap in its teeth? :carrot:

:dizzy:

It does!

lol, ya it's got a gap. If u click on the carrot it frezzes him n u can see it lol

I'm fasting today...so far...so good. But it's only 10AM, though by now I'd normally have had breakfast and a snack.

I have 3 days ahead of me where I am going out of town and will not be able to track my calories so easily so I'm sort of doing it as prep. I'll probably pack some protein powder to take with me and maybe some fruits that don't need to be refridgerated like banana's and apples. Other than that I'll be eating out quite a bit, as healthy as I can, so I'm fasting today in hopes of things evening out.

I've been doing the Eat. Stop. Eat. thing for the last three weeks and so far really like it. On Saturday night, I eat a normal dinner (300-400cal) then I don't eat anything all Sunday until dinner time. Then I resume eating normally, so dinner (300-400cal) and maybe a small evening snack (100-200). Sunday, I do not go over 500 cal, I just drink a cup or two of black coffee and plenty of water. Monday, I eat normally. Every Monday morning for the last three weeks, I've been 1lb+ down from the Sunday fast. And that weight stays off, it's not a false low.

It's most certainly not for everyone, but I've liked it.

My family fasts for religious reasons and I've never been able to make it past noon without a slamming headache. I find it easier to not eat anything but to drink a lot of water throughout the day. That's just me though.

This is an interesting topic. I used to fast years ago... well, a form of fasting. I would go a week or two without really eating anything until a light dinner (maybe a small salad without dressing and an apple for lunch). I would eat maybe a total of 600 calories per day at the most. I dropped a ton of weight. I don't know if I could have that willpower again.

For those who fast- what do you do if you feel you are going to pass out?

JessieCat, I'm not sure if that's a healthy way of fasting. Prolonged periods of very low calorie intake will result in a slowed metabolism. That's where the starvation mode kicks in and your body will start conserving every calorie it can.

On my one-day-a-week fasts for a day, I haven't had a problem with headaches or lightheadedness or even lack of energy. Actually, it's the opposite. I usually feel great when I work out and am able to think very clearly (I had my best study day during finals on a fast day). I'm not sure what I'm doing special. I wake up early like normal, drink a cup of black coffee, and my normal amount of water (100+ oz). And then a normal dinner.

Just because your body starts attempting to conserve every calorie does NOT mean you stop losing weight. Your total intake is still less than what you burn, so you will lose weight if you stop eating. You just might not be losing FAT weight. You'll more likely lose muscle mass. The "starvation mode" refers to fat storage more so than "slowed" metabolism. Your body will naturally try to keep fat since fat has more energy than anything else (9 calories as compared to 4 for protein and carbs). If you don't eat, you will lose weight. It just might not be body fat, and it certainly won't be healthy.

As far as "fasting" goes, it makes sense to me that you don't need to eat every single day. Our ancestors most likely didn't get food every single day. It actually makes more sense to me to have varying caloric intake on a daily basis than to eat a consistent amount every single day. BUT, I still think a balance needs to be established between not eating and eating. I don't think one or two days of not eating will kill you, but I do think your body needs proper nourishment.

I personally haven't tried fasting and I don't think I will just because I have other things to train for. For my runs, I want carbs. For my lifting and body weight exercises, I want protein. So basically, I want food.

Fasting has been a long debated topic here at 3FC and the consensus is that it's not an appropriate weight loss tool. We try to be respectful of everyone's eating plans and while the "eat-stop-eat" method is gaining popularity, I think this thread is walking a fine line at this point and I am going to close it. If you are interested in fasting support, I would suggest PMing. Thank you.