IS FASTING AN EASY WAY TO SHED WEIGHT?

Some people fast as a means to lose weight. Others fast to try to detox their bodies or for religious reasons………

 

As for me, I hate fasting because I end up feeling dizzy, weak and cranky but some people think that is the fasting way to lose weight. I spent almost 30 minutes of my precious time thinking how could fasting result to a healthy weight loss…….. Yes!! I said healthy because you will eventually lose some weight but not in a healthy way.

          Fasting diets aren’t all the same. Some allow only liquids like water, juices, or tea. Others cut calories drastically, but don’t completely ban foods.  If you’re fasting to lose weight, you may want to reconsider because the weight loss may not last after you finish fasting. Really????/ You’ll say, BUT that’s the truth they won’t tell you… when you eat less than you need and you lose weight, the first thing you are losing is water weight and then your body goes into a starvation mode. To save energy, your metabolism slows down. When you’re done fasting and you go back to your usual diet, you may regain the weight you lost and then some more……WHY? Because by this time you feel ravenously hungry and then you tend to eat all the things you craved to eat whilst you were fasting.

          During a fast, your body adjusts by curbing your appetite, so you will feel hungry at first. But once you have stopped fasting, your appetite revs back up.  You may feel hungrier and more likely to overeat. Fasting for a few days probably won’t hurt most people who are healthy provided they don’t get dehydrated but fasting for long period of time is bad for you. Your body needs vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from food to stay healthy. If you don’t get enough, you can have symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, constipation, dehydration. Fasting too long can be life- threatening. How? Well if ou fast for long durations your organs like liver and kidney may just pack up on you. Very scary. Also, if you have diabetes DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FAST, because it can lead to dangerous dips and spikes in blood sugar.

          Bottomline, before you go on a new diet, particularly one that involves fasting, ask your doctor or dietitian who can show you how to design a healthy eating plan. We only live once, let’s live it healthy………*wink*


ARTICLE BY RUTH OKPANI