Fasting has been practiced many years for various reasons, mostly for religious causes and others for weight loss issues. You will find many articles and sites promising you that fasting is something beneficial to your body when it comes to weight loss and it's true. Fasting makes you lose weight within a short amount of time but the consequences of fasting can be harmful and in some cases devastating if it is practiced for too long.
You've probably heard of cases where people shed 30 pound of fat within a month or so. But what happens next? After a certain period of time they gain back all the weight and all the fat they had lost. Things get even worse than before they had started fasting. Your cravings increase because you've restricted your body from so many essential nutrients. Therefore, you will eventually eat more and you will gain back all the weight you had lost.
What Does Fasting Consist of?
The typical weight loss plan consists of drinking only water, juice and in some cases consuming laxatives which is really not a good idea if it's combined with fasting. By fasting you're already restricting your body from all the nutrients and energy your body needs and the purging will just make you weak. Although, some plans do allow to consume some solid foods but with very few calories.
Are all Fasts dangerous?
Not all fasts are dangerous. If you're a healthy adult and practice religious fasting for a day or so, there is very little chance that it can be dangerous and a risk for your health. Religious fasting will not promote weight loss since it's done for a very little time. If you're a pregnant woman, a child, an older person, or someone with some type of disease or condition, it is not recommended to practice these kind of fasts. Keep in mind that if a fast is instructed by a physician, it is perfectly safe to follow the fast as long as you're being supervised and follow the instructions.
The real danger of fasting comes when you fast for more than 3 days. The dangers of fasting are many and they range from health problems to a wide variety of illnesses.
Some of these include:
- weakness
- renal failure
- electrolyte imbalances
- hair thinning
- anorexia nervosa
- cardiac arrhythmias
...among many others.
You also burn calories more slowly when you're fasting since fasting slow the metabolism. If you want to lose weight the thing that you DO NOT want to do is slow your metabolism. Your metabolism plays the key role in your weight and fat loss process. The initial weight lost on a fast is just pure body fluid and not fat.
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