Fasting to Lose Weight - Is It Safe?

Fasting is becoming more of popular topic these days. Religious groups have practiced fasting for years in order to show faith and dedication to their religion. However, with today's society becoming more health and fitness conscious, there seem to be an increase of people practicing fasting to lose weight. But is fasting to lose weight something that we should be practicing?

Is fasting it Beneficial?

There is no research that proves fasting has any connection to healthy weight loss. Yes, you will lose weight when you fast and depending on the type of fast can determine how fast you will lose the weight. There are some fast diets that you take away food all together and only drink liquids. So naturally the weight will fall off quicker than a fast that allows you to eat certain foods.

There is only one problem. Fasting isn't a long-term solution.

Fasting to Lose Weight- What your body does

The human body is a perfectly well oiled machine designed to take care of all functions without us even being aware of what's going on. Take fasting for example.

Did you know that when you fast your metabolism actually slows down the less you eat?

So your body knows when it's not being feed and as a reaction your metabolism and appetite will both decrease in order to adjust to the change. The longer the fast, the more your body reacts.

But what happens if you continue eating again?

You guessed it! Your metabolism would speed back up again along with your appetite. And all the weight that you lost during your fast would eventually return. Sure, you may keep off a few pounds, but there would be no long-term benefits to the fast. Some people believe that fasting detoxified your body and cleanses it of all bad toxins. However there is no research that proves this theory. Better yet there is no evidence that your body even needs to be detoxified.

Fasting to Lose Weight- So what's the solution?

As a personal trainer with 5+ years of experience, there is only one way to lose weight. And I'm not just talking about dieting or exercise.

The only way to lose weight is to change your lifestyle habits! I wish I had some miracle answer for you but unfortunately I do not. By changing your lifestyle, you change where your focus is. And where our focus goes, our results will follow. Our Society has told us that there are "quick" and "easy" ways to lose weight. And they are somewhat accurate. If you take a pill that speeds up your metabolism, the reaction to this would be weight loss.

But it doesn't work for everyone. Same goes for fad and crash diets. They work but aren't 100 % effective. And that's because the lifestyle habits haven't changed. If you change your life style habits, fasting to lose weight won't be an issue because you are on the path that will lead to weight loss!

So do it the right way. It may not be fun, but it in the end it will be well worth all the time and effort you put into it!

There are no real secrets or quick ways to losing weight. The only secret to losing weight is hard work.

I'm a strong believer in people, and I know that you can put your mind to something and see it out to the end. You just have to learn how!