Fasting as a weight loss method?

[TheSlyder]

I thought this would be good discussion material, I'd like to say that I don't support annorexia or any other kind of eating disorder.

A couple weeks ago I did some research on Fasting. I learned a LOT of things about it. For one thing, I learned that it can be extremely healthy if done correctly.

http://www.freedomyou.com is the site where I got most of my information from. While it is a very informational site about fasting, it is also a Christian website, just to let some of you know so it doesn't catch you by suprise.

After taking a week of looking into it, I decided to fast, for a few reasons. Religious reasons for one, to cleanse my system, to shrink my stomach, to break myself of my horrible addiction to food, for detoxification, and to lose a little weight on the side.

I fasted for a week exactly, and I did all that. I lost about 25 pounds, obviously, some of that is food, waste, and other such substances, but I'm also much thinner because of it, even I can see it in the mirror. I went shopping for groceries and was easily able to turn down the junk food, and I stocked up on apples, grapes, cucumbers, and other such healthy snacks, because I'm VERY aware that eating unhealthily after doing without food for a week can have very, very negative effects on my body.

So with all that said, I support fasting, I feel it's very effective, and a very good experience. Have any of you had experience with fasting?  

[Aeren]

I feel that while the information you present on fasting is good, many many people take things into their own accounts.

I think its done incorrectly 99.9% of the time.

I think it is good to detoxify and sort of give your GI system a chance to recover from eating a lot of junk.

I just worry that most people will see it as "oooh, i just lost 25 lbs, maybe I should do it again" and have it turn into an eating disorder.

So I just sort of caution those of you looking for a quick fix. But like Slyder did, I encourage you, if you are interested to do thorough research before starting anything. I think you should also examine your personality type, is this something that emotionally/mentally will be damaging to your image of weight loss?

Also, you should research possible side effects, and the other side of the story. While many websites present great information, they can also be misleading. This counts for ANY health site.

For example, I've studied Atkins thoroughly in school, and have learned many harmful side effects, but if you were to visit an Atkins website, they would only tell you how wonderful it is.

I hope I'm not being negative to slyders comment, I am not trying to be, I just want to caution everyone in the guild (this is for all websites posted, etc) to be skeptics.

And, if all else fails, talk to a doctor. Not a doctor online, a doctor in the flesh. Or a nutritionist. (I don't mean a weight watchers counselor either!)

I'm not bashing diets, or different ways to lose weight, everyone does things differently to achieve the same goal. Just wanted to put this up as a reminder.

*steps down from soapbox*

With that said. I personally don't think that I could ever fast as I have 0 willpower. I know I would get halfway through the week, then binge because I missed food. Thats my personal experience.  

[TheSlyder]

Very well said, and don't worry about going against anything I said, safety and caution is much more important than me sounding right. After I started feeling a fluttery feeling in my chest on the 7th day, I decided to do some research from a medical viewpoint, and looked into fasting on WebMD.com, it was still looked at in a positive light, it just said to be weary if you do it for more than 3 days (Unless you're under supervision) and that juice fasting is a better choice than water fasting.

However, I would still like to talk to a doctor about it face to face before doing it again.  

[Aeren]

I'm glad you had a positive experience with it.  

[Aeren]

Fluttering sounds like a temporary problem, as in, it would resolve itself. If not I''m sure you''d figure out your body well enough to know when to see someone.

So did you just make up your mind to fast and then do it? Or did it take some convincing of yourself? I''m just curious of the thought process as I''ve never fasted and I''m not sure I could  

[24 Hour Story Mule]

As well presented as the material on that site may seem, it still concerns me greatly. Being a religious site, it's based around religious ideals. I only skimmed briefly, but I never saw mention of consultation with a doctor; just the benefits spiritually of participating in a fast.

It's possible to lose too much weight at one time, and it throws your body into a sort of shock. Combine that with the shok of not eating and the ensuing rush on the body's part to restore lost body fat, I'd be very weary of such a technique being effective. Fasting for a week may quickly drop weight, but what is the status of remaining fat cells? If they're still the same size, your body will work to replenish them, putting back all of the weight and then some, regardless of what you're eating. Even with a lot of fruit, the natural sugars in those, when consumed on larger quantities, will turn into fat.

So besides my concern over the safety of the method, I suppose my only other issue would be how sustainable the results are. I know a friend who ended up borderline fasting, due to lack of money and poor groceries, and they lost a great deal of weight; but now that they've returned to school and are eating normally again, within a month, they've gained back 25 of the 40 pounds lost, and they're still gaining.