Fasting to lose weight will give you the body of a movie star in only two weeks, or so the sales pitch goes.
The excess pounds will melt away as you consume nothing but water or juice for 10 days or more, leaving you looking like Jennifer Aniston or George Clooney.
Sound too good to be true? Yep – it is! Used on its own, fasting to lose weight is the worst way to get in shape.
Yes, there are stories and testimonials out there about people who’ve tried water fasting to lose weight or juice fasting to lose weight – and they claim to have dropped 10, 20, 30 or more pounds. But let me emphasize, this is a short-term fix that doesn’t work long-term.
Liquid-only fasting should always be of short duration – a day or two – because your body needs nutrition! Don’t embark on a long fast with the sole intention of losing weight because fasting was never designed to be a weight loss program.
You have to look beyond the enticing headlines about water or juice fasting, because while it is true that it enables people to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time, the effect almost always doesn’t last. Unless you change your entire lifestyle – and the old habits that got you overweight in the first place – fasting is a very temporary fix. In fact, some people find they pile on even more pounds after a fast because they do nothing but eat!
When you go on an extended liquid fast, your brain believes the body is being starved, so it will slow down your metabolism to use less energy. In turn, you’ll feel like you have less energy! And once your system has depleted its fat stores, in an extreme fast you will start to lose muscle, too. In a healthy weight loss program, you need to keep eating and increase your metabolism.
And water fasting for weight loss – for an extended period – can actually make you sick, causing headaches, dizziness and constipation. If you fast for a long time you’ll also lose muscle.
OK, so no fasting if you want to lose weight? Well, no! There IS definitely a role for fasting in a healthy lifestyle and even if you want to lose weight, but you have to do it the right way. Remember, religions and cultures the world over practice short fasts – your doctor even insists on a 12-hour fast if he wants to take blood samples! And some illnesses, like tummy bugs, can actually be treated by fasting – denying those little critters the nutrition they need to make you miserable!
A short fast also gives your digestive system a rest from the daily grind of meals and the other junk in between – coffee, candy, snacks perhaps even alcohol.
To help enhance your weight-loss goal you might want to check out a great self-help guide by Raylen Stirling. It’s called Master Cleanse Secrets and it tells you how to use a liquid fast (organic lemons and other natural ingredients) that also allows you to eat a simple, nutritious diet.
Find out more about safe fasting and altering your habits to get slim and healthy at Master Cleanse Fast.
