Fasting has been associated with weight loss since a long time now. Many people who like to lose weight just choose fasting as an easy way. It has its different types. Some of them are more popular than others. You must have heard about intermittent fasting, alternate day caloric restriction, alternate day fasting, water fasting, juice fasting or even 5:2 diets. It is all related to restricting yourself on eating in different combinations.
Now the big question is do you need fasting for weight loss and is it effective and healthy?
Many people will have different opinions and perspectives on this topic and some of them may be outfight contradictory to each other but the truth is our body becomes what we put into it. No one can deny this and I am a firm believer in it.
Our goal should always be directed towards fitness and weight loss can be a big part of it. Many people need to lose a lot of weight to get in shape and be healthy. Restricting yourself from eating altogether can make you feel like you are losing weight in the short term but our body needs a constant supply of nutrients to function properly.
Body weight in itself is a wrong measure of health. It can comprise of bone mass, lean muscle as well as fat. All these form the body structure and there are other factors like the health, height, genetics and lifestyle of a person which are also important here.
So you just cannot generalize a particular diet for everyone. One person may benefit from restricting carbs altogether where as someone who is a diabetic cannot afford to cut them off completely. You diet should be very much according to your health and fitness levels.
Pros
Fasting to some extent is good for body and has some advantages as it is good to be on a controlled diet. It also helps in detoxification. But going for a weight loss based on it is a bit extreme measure in my opinion.
Cons
Fasting is not for everyone. It has its disadvantages as well. It can make you physically and mentally stressed out. Lack of proper diet and nutrition can have a direct effect on our stress levels and mood. And you may also be losing weight by losing your muscle tissues which is a bad way of losing it. Many times it happens that when you resume your diet after a fast, you gain even more weight as you feel hungry and eat more. This is due to slower hormonal growth and metabolism.
There is always a danger involved with fasting and restrictive diets and that is about health problem caused by it. You can experience fatigue, dizziness, headache, dehydration, anemia, constipation or weakness. There are some special diet programs like the renegade diet system which is effective but then you need to take on everything slowly when you have enough experience.
If you want to lose weight, the best way is to be on a strict but healthy diet. Avoid excess sugars, salts and processed foods, avoid aerated drinks and keep a check on the kind of food you are taking. Combine it with the right exercises and you will see results for sure. This way you will be more energetic, healthy, positive and the biggest benefit is that you will not have to worry about regaining the weight again. When you develop your muscles, they help you in reducing the fat. I will be writing some more posts along this topic. Till then, be healthy and fit.