Water Fasting

[Jabberwocky]

I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with water fasting (no I don't mean because you've been up for 3 days of meth). I mean purposely consuming zero calories to get health benefits. I've done a couple of 24 hour water fasts but didn't really notice much difference but I'm thinking about a 3 day fast. Some of the health benefits that are claimed are:

• Having no calories burns approximately 1 pound of fat per day, making it the fastest weight loss method.
• Increases insulin sensitivity as there is less fluctuation in blood sugar levels.
• Improves body repair, recovery and healing from decreased inflammation.
• Lowers stress levels, decreases blood pressure and rejuvenates the body.
• Increases immunity due to better cell resistance.
• Enables reduction in cancer cell proliferation.
• Slows down aging and cognitive decline.
• Lowers the risk of heart disease.
• Solves digestive problems such as gastritis, irritable bowels, constipation, diarrhea, gas, dyspepsia, and loss of appetite.
• Water fasting is also an opportunity for emotional and spiritual introspection. People find they have better control over their thoughts and diet, after they are done with this fast.

What do think?

 

[Mmp85]

I think this is actually just called starving yourself.

 

[hoffsteader]

I water fast once a week. Actually usually I've allowed myself to drink coffee/cream as needed but no food or anything else. I'm doing this today actually, I try to keep it to once a week. The Complete Guide to Fasting by Jason Fung is what motivated me to start doing this. The book describes all the benefits and the different styles of fasting that are available. Pretty interesting.

 

[spacejunk]

i have never done this, but know people who have - but it's always struck me as a little biit dubious. a bit 'woo'.

i mean, can any sort of treatment make this sorts of claim in good faith?

Lowers the risk of heart disease.
Solves digestive problems such as gastritis, irritable bowels, constipation, diarrhea, gas, dyspepsia, and loss of appetite.
Water fasting is also an opportunity for emotional and spiritual introspection. People find they have better control over their thoughts and diet, after they are done with this fast.

and i wonder if there has been research that verifies any of those bullet points?

which isn't to say i know anything about it - i'm just a bit sceptical by nature.
but i don' imagine it being harmful, because most humans in the developed world probably eat a lot more than we need to.

but i'm a bit doubtful it can be as effective as some of the dot points in Throwdown's post suggest, and when i see therapies claiming to have such unrealistically positive effects, the more i tend to doubt it.

if you end up giving it ago, i'd be curious to hear if you have good (or any) results from it

 

[Foreigner]

Stephen Buhner wrote a really excellent book about this, called "The Fasting Path". It's filled with many spiritual and scientific anecdotes.

He says (rightly) that people who fast for weight loss are engaging in self-destructive behaviour. Fasting is not meant to be a way to torture the body to be what you want it to be, but to reset it and your psyche.

 

[Shrooms00087]

I wanted to try this, but then like, I don't know, I ate some cheetos and then stopped caring. However I did learn you lose protein and that it effects your muscles. So you might want to have a little protein here and there.