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Why, it's so difficult to kick water fasting into gear. Especially when you've been eating poorly for a long time. It's only a matter of decision and determination, I guess.
If we wait until we are ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives.Water fasting is abstaining from foods and only drinking water for a period of time. I like the idea of water fasting. It gives the digestive system a chance to rest, and it is the best way to kick start a new diet program. Thinking about clearing out old stocks (toxins) before placing new orders (healthy eating).
- Carol Zhao
Water fasting, is this for you? I found this information from Dr. Ben Kim's blog enlightening, I'd like to share snippets from his post about fasting here. For further reading, please visit Dr. Ben Kim's blog.
1. How do you know if I need to fast?
Depends on your health status and goals. If a person is having a difficult time making necessary dietary and lifestyle changes, fasting can be a powerful way of accelerating health recovery.
2. How long should I fast for?
It is not uncommon for people to experience significant improvement in their health from fasting between 3 and 30 days. The idea is to fast as briefly as possible, but as long as is necessary to allow the body to restore health.
3. Can anyone fast?
Intake of certain medications, certain liver and kidney disorders, states of extreme weakness or malnutrition, pregnancy, and certain types and stages of cancer are other examples of conditions that are not conducive to fasting.
4. Can fasting cure specific conditions?
Conditions that tend to respond favourably to fasting and dietary modification include high blood pressure, asthma, allergies, chronic headaches, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease), irritable bowel syndrome, adult onset diabetes, heart disease, degenerative arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, eczema, acne, uterine fibroids, benign tumours, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
However, it's important to keep in mind that fasting is not a cure for specific health challenges. Rather, it is an opportunity to give the body a prolonged period of rest to do what it does best – heal and restore itself.
5. How much weight will I lose if I fast?
On average, a typical faster loses approximately one pound per day during a water-only fast. Initially, the loss may approach two or even three pounds per day for the first few days if the person is retaining significant sodium and water. This can decrease to approximately half a pound per day in the later stages of a fast. From day two onward, the body begins utilizing fatty tissues for energy, thereby conserving as much muscle tissue as possible, a mechanism called protein sparing.
6. What is the difference between water fasting and juice fasting?
During a water fast, only water is consumed. During a juice fast, any variety of fruit and vegetable juices are consumed.
People detoxify and heal more quickly with a water fast than with a juice fast. This is because with a water fast, your digestive passageway and organs are able to rest completely, allowing for all of your energy to be used for cleansing and repair of damaged tissues. With a juice fast or a cleansing diet of fruits and vegetables, your body must use energy to digest nutrients, leaving less available energy for detoxification and healing.
A water fast is most effective when you are able to get a lot of physical and emotional rest. If your life circumstances don't allow this, juice fasting is a better choice.
7. Won't my metabolism slow down during and after the fast, causing me to gain back more weight over the long haul?
When we fast, our metabolic rate slows down because our physiological needs are lower than they are when we are consuming food and going about our regular activities.When a fast is broken and a person returns to eating and more activity, her metabolic rate increases to match her increasing physiological needs.
Weight gain or loss is always a simple function of how many calories we take in versus how many we expend.combine an unprocessed, whole food diet with a regular aerobic exercise and strength-training program to be at a healthful weight.
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