Fasting Basics

• Fasting is to abstain from food and/or drink for a specific period of time.
• Fasting is a practice that has been around for centuries and is part of many religious/spiritual traditions.
• More recently fasting has been associated with weight loss.
• Studies are finding some health benefits to periodic fasting.

 Benefits of Fasting

• Research shows that short fasts, lasting anywhere from 20 to 36 hours can in fact reduce some risks for heart disease and diabetes–and maybe even cancer.
• Short fasts improve sensitivity of cells to insulin so less insulin is needed to control blood sugar.
• Fasting has been shown to increase HDL (good cholesterol).
• Small studies suggest that short fasts also reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in cells.
• Some research suggests that fasting slows the little clocks that tick inside our mitochondria and as a result slow aging in our cells.
• Fasting can lead to weight loss– when people skip a meal or a day’s meals, they do tend to eat more at the next meal but they don’t quite make up for the calories they missed.
• You can get the metabolic benefits of fasting even if you make up for the lost calories by eating more when you’re not fasting. It doesn’t seem to be about eating less as much as it’s about going longer between meals.
• Fasting does NOT cause your metabolism to slow down nor does it wreak havoc with your blood sugar.

Fasting is not for Everyone

Fasting makes some feel s feeling euphoric and energized, others feel cranky and sick.

S0me people should not fast without close medical supervision.

• Pregnant
• Diabetic
• severely underweight
• recuperating from surgery
• have a serious medical condition

Guidelines on how Fast Safely

• Short works. You don’t have to fast for days at a time to get the metabolic or weight loss benefits.
  • some studies show, skipping one meal every other day is enough to produce modest weight loss.
  • Fasting for as little as 20 hours at a time is enough to improve insulin sensitivity and other metabolic functions.
  • You probably shouldn’t go longer than 36 hours without a meal.
• Stay hydrated. Fasting as a part of a religious tradition usually has its own prescriptions but if you are not fasting for religious reasons, drink plenty of water during your fast.
• Put vigorous exercise on hold.A walk is fine but it’s not a good idea to do the crossfit bootcamp or kick boxing cardio  workout on a day when you’re not eating as much as usual.
• Avoid operating heavy machinery. Don’t operate any heavy machinery–such as automobiles– until you know how feel while fasting.
• Eat well when not fasting.  If you’re going to eat less, the nutritional quality of what you do eat becomes that much more important. Fasting for a day and then bingeing on junk food is not a pathway to health.
• Fasting can help with weight loss but keep healthy limits. If your weight starts to dip below your healthy weight range, you’re fasting too often and may be at risk of nutritional deficiencies.