Let me start by saying that I personally have never done a fast. I barely go 3 hours without eating. SO today I thought i would try it. My friends definition of a fast is not chewing, so anything liquid goes. I came home from my 90 minute trail run and had a recovery protein shake and I added some paleo greens to it with water and ice. No problem so far!! A few moments later I figured out that you don't really have to chew yogurt, so down it went. Then I thought if I put a banana in my mouth for long enough it would not really have to be chewed, but would disintegrate and slide down my throat. About an hour later I was back at the refrigerator looking to see what else could be sucked on without really chewing it . . . organic almond butter, chocolate soy pudding, pomegranate juice . . . then there were things I could throw in the blender that were wouldn't have to be chewed . . . Hmmm. When I started contemplating if a meatball could melt in my mouth, I knew I was not long for this fasting thing. For me, the minute I tell my brain I can't have something, the more I want it. Optimally I eat things that are good for me and my body craves them. That does not mean that I don't crave chocolate or ice cream, but when you eat healthy, you crave healthy. When you eat junk, you crave junk. Your body always wants to right itself meaning it wants to maintain homeostasis or balance. If you fast, then it feels deprived and the next chance you give it to eat, you will over eat (hence the binge and purging associate with eating disorders).
Okay now more seriously, the main benefit offered by a fast, to those who wish to lose weight, is the speed of the weight loss. It's possible for a person drop 30-to-40 pounds in a 30-day juice fast. During that time they are losing water, fat and muscle -yes the muscle you worked so hard to earn. For some the fast becomes a catalyst for a total life overhaul by weight loss.
When someone fasts for even 2 days they can drop, 8 lbs. from the colon, 5 lbs. in water and 2 lbs. in body fat. For some the detoxification is powerful and they feel healthier, less ill and have more mental clarity.
AFter a few days of a fast (or very low calorie diet) the colon is empty there is also a reduction in bulk that flattens the stomach. This weight loss from having an empty colon is not permanent.
Fasting Weight Loss Rates Vary According to Metabolism. The slower your metabolism is, the slower the weight loss. Fasting can slow the metabolism as the body begins to shut down with so little energy and when it eats away at your metabolically active muscle.
Initially, weight loss can be as high as three-to-four pounds per day, but as the fast continues, the average loss is less and you are putting your body in a state of ketosis, which is dangerous. If you are going to do a true fast you should consider taking a liquid multi vitamin like Intramax which is providing you with essential nutrients, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. I would at least recommend some nutritious drink that included some greens and protein or berries.
By now you know II encourage everyone to develop life long healthy disciplines including exercise, a diet high in raw fruits and veggies and lean protein, stress management 7+ hours of sleepa night, pampering and so on. If you choose to fast I would recommend a Friday after boot camp where you can sleep in on Saturday and do it with some combination of nutrition.
It does take a tremendous amount of discipline not to eat when it's a natural thing that your body needs and is used to.
When a fast ends, you will naturally regress to your regular patterns of living and if they are unhealthy you lose all the benefits gained by fasting.
Try to stay focused on the healthy things you are doing to improve your life rather than being consumed with the number of pounds lost.
The best motivation to fast is for physical and spiritual health. Toxins will leave your body, but your body has a natural ability to eliminate toxins - assuming you are not overloading it. Do not have unrealistic expectations about fasting. Give your body the time it needs to do the work of cleansing naturally.
Again I am not a fasting expert or necessarily an advocate. There are books and research on very low calorie diets and the benefits to health and especially longevity. If you are considering a fast for health or weight loss reasons, consider a low calorie diet temporally instead. Or a liquid diet for a few days. Boot camp is not really the time for fasting. You can burn up to 700 calories in a boot camp workout. Even if you spend the rest of your day sitting and praying you would still start to eat away at your muscle after the second day.
Here is a study on mice to consider . . .
Study on mice shows fasting improves health as much as cutting calories. Periodic fasting and cutting calories is proven to increase health and lifespan.
Research -Fasting Increases Lifespan and Insulin Sensitivity
Several recent studies have reported a variety of benefits from a sharply restricted diet, including longer life span, increased insulin sensitivity and stress resistance.
In the new report, mice that were fed only every other day - but could gorge on the days they did eat - saw similar health benefits to ones that had their diet reduced by 40%, a team of researchers reports in Tuesday’s online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Research - Fasting and Calorie Reduction Detoxifies the Body
But the new study by Mark P. Mattson and colleagues at the National Institute on Aging found equal benefits for mice that ate only every other day, but didn’t cut total calories because they ate twice as much on days they weren’t fasting.
Mattson said a study is in the planning stages to compare the health of a group of people fed the normal three meals a day with a similar group, eating the same diet and amount of food, but consuming it within four hours and then fasting for 20 hours before eating again.
source: http://argylebootcamp.blogspot.com/2008/07/fasting-for-health-and-weight-loss.html
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