How Fasting Helps

Have you tried fasting yet? If not, why not?

Sure, there are people who should not fast. If you are a child who is still growing, or pregnant, nursing, underweight, or have any type of eating disorder, fasting might not be for you. However, most healthy adults who have weight to lose can safely use fasting as the main method of weight loss or as one additional tool in their weight loss kit.

I have written many blogposts about fasting in the past. I am returning to the subject today after watching a thirty-minute video presentation by Dr. Jason Fung. He is an obesity expert and has written several books on the subject of fasting. The research supports fasting as a safe and effective method of weight loss, especially for those who are obese.

One little tidbit I learned yesterday is that fasting is the only method of weight loss which actually improves metabolism. When we lose weight, our metabolism normally decreases. This makes continued weight loss more and more challenging as we approach our goal weight. But fasting activates a very different mechanism in the body. This mechanism stimulates the metabolism and ups the number of calories burned while fasting. And because there is no food coming in, and no more sugar in the body to be burned, all these extra calories must come from stored fat.

There are many other benefits to fasting.

Fasting can be added to any other diet program as an additional measure to help boost fat loss. Fasting is especially easy and helpful for those who are following a ketogenic diet. When you are already keeping your carbs very low, and eating mostly fat, fasting is a piece of cake! (Not literally!) On the other hand, fasting can be difficult for those who eat a lot of sugar and processed foods. If this is you, you might want to start by reducing sugar and refined carbs before attempting to fast.

More things to love about fasting:

* It is simple. You just don't eat. No measuring, or weighing ingredients, or counting calories or points. No balancing food groups. Nothing to learn.

* It is FREE. There is zero cost! If you don't have a lot of extra cash to spend on fancy ingredients or supplements, just try fasting. You will spend zero dollars on fast food, meals out, packaged snack foods, etc. You receive all the benefits at no cost!

* It saves time as well as money. You will spend zero time shopping for ingredients, preparing meals, cooking, cleaning up pots and pans, wiping down the stove. Think of all the stuff you can get done during all those extra hours!

If you'd like to try fasting but need some support, please leave me a message. I am available for weight loss coaching!