Hi,

This post continues our saga about fasting for weight loss.

We have found that you can lose weight on a fast, just as

you can lose weight on a diet.  The problem with both is

our metabolisms.

With both fasting and dieting your metabolism will slow

down.  Eventually you will stop losing weight and start

regaining it.  This is your body’s natural defense and

survival mechanisms kicking in.

At this point in time and to my knowledge there are no

studies showing exactly where this weight loss comes from. 

Is it from fat loss, muscle loss, chemical loss or even

bone loss?  No one knows. 

But, we can make some educated guesses. 

My guess, based upon past research and my own experiences

is that it comes from muscle loss. 

Almost every physiologist will tell you that weight loss on

a diet comes from fat and muscle loss. 

That is why exercise is always recommended by scientists as

part of an overall weight loss program. 

Just dieting, and fasting, will make you smaller not more

muscular.

Yes, you will lose weight and you saw in the last post that

a fast one time per week could help extend the weight loss

time period. 

But, it can’t work forever.  Just like a diet can’t work

forever.

My own experience with a fasting and exercise protocol are

in line with this.

This program had me fasting every 5 days and exercising

every day, including weights and high intensity aerobics. 

And I did lose weight.  I lost 5 pounds and I got smaller. 

My chest, thigh and biceps all got smaller.  My waist

stayed the same. 

These were not the kind of results I was looking for. 

Especially since the program stated that it was a body fat

loss program.  For the last little bit around the waist.

I do not have a six pack.  I do have a four pack and

sometimes you can barely see the outlines of a six pack. 

So I figured I would give this program a try.  At the end,

my muscles were smaller, I still didn’t have a six pack and

worst of all I had absolutely no energy. 

That was not fun.  And actually that wasn’t the worst of

all.  When I went back to my normal non fasting eating

patterns all the weight went to my waist. 

I was still exercising and doing intense cardio, but it

took almost 3 months for me to get back to my pre “fat 

burning exercise – fasting” regimen. 

I will say though that I was surprised that the first

couple of weeks I did not feel a drop in energy on the

fasting days.  But, as it continued, it did take its toll.

So do I recommend fasting?

I do, but with certain guidelines.  First off, if you have

any kind of medical conditions see your doctor.  If you are

a diabetic or prone to it, do not fast without your

doctor’s guidelines. 

Your blood sugar could drop quite a bit on your fast days. 

If you are pregnant, do not fast period.  You and your baby

need all the nutrients it can get and extra calories. 

If you want to try it, start out slow.  Try fasting for

short periods of time.

Now, almost all of us fast for 8-12 hours a day already. 

This is when you sleep.

You can increase this time, by making sure you don’t eat

anything 2-3 hours before you go to bed. 

Even though I believe in eating a full breakfast, if you

are not used to doing that, then skip eating when you get

up to add a couple of extra hours before you eat anything. 

I would not try to fast more than 1 time per week.  And I

would start with skipping a meal.  You might skip dinner or

a lunch 1 time per week. 

If that seems to be okay then try skipping both a lunch and

dinner 1 time per week. 

And you do have to exercise.  That includes a strength

building portion and a cardio portion.  I have written

about these in previous posts. 

You want to reduce the fat and keep the muscle.  You can

not do that just by dieting or fasting. 

Bottom line is that fasting for weight loss is okay to try

within the guidelines mentioned. 

 Thanks,

Mike Val

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Related posts:

1. Fasting for Weight Loss Part 3
2. Fasting for Weight Loss Part 2
3. Fasting for Weight Loss
4. Weight Loss Foods?
5. Have You Regained Weight?