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There are many benefits to fasting and, in my experience, very few drawbacks. Fasting for me means going 24 to 36 hours, usually 36, without eating any solid food. Drinking water and a lot of it is essential. It helps with detoxification and makes you feel a little fuller. Drinking juice during a fast is also acceptable, no more than a couple of ounces every 2 hours. I recommend organic apple juice. Some people claim that drinking juice can help your system process and eliminate toxins while fasting. I tend to stick to nothing but water. If nothing else, you feel like you really stuck to your fast at the end.
Except for one month off, I have been fasting every week for almost a year. I initially did it to detox and lose weight. I think I have achieved both and now use them to maintain my weight. Combined with diet and exercise, fasting has helped me lose 30 pounds over the past year. Below are some of the benefits of fasting that I have personally experienced over the past year.
Deeper and better quality sleep: You should always end your fast in the morning, that way you will spend most of the last hours sleeping instead of thinking about how hungry you are. You should also make sure to set your alarm clock because you sleep so soundly at the end of a fast that it’s hard to get up. You have that very comfortable sleep like in the winter when it’s warm under the covers and cold outside.
Feel better: I often exercise before eating on the last day of a fast because you feel energized. Actually, throughout the second half of any fast, you tend to feel detoxified and like your system is working efficiently. I’m not kidding, you can sometimes feel very hungry and generally rough during a fast, but once you’ve done it a few times you’ll ignore it.
Detoxification: One of the main benefits of fasting is detoxification. Your body accumulates toxins just from your normal daily activities, so it’s important to detox from time to time. This requires giving your liver a break so it can stop processing food and focus on cleaning your blood. You can really feel this, your system feels cleaner after you have digested your last bite of food.
Control over your diet: This is a topic most people don’t talk about, but I’ve found fasting to be helpful in convincing you that you’re in control of your diet. Most people think that it is a biological imperative to eat at least 3 times a day. It is not. Your body can go much longer without eating, and it’s good exercise to go without eating so you can understand how hunger is just a signal. It’s important information, but it’s completely within your control to ignore it for quite some time.
Weight loss: This is probably the main reason I started fasting, but it’s not really what I consider to be the biggest benefit. Don’t get me wrong, you can quickly lose 5 to 10 pounds on an empty stomach. But it’s not a great strategy for long-term weight loss unless you plan on fasting every week like I do. Even then, you should modify the rest of your diet and exercise routine to ensure you’re retaining your muscle mass because your body will cannibalize your muscles for food when you fast. I suggest fasting a couple of times and see how you like it. Then once you know how it affects you, you can use it to lose a few pounds before a high school reunion.
There are others, but these are the main benefits of fasting that I have personally experienced. While I think everyone should try it at least once, I understand that it won’t be for everyone. As always, be sure to consult your doctor before beginning any major changes to your diet and exercise program.