What are the pros and cons of fasting?

Answer 1

Pros: Rids the body of unwanted toxins, purifies blood, clears mental state of mind, overall cleansing of the body.

Cons: While you may think fasting sheds unwanted pounds, the loss of weight that the scale displays is all or almost all water. Fasting is NOT an effective solution to weight loss and fasting for long periods of time has been shown to slow down metabolism and force the body into "starvation mode" (where the body seldom releases energy to conserve it, and if your goal is weight loss...don't bet on it. All the weight (which is mostly water) that is lost during a fast returns as soon as the fast is over) In my religion we are told you fast 30 days (not in a row of course, we eat at dawn and don't eat or drink until sundown), and I've performed this for almost as long as I can remember. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it this year though..but the list of pros is sure tempting. Studies have also shown that letting the digestive system rest for a while is also a good idea, eating 24 hours a day 7 days a week is too much, even for the digestive system.

Answer 2

NOT DOING IT EVER, THAT's WHAT WRONG WITH FASTING. PEOPLE AREN'T DOING ENOUGH OF IT.

I water fasted a few times, I prefer water fast for far more weight loss. I was loaded with salt and lost weight rapidly. I got better but didn't know I was built on junk for many years, I ate normal things my body didn't recognize as all that great for it. So, I learned to eat spirulina and chlorella 1/2 a cup mixed in fresh lemon juice 4 times a week, and it helped me a lot. Also I ate a lot of fruit and carrot juice for 7 years after that. I had 2 pregnancies that gave me Diabetes, but fasting cleared it up. The change in diet and a 3rd pregnancy gave me no nausea, I had nausea for 7 straight months the previous two times due to the problems with cheese, meat most people eat, and milk, bread, sugar, and salt.

Soooo, I learned how to eat from fasting. Nothing else worked. the problem is NOT fasting, or not learning anything.

There are chemicals, and if you fast when they come out your system needs to deal with it. They tend to want to come out when fasting. After day 3 you and anyone fasting on water vomits a bit. The juice fasting seems to avoid this but I don't like fasting on juice too much, just water. I like to bring the body to lose weight and burn my fat off. Carbohydrates can stop this.

Fasting on water is best done on alkaline water. Even cucumber juice would be nice. All alkaline, but don't eat anything that is notorious for food poisoning, like meat, eggs, milk, etc anytime during this alkalinity or you may not realize bacteria aren't killed. I don't know why, they say cancer doesn't grow in an alkaline environment but I'm pretty sure bacteria does and can hurt you quick. Best to have nothing but water and don't take the risk.

AFTER the fast I had on distilled water (the rave at the time) I got heartburn bad after I ate and had to use baking soda (it was all that was available at the time). So I got loaded up with salt.

I lost 2 lbs a day, after 11 days, I was 78 lbs. and I had to start eating again, I went on a butter binge. I was okay after a couple of weeks. I could not work hard for anyone while fasting. I had to find a place to stay in bed with other's on the same kick, where it worked out for us all.

It's best done with a group, that leaves each other alone. A peaceful quiet country home. Some people walk out and quit after they decide they are hungry and want to do something stupid like just eat a peanut butter sandwich.

If you have a professional that can check and balance your chemistry this is nice, but water alone is okay, if you are strong enough and can take the vomit that always happens after day 2 or 3 of a water fast you body balances it's own chemistry, especially

if you can listen to your own body signals and have access to the right stuff.

Being skinny HELPS A LOT.

If anyone wants to fast with me or open up a small fasting retreat in California near the Hot Springs, please send me an email: ouivalerie@gmail.com