Fasting Weight Loss
Does It Work and Is It Safe?

Will Fasting Help You Lose Weight?

When you deprive your body of calories your body is forced to use up energy stores to get the fuel it needs to keep going, so you will definitely lose weight. The main question is how long you will continue to lose weight before your body goes into starvation mode and starts to hold on for dear life to the fat stores. Our bodies are designed to adjust the energy expenditure relevant to the amount of calories we take in, so we don't waste away when food is scarce. This means that when you consume fewer calories for a duration of time and achieve fasting weight loss, your metabolism starts to slow down to conserve energy. The big problem with this is that when you go back to eating regularly, your lowered metabolism causes you to gain weight and be unable to burn as quickly as before the fast. This means you will not only gain weight, but possibly more than what you lost. Research has shown that fasting on alternate days can help people lose weight, but not for long. In one study, people who followed an alternate-day fasting diet shed weight, even when they ate all they wanted on the non-fasting days. However, they could not maintain the weight loss over time.

Is Fasting for Weight Loss Safe?

Fasting for a day or two probably won't hurt people who are already healthy, provided they drink an adequate amount of liquids. However, fasting entirely for long durations of time can harm you. Your body is reliant on a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from food to stay health and energetic. Depletion of these nutrients during fasting diets can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, constipation, dehydration, gallstones, and cold intolerance. You also run the risk of dying of starvation. Maybe try a low calorie diet instead.

For people with diabetes, even short-term fasting is not recommended because it can lead to dangerous lows and spikes in blood sugar levels. People with diabetes should go on a diabetic weight loss diet. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or anyone with a chronic disease, should not go on a fast of any type. Before you go on any type of new diet, especially one that involves fasting, consult your doctor and find out if it is safe and appropriate for you. Also your doctor can refer you to a registered dietitian, who will show you how to design a healthy eating plan.

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