Fasting
 

I have decided to do a 10-day strict water fast.

Anyone here ever done it?
I`ve read a bunch of stuff online on what things to expect, but I guess I wanna hear from you.

Do you mean consume nothing but water for 10 days? I've never done it but it sounds rather dangerous to me O.o

What are you trying to achieve by doing it?

According to several sources (and I watched some people's videos) only the first 3 days are the worst, after that it`s supposed to get better as your desire for food fades away...

I found this the most informative.

Achieve? Mainly losing the weight that I gained on this two-weeks vacation, and the other stuff that were on the page sound awesome, so I said what the heck, I can do it!

Good grief how much weight have you gained?

I haven`t stepped on a scale in more than a year. I`ve become uncomfortable with my shape, simple as that.

*shrug* fair enough.

Mmm, maybe it would be a good idea to go on the scale and measure how much I will lose

.. Just did that, I weigh 60kg (132.28 lbs) .. heh, thought it would be more =P

That's not a lot at all. But if you really wanna drop some weight fast, you should go for one of those powder diets, they work wonders for a fast weightloss, but they are not to be confused with actual lasting weight loss for people like me.

A week is longer than I've ever fasted, the most I went was about three days and it was for religious reasons, not weight loss. The first day is pretty bad because of hunger pains, but after I went to bed the next day I was fine, felt shaky though.

I honestly wouldn't go for it as a weight loss trick, at least not a water only fast, doesn't your body store fat when you're starved? Like as a "uh oh, famine is coming" survival tactic?

Yeah, it does. Fasting for weight loss per se is a bad idea. Fasting to reduce food cravings sound effective though. I might try that out and see if it does anything.

Take amphs.

Bet that works yeah :p

It helped me, I still need to eat a lot but hunger doesn't bother me as much as it used to. World Vision's Thirty Hour Famine is coming up soon, so if you'd try it thats a good way to raise money for charity too.

That sounds interresting. Got a link for that? =)
How long did you fast in order to diminish hunger's hold on you? :)

If you're that uncomfortable, just exercise and try to manage what you eat. Honestly, this doesn't really sound like you.

I don`t have problems with hunger, I once went for 3 months without feeling hungry, only eating because I don`t wanna die.

I want to lose this weight but I haven`t found a way that is appealing to me (since it`s not that urgent to lose the weight, and I`m not gaining any more, it really wasn`t all that important) but this sounds awesome, the benefit plus losing the weight.

http://www.30hourfamine.org/portal/index.html

You know I had no idea it was a World Vision thing until today, my high school organized it when I did it so I always thought it was just a secular thing >.>

Well last Rohatsu and the time I did the 30 Hour Famine were the only two times, but with the 30 Hour it was pretty much the same thing, I went to bed that night feeling like shit but when I woke up I felt not pain at all, just shaky. The three day one I did the shakes did go away. And of course you gotta drink lots of fluids, the last time I just had water and a little bit of juice.

Geo you're gorgeous and I love you the way you are :3 but really I don't think this is a good idea at all. I googled it and while a lot of sites do say its good, I can't think of a solid reason why it would be. Don't trust everything online!

Aside from the body fat storage thing, you also gotta keep in mind that there's a chance the weight will spring back and will be harder to lose and you could get caught up in yo yo dieting. The best thing to do with weight loss is really to find a diet you can stick with for a long time.

I do walk a lot around campus now that Uni has started a week ago. But I wanna do something else too =)

Well I've lost nearly 50lbs now and one of the main things that's dropped my weight with regards to diet, is severely cutting back on sugar and things that contain it. Also white bread, pasta and potatoes. Starchy processed food in other words. That and a hell of a lot of exercise of course.

This water thing seems a bit extreme really. Though if you're determined and haven't done it before maybe try 3 or 4 days on vegetable or watered fruit juice? At least that will give your stomach something to work on rather than just plain water.

Seems a safer option than just leaping into a 10 day water only regime from the beginning. I notice a fair few of the people who were commenting on that site have done something similar , doing a 3 day fast before trying the 10 day.

Have you checked with a doctor to see if it's safe for you to do it?

Not really, but I don`t see it that extreme.

I do take lots of biology, pathology and related subjects, and a lot of what is said on that page really made sense looking on how body makes energy.

I will not do it for longer than 10 days, body has limits. And if I sense anything dangering my health I will immediately stop.

I don't think its an extreme thing to do, but I don't think it'll be effective enough to be worth the trouble. Can I see the page you're looking at?

Most likely a ten-day fast will not be effective for weight loss. David Rakoff did a very short (month long) fast and talks about it on this episode of This American Life. Ten-days is pretty short, and you'll just gain back any weight you lose during those ten days once you return to your regular routine.

Honestly, if you want to lose weight and keep it off you have to change your lifestyle. Eat better food, less of it, and exercise every day. There's really no other way.

Diet Myth or Truth: Fasting Is Effective for Weight Loss - WebMD

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Expert Column

EXCERPT: Fasting is an age-old practice, often done for religious reasons, but fasting for weight loss is still capturing the public imagination. You can find dozens of do-it-yourself plans touting the unproven benefits of fasting, ranging from flushing "poisons" from the body to purging 30 pounds of fat in 30 days.

It's true that fasting -- that is, eating little to no food -- will result in weight loss, at least in the short term. But the risks far outweigh any benefits, and ultimately, fasting can cause more harm than good.

...

Fasts lasting a day or two are unlikely to be dangerous for most healthy adults. But high-risk people, the elderly, anyone with a chronic disease, pregnant women, and children are advised against any type of fasting.

The real danger lies in staying on the fast for prolonged periods, anywhere from three days to a month.

Dangers of Fasting for Weight Loss
When you dramatically reduce your calorie intake, you will lose weight. But it can also cause all kinds of health problems, including muscle loss. Further, when you start fasting, your body goes into conservation mode, burning calories more slowly.

Keep in mind that the initial weight lost on a fast is primarily fluid or "water weight," not fat. And when you go back to eating, any lost weight usually gets a return ticket back. Not only do most people regain weight lost on a fast, they tend to add a few extra pounds because a slower metabolism makes it easier to gain weight. Worse, the weight that is regained is likely to be all fat -- lost muscle has to be added back at the gym.

Side effects of fasting include dizziness, headaches, low blood sugar, muscle aches, weakness, and fatigue. Prolonged fasting can lead to anemia, a weakened immune system, liver and kidney problems, and irregular heartbeat. Fasting can also result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, muscle breakdown, and diarrhea. When you drink laxative concoctions during a fast, there is an increased risk of fluid imbalance and dehydration.

The risks get more complicated and severe the longer you stay on a fast, or if you repeatedly go on fasts.

I'd advise you to lose weight through sensible eating and doing more exercise.

I am engaging in a 2-day fast for the mental reasons. That is, challenging myself and my willpower. Because if I can stay away from food entirely for 2 days(my initial plan was 3, but your article claiming that 3 days could be dangerous had me take it down to 2) I can eat less overall as well.
Knowing that I can will probably make it more likely that I will do it as well.
So does proper fasting involve staying away from milk and juice as well?

I hear the Lemonade diet is pretty effective too
It helped a girl in my class lose 10 lbs in 3 days :3 - I don't know if she was just losing water and not body fat...but she looked a lot thinner after the xmas holidays. Around 20 lbs thinner maybe?

You can read more about it here: http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/The_Lemonade_Diet