Is Fasting a Good Idea?

Fasting is one of the most commonly embraced lifestyle-based methods of losing weight naturally. And like every other fitness approach in popular practice today, it comes with its fair share of pros and cons.

Many of the main drawbacks associated with this slimming technique are chiefly attributable to the manner in which it’s done. For instance, intermittent fasting, if embraced in line with all expert-provided instructions, can avail impressive fat loss results.

It’s the haphazardly done fasting that often plunges many dieters into diverse self-inflicted health hurdles. And this is precisely why it’s exceedingly prudent to seek a qualified doctor’s advice before pursuing any fasting-oriented weight loss regimen.

Provided herebelow are some sound tips that offer a little more insights on the advantages and demerits of this simple, yet sometimes confounding fat loss approach. Read on to learn the main pros and cons of fasting as a weight loss methodology, and how to do it right.

Boosted Immunity

If carried out in the right manner, fasting can bolster your body immunity significantly. In fact, traditional medical wisdom links eating less to improved natural healing mechanisms. It does confer great wellness breakthroughs that could mean better health for people with chronic conditions like diabetes and blood pressure imbalances.

Over-denying oneself will nevertheless lead to a complete reversal of these health benefits. Thus, dieters must not strive to cut unhealthily huge amounts of calories at the expense of the very basic nourishment levels they direly need on a daily basis.

Better Mental Concentration

Fasting may seem to disrupt one’s mental concentration in the first few days. It however begins to heighten one’s cognitive alertness and focus as their bodies get systematically used to having less food.

Health experts actually link less food intakes to improved cognitive focus, mostly among overweight persons. This is due to the interesting fact that such people often experience generally increased energy with fasting – enhancing physical and mental vivacity alike.

Again, drastic decrease in calorie consumption won’t confer similar mental revitalization…but will instead occasion fatigue-like symptoms that might even sometimes trigger persistent physical and mental lethargy.

Incomparably Cheap & Sustainable Fitness Technique

Unlike other more technically demanding and fairly expensive weight loss methods, well-executed fasting regimens make for an incomparably cheap and sustainable fitness technique. It actually reduces the overall weight loss expenses in the long-term – a dually advantageous hack that cuts pounds almost literally.

It’s also highly sustainable, provided all basic health precautions are carefully adhered to. One may even decide to fast for the rest of their lives…enjoying numerous health benefits for many decades with minimal expenses and side effects.

Another sustainability-oriented advantage of fasting is that fasters are always assured of finally achieving their envisioned fitness goals. But this is only applicable in cases where it’s undertaken in line with the sound recommendations stipulated by qualified medical experts.

Persistent Hunger Pangs/ Physical Weakness

The first drawback of fasting as a weight loss method is that fasters do experience rather persistent feelings of hunger/general weakness. This is especially the case during the first few days after embarking on the understandably challenging dieting process.

However, they’ll will soon get habituated to taking less food without experiencing any such persistent bouts of hunger or characteristic body weakness. Nonetheless, one ought to eat a little more, if their feelings of hunger are triggered by extreme calorie deprivations.

Dieters battling other underlying health issues shouldn’t subject their bodies to significantly fewer calories unless they’ve received expert go-aheads to do so.

Lingering Feelings of Lightheadedness

Fitness fans on fasting-based fat loss programs may also suffer occasional bouts of lightheadedness. This rather milder side effect is mostly observed within the first few days, and should naturally markedly subside after a fortnight or thereabouts.

It’s simply one if the key physiological contraindications observed as the Dieter’s body accustoms itself to functioning normally in a fasted state. Ordinarily, no counteractive medications are recommended, unless the ensuing counteractions go beyond the projected two-week period.

Moderate painkillers may prove necessary on some occasions, mostly if the resultant lightheadedness comes with more urgent discomforts such as migraine or aching joints.

Short-term Difficulties

Adjusting the body to a fasted state often presents varied short-term difficulties to a large percentage of dieters. They’ll however get used to it with time, and most of the earlier physiological challenges will gradually decrease as they continue consuming less servings.

People on fasting regimens shouldn’t take any significant health contraindications lightly, though. You’re not supposed to blindly assume that such major contraindicative signs are simply wholly triggered by ordinary factors associated with reduced calorie intakes.

You ought to seek advanced the consultative opinion of medical specialists to fully ascertain whether all is really well. But the best timing for these expert advice is a couple of days before commencing the entire calorie reduction endeavor.

Past clinical surveys indicate that women are indeed a little more prone to common fasting-linked side effects than their male counterparts.

Likely Lack of Vital Nutrients

Lastly, those on fasting-related programs are reasonably susceptible to potential nutritional deficiencies. Since they’re almost exclusively focused on lowering calorie consumption, they might overlook the more urgent need to go for a balanced diet.

Reduced weight isn’t a wholly reliable proof that one is indeed healthier. You’d be in a dire health crisis, for example, if your metabolic activity dwindled below the safe, recommended thresholds.

Guest post: Jason Coote