Fasting and Weight Loss - Are Starvation Diets a Useful Approach?
Many sources are available on starvation diets and fasting and weight loss, but are any of these methods actually useful? Sure they can help you lose weight fast, but what exactly are you losing on this diet? Is it fat or something else? Read on find out more on these diet methods.
Calories = Weight Gain so Fasting must = Weight Loss
You have probably participated in a number of different diet methods and weight loss programs. Somehow weight gain seems to be surrounded by food, and you are right in thinking that. Calories are what determines whether or not we lose or gain weight. Eat an extra 3500 calories and you have just gained 1 pound. Based on this you decide it's OK to skip breakfast, eat a small lunch, and an even smaller dinner. You do not seem to be eating a lot of food and must be guaranteed that you are going to lose weight. Sounds good at first, but what exactly are you losing on this diet? First you have to know how your body responds to diet.
Your Body's Response to Fasting and Weight Loss
Let me take you back to a time when food was scarce. When there wasn't a grocery store down the road or a convenience store on the corner. I'm talking about a time a few millions of years ago. When our ancestors hunted and scavenged for food. Sometimes food was plentiful, sometimes it wasn't. This caused our ancestors to develop anti-starvation mechanisms in our body.
These mechanisms include:
- Decrease in metabolism
- Breakdown of muscle mass
- Increased fat storage
If you are looking to lose weight, all three of the above will throw a loophole in your goals. You see our bodies have adapted to deal with starvation. So by eating less food, your body looks for ways to decrease calorie use. First by decreasing your basal metabolic rate. If it still needs calories, it breaks down muscle first, then fat. And as soon as you start eating again, your body is going to store everything as fat as quickly as possible. You see fasting and weight loss actually causes you to store more fat and lose muscle - a big calorie burner. So do your body a favor and do not participate in fasting or starvation diets. They cause you to lose weight but that is only due to loss of muscle mass, not fat. They also cause you to binge eat and over eat. If you really want to lose weight and do it properly and effectively, increase your metabolism through aerobic and weight lifting exercise.
Read our Weight Loss Tips for healthy changes you can make to your diet. Related Articles How to Increase Metabolism Learn about Water and Weight Loss Learn how to start a Weight Training Program Try Cardiovascular Exercise for Weight Loss Return Home from Fasting and Weight Loss
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