Fasting

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• QWhy doesn't fasting lead to weight loss?

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  A Shannon Sorrels, CPT , Fitness, answered on behalf of Physix - Fitness Training and Nutrition

  If you do it long enough, it will - look at starving nations for proof. This method of weight loss is NOT recommended.

  If you fast for a few days expecting some crazy loss rate, you may or may not see it. Chances are, your body started convincing you a nap sounded really good, let's skip the gym today and watch some extra TV. If you do manage to see some loss, you probably won't hang onto it. When you get to eat again, you probably overeat.

  Just stick to 500-750 calories/day less and get out and walk more. Stay on your feet!

• QWhy do people fast?

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  A Parkland Medical Center answered

  In some religions and spiritualities, fasting is a way to cleanse and purify the body, and is considered an act of sacrifice. Fasting can also be used to lose weight in cases of morbid obesity. Some individuals use fasting as a means to detoxify their body. Other times, medical testing or surgery may be necessitate a period of fasting before the procedure.

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• QWhat is the history of fasting?

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  A Parkland Medical Center answered

  The earliest instances of fasting dates back to ancient times, when people fasted under the belief that it cleansed their spirits. Since then, religion, spirituality, weight loss, detoxification, medical testing, and surgery have all become reasons that people fast. In some religions and spiritualities, fasting is still a way to cleanse and purify the body and soul, and is considered a sacrifice. Fasting can also be used to lose weight in cases of morbid obesity. Some individuals use fasting as a means to detoxify their body. Other times, medical testing or surgery may be cause for fasting.

• QWhat is fasting?

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  A Stacy Wiegman, PharmD , Pharmacy, answered

  Fastin (phentermine hydrochloride) is a prescription-only appetite suppressant pill used for a few weeks as part of medically supervised weight loss plans. It works by “telling” your brain that your appetite has been sated. Fastin is the brand name for a phentermine hydrochloride pill from GlaxoSmithKline that has been discontinued in the United States. Other prescription-only forms of phentermine hydrochloride are currently available as generics or as Adipex-P. If you are attempting to lose weight, your doctor can no longer prescribe Fastin, but will be able to tell you if another form of phentermine hydrochloride is right for you.

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• QWhat are the causes for fasting?

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  A Parkland Medical Center answered

  An individual's period of fasting may take place for several reasons. In some religions and spiritualities, fasting is done as a means to cleanse and purify oneself or is viewed as a sacrifice. Fasting can also be used to lose weight or detoxify your body. Other times, medical testing or surgery may be reason that a person fasts.

• QDoes fasting affect children differently than adults?

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  A Parkland Medical Center answered

  Usually, fasting is not recommended for children. Children are more vulnerable when fasting because of their smaller size and increased metabolic needs. Even most spiritualities and religions that practice fasting make exceptions for them. In fact, one of the reasons that newborn babies wake up and eat in the middle of the night is because they do not have enough stored glycogen to make it through the night without consuming more nutrients. In cases of medical testing or surgery, however, fasting may be necessary, even for small children. Sometimes, an emphasis on fasting and weight loss in children can lead to problems later on, like anorexia nervosa.

• QWhat are the possible benefits of fasting?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  

  The benefits of fasting are that you reduce your calories, and also reduce the markers that those calories can cause. In this video, internal medicine specialist Michael Roizen, MD, explains how fasting can teach your body to exist on less calories.

  

  Find out more about this DVD:

  What Are the Possible Benefits of Fasting?
  Buy DVD

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• QHow is detoxification related to fasting?

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  A Parkland Medical Center answered

  Some individuals use fasting as a means of detoxification, although this practice is still under scrutiny in medical fields. When you fast, your body begins to consume the glycogen from your muscles and fat stores. In the process, it cleanses the toxins from your muscles, skin, and various other parts of your body. Once your body is cleansed of toxins, you are ready to go back to a regular diet.

• QWhat are some health risks of detox diets and fasts?

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  A Ms. Ashley Koff, RD , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered

  You may lose weight sipping lemon water with cayenne pepper for days, but radical fasting detoxes and master cleanses such as these, especially when done for rapid weight loss, can challenge the body much more than your current daily routine. They can deny your body of nutrients it needs, downshift your metabolism, and leave you more sensitive to foods, beverages, and your normal daily chaos when you return to your precleanse eating habits. Not to mention they are a metabolic recipe for energy loss. During a fast the body slows its systems and workload to compensate for a perceived lack of nutrients. To this end, if your cleanse doesn't supply sufficient nutrients (the range of nutrients -- carbs, proteins, healthy fats) it's likely that the body may alter its metabolic functions in a way that prevents sustainable results and may compromise short-term energy and immune function. Not a good thing for your health or your energy.
  
  
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• QDoes fasting lead to anorexia?

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  A Parkland Medical Center answered

  Sometimes fasting can become an obsession and lead to anorexia nervosa. Cases where a doctor actually recommends fasting as a weight loss treatment are few and far between, and it is usually only recommended for morbid obesity. When the doctor does instruct a person to fast, they usually recommend partial fasting, in which an individual fasts once a week or once a month. Anorexia nervosa involves total starvation for cosmetic or psychological reasons, and this unmanaged condition can lead to serious health complications. Anorexia often shows up in young people and in those who are of a regular weight.

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