a note about fasting

Image via Wikipedia

Fasting can be pretty terrific. I mean, who doesn't love the feeling you get on a fast? One of the first things many people notice is the seemingly instant weight loss. And they're like, wow, about it. It shouldn't be a surprise though, if you've got some basic body knowledge.

What you need to know:

The body uses significant amounts of water in the digestive process.  You will lose pounds in fluids and waste quickly because you've eliminated the need to digest foods while fasting. For a time, this can be a real boost to someone trying to lose weight.

The bad news:

Most of that weight will return once you begin digesting foods again. It's not really bad news. It's just factual.

I don't want to imply that fasting has no place or purpose. It just isn't a fix all. You're only depriving yourself of a day's (or whatever the length of the fast) worth of calories. It still takes a 3600 calorie deficiency to lose a pound.