My view point on fasting

 For a long, I was scared to write about fasting because either people interpret it as

-Starving

-"I will go back to the eating disorder phase."

-Weight loss techniques

 

I have tried fasting

But I was not successful.

Disclaimer: I don't advocate it as a weight loss technique

My story

 

I started fasting because it was the buzzword everywhere. I wanted to know what the fuzz was about

 At first, I was skeptical because I had a history of eating disorders (I didn't get diagnosed).

Initially, I struggled with fasting because I got a lot of cravings.

Honestly, I broke the fast before 24 hrs( after 10 hours). 

I ate the food I craved so much.

When I ate, I didn't feel the need to eat as much as I thought I needed.

But during fasting, I felt a lightness in my head. I could perform better physically than I thought. I didn't feel weak. I was not hungry for as much as I ate.

Most of the time, I was on an empty stomach.

 

PS. Notice that I always was an empty stomach. There is a difference between a hungry and an empty stomach.

First, we need to understand what happens when we eat.

Hope you understand it. If not, we will discuss in the comments

What happens when we fast?

 

Since there is no incoming energy, the body initially uses glycogen in the liver. After that, it starts breaking down body fat for energy.

Fasting is simply choosing not to eat.

 

What fasting isn't?

Eating unprocessed foods, sugar, and refined foods and compensating by fasting.

Busting myths of fasting

Fasting is done in India for years during Ramadan, Navratri. Even Buddhists do it.

I don't know anyone else who does that.

If you know, mention them in the comments ↓

"Fasting puts you in starvation mode."

I think what they mean by starvation is a decrease in BMR. BMR is the energy used by the body to stay alive(breathing, blood rate, etc.)

Fasting is short-term. It doesn't lead to a decrease in BMR because the body uses stored energy as fuel. 

But it is not the same for diets.

If you eat 1500 calories which are not enough calories to sustain, you will eventually run off body energy. So it leads to a decrease in BMR. That time body will try to preserve fat because it enters into starvation mode. Short-term fasting will not decrease BMR.

"Fasting makes you burn muscle."

It is not entirely true. 

Our body first uses body fat for energy. If the body fat is low (say less than 4%), then the body has no choice but to use muscles for energy.

"Fasting causes low blood sugar."

Low blood sugar means becoming shaky and sweaty. During fasting, our body breaks down glycogen(glycose in the liver) first to get the energy to stay alive. It happens every night when you sleep.

"Fasting leads to overeating."

Yes. There is a slight increase in calorie intake. But it doesn't even come close to the deficit you were in during fast. But with repeated extended fasting (fasting for a longer period), appetite decreases.

"Fasting deprives the body of nutrients."

For shorter fast, even if you got deficient in micronutrients, you can compensate by eating nutrient-dense foods later.

In the case of macronutrients, the body needs amino acids and fatty acids (which it gets from protein and fats)

Usually, the body loses amino acids and fatty acids through urine and stool.

Bowel movements reduce during fasting become there is less food intake. But protein is released through urine in the form of nitrogen.

During fasting body recycles old protein to form amino acids and retains essential nutrients.

For shorter fasts, it is not a problem. 

But longer fasts should be done under supervision.

Even though it recycles old nutrients, children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women should not do it because they need these nutrients.

Hunger and fasting

Generally, people get scared of fasting because they don't want to get hungry and feel weak.

We got trained to eat at regular intervals in the modern day. 

You don't necessarily get hungry when your stomach is empty. 

We are used to eating at regular intervals. So, our body naturally signals "hunger" at that time.

Studies were conducted on dogs, where the dogs got fed by people wearing lab coats for weeks. 

After a while, dogs started salivating whenever they saw people wearing lab coats, even though they had no food. Similarly, humans also drool when they see ads showing food and hear the lunch bell(because it associates with them getting food).

Fasting breaks that pattern. That doesn't mean you won't get hungry. 

You do. 

You do it when you are hungry.

The tips that helped me:

1. Don't have food in front of you. Even though you might have self-control. The cravings are hard to control. Trust me!

2. If you are used to eating at 7 pm every day. You might feel hungry at 

7-ish pm. If you get past that, you might realize you didn't feel hungry

3. While breaking fast, eat something light. Don't eat a heavy meal.

4. Drink a lot of water (especially hot water) to prevent cravings.

5. If you are feeling dizzy, that is a sign of dehydration. Drink water+ salt

6. If you experience constipation during fasting. That happens because there is reduced food intake. Eat fiber during your nonfast days.