Benefits Of Fasting - Lose Fat & Renew Your Immune System
Benefits Of Fasting
Hey guys, recently I've started experimenting with fasting due to the plethora of scientific research that claims it has amazing health benefits.
As I write this, I haven't eaten in over 32 hours and I feel fucking amazing!
The great success I've been having with fasting made me want to write this post in order to show you the benefits of it and hopefully open yourself to the possibility of trying it out. But before I list the benefits, I'm going to tackle a commonly perpetuated myth.
Myth: Fasting Makes You Lose Muscle
This is a common misconception based on poorly understood science. The body does NOT consume muscle tissue for energy until one reaches the point of starvation. Then the body begins to consume muscle tissue for energy.
Starvation is not fasting!
Starvation is the state your body enters when it has exhausted its glucose and fat reserves. A normal healthy person's body would not enter starvation for far longer than any reasonable fasting period. This means that your body won't eat itself, don't worry!
Burns Fat & Reduces Cholesterol
This is likely the most obvious benefit that first springs to mind when thinking about the benefits of fasting. However, you'd be surprised how effective fasting is at achieving this.
Fasting burns fat as a result of a low blood sugar level. When the body has used it's remaining energy from your last meal, it begins to dip into the glucose stored in your liver and muscles. Once this glucose is consumed, the body starts to metabolise body fat into energy.
Dr. Razeen Mahroof, from the University of Oxford in the UK, states that the use of fat for energy can help preserve muscle and reduce cholesterol levels.
Detoxifies The Body
When one fasts, the body goes through a kind of detoxification process where the toxins stored in body fat are dissolved and removed from the body.
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During this process, the body is using fat for energy which means when fat cells are consumed, the toxins that were inside them can now be excreted from the body.
Releases Endorphins
Research has found that after a few days of fasting, participants had a higher net amount of endorphins being produced in the blood.
If you're not familiar with endorphins, they are so-called feel-good chemicals secreeted by the body during strenuous activities. The release of these chemicals leads to improvement in mood and has a positive impact on mental well-being.
Regenerates Your Immune System
**Yup, sounds far out right? Well it's completely true. **When fasting, your body tries to optimise itself and save energy by using old immune cells for energy.
Dr. Longo stated the following:
"When you starve, the system tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged"
This effect is most prominent when fasting for several days as compared to intermittent fasting which isn't as dramatic.
Conclusion
If done properly, fasting can be an extremely effective tool for helping one stay in peak physical condition. It has many benefits, a few of the most significant, listed above. If you or someone else you know is interested in fasting, please consult a medical proffessional before trying any prolonged fasts.
Thanks for reading, if this post helped you then upvote and resteem!
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I have been doing some heavy research on fasting as well. It's hard to swallow the idea of not eating when all that has been thrown at society for so long now, is to eat every three hours for optimal health. While I have not experienced the benefits of a 32 hour fast such as yourself, I have had a few 24 hour fasts under my belt and I feel amazing when I accomplish it.
You're right, the idea of having 3 meals a day has been very much ingrained into society. Due to this, fasting seems like a far out concept to some people. However, it's the same people who do not realise just how resilient the body is. From my research, most people feel more dramatic effects the longer they fast. I'm gonna try for a 3-4 day fast soon to see how that goes. Thank you for your comment btw!
This is something that has popped up on my radar a lot lately. I guess that means I should try it. haha. I've upvoted your post and am now following you. Looking forward to your music and psychonaut related posts.
Exactly, it's definitely worth a try! Thanks a lot man, dropped you a follow too!
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I've been doing intermittent fasting for 1 year and I got amazing results. I lost 10+ kg and most importantly, I feel much healthier than I've ever been.
Thanks for sharing this post. I think more people should know about benefits of fasting!
I've only started recently but just like you, I feel much more clear headed when fasting than usual. No worries, I want to spread the word to as many people as possible so they can get the benefits for themselves.
I'm not strictly fasting per se, but I generally have one meal around mid-day.
My worry is that when I do eat, it's not the proper balance of calories - carbs, proteins, fats, etc., and I've been experiencing some negative side-effects like low blood sugar "crashes," headaches, and such.
What do you eat when you come out of fasting? And how long do you wait before you start fasting again?
Thanks for the post! Interesting stuff.
When coming out of a fast, I always start really light. Something like a fruit salad or something similar is great to break the fast due to how light and healthy it is. I try to do intermittent fasting multiple times a week, longer fasts should be done less often.
Ok, cool thanks.