Hi guys, I would like to share a method that I have tried several times during summer to accompany my healthy lifestyle.
Within last half of a year I have managed to lose around 30 kg of body mass, most of which was fat. Generally, I try to eat healthily and do sports, but having some water fasting along the way has really helped to boost that weight loss without gaining it back.
I want to give some information on this topic that I had to put several hours in, just to research. This article will take you around 15 minutes to read and will have all the key points that I found.
So please share and upvote if you liked it! :)
What is water fasting?
Water fasting, also known as water cleanse, is the type of fasting, during which you consume only water and nothing else. Water fasting is done for a limited amount of time and, if done right, can bring health benefits, such as helping to detoxicate your body, improve the quality of your skin, drive loss of excess weight and many more.
It is important to note that water fasting should be carefully planned as inconsiderate water fasting can cause more damage to your health than benefits. I would say that you should never go for water fasting if you have certain medical conditions, like diabetes, cancer or heart diseases. You should always consult with your doctor if you have any medical conditions that make water fasting harmful in your case.
What is the weight loss magic behind?
When you start water fasting, you will get to a state of ketosis. When you are on a regular diet, the body will consume energy from the food you intake. During water fasting, you will have no food to provide that energy, glucose levels will drop entering your body into ketosis, during which your liver will start to convert glycogen stores into glucose. The fatty acids are transformed into ketones. During ketosis, your body fats become main energy source for the body.
How to water fast? From planning to doing!
Timing.
You should plan your water fast carefully. If you are water fasting for the first time, you should plan 1 day fast. Start small, give time for your body to get adopted to unusual conditions. Once you will feel confident and capable to go on further, you can try short-term water fasting, which is usually 2-3 days. Longer periods should only be taken with medical assistance. The goal is to do it smartly and minimise even small risks, any type of extreme has usually nothing good to take.
The best moment to plan your water fasting is out of time that requires productive input from your side. During fasting, you will have calories deficit, which, in short-term, before your body adapts, will drive your productivity down. It is definitely not the best idea to do water fasting when you are in a middle of a project or exams.
Make reasonable breaks between your water fasting sessions.
Doing the process.
A day or two days before your water fast try to consume more light food to get your body prepared to consume only liquids. It will make your water fasting less mentally stressful.
During the water fast consume only good quality and clean water, the goal is to keep it around 13 glasses or 2 - 3 litres of water. Try to plan your water intake throughout the day, like having a glass of water each hour and your body will say thank you for not putting that excess stress.
A day after your water fast try start with light products. Your body gets adapted to consuming only water, so, if you’re not vegetarian or vegan, having meat or any other type of harder digestible food straight away can cause stomach disorders. I generally tried to go with juices, smoothies, as they are of a liquid form and have easy carbs. At the end of the day, I would afford myself a mashed banana or other light fruit or vegetable.
You will then go with more fruits and vegetables, some salads, the day after. The goal is to gradually get back to normal food and you will feel that you don’t need that much of a food actually as your stomach will shrink a bit during water fasting process. You can then try chicken, fish, etc.
During these days of going into the water fast and out of it, you will also benefit from lower calorie intake, recovering gradually will also help to fix your new weight and not waste your time.