Water Fasting, Hair Loss?
3 years ago, I was 5'4 and 184 pounds before starting a 40-day water fast. I came off of it weighing 123, experiencing NO negative side effects. I had NO hair loss. My nails were fine, my once dangerously-high blood pressure had stabilized at a perfect number, and I was ridden of many illnesses. About 2 months before fasting, I had experienced numerous daily fainting spells, so I went to my doctor to have a blood test done. I later found out that I had a very low white blood cell count and, after many tests over many weeks, was diagnosed with Leukemia. It still tears me up inside just thinking about it. I had remembered hearing about fasting and how it has been medically documented to cure cancerous cells or tumors. I had NOTHING to lose. The first 3 days were terrible. Resisting the urge to eat was the hardest thing I've ever done. I LOVED the taste of food. I was borderline addicted. After the fourth day, I no longer experienced headaches, stomach grumbles or dizziness. Long story short, promptly after breaking my fast, I got more tests done. My doctor couldn't believe it! Despite his years of medical school, he was under the impression that fasting was an awful thing to do to your body. He discovered that I now have a plentiful army of white blood cells fighting for me and that my once-low iron levels have stabilized. Among other things, I had chronic asthma that included the possibility of experiencing an asthma attack after walking up just ONE flight of stairs. It's completely gone now. No more inhalers for me! The severe acne that I've had for the last 5 years is gone and I have not had one single breakout. Despite the thumbs down I'm going to get on this answer, water fasting was THE smartest thing I've ever done. If you want to know more about fasting, read "Fasting and Eating for Health" by Joel Fuhrman MD. He explains it all. Another thing, DO NOT take vitamins while fasting. They destroy your stomach. Best of luck to you <3
Water Fasting: Muscle Atrophy/Ketosis?
I have been doing reading on water fasting.. including Furhman's renouned book on the subject. I plan on water fasting for 5-7 days. After reading tons of literature, I have concluded that for a healthy person, a water fast is safe. I expect my metabolism to be reduced 20 percent after the fast, for a period up to 4-6 weeks. I'm doing the fast mostly for disciplinary reasons and detoxification, though fat loss is also desired. My main concern is lean mass loss. I have read that Ketosis, which is a muscle sparing process, still results in "some lean mass loss". I can't find any specifics. Has anybody (particularly males) done a sigificant water fast (~6 days). What was your experience as far as lean mass loss or strength? I suspect most of it is lost in days one and two before Ketosis takes hold. I expect atleast 6 responses saying "fasting will kill you" or "your retarded" but I've read enough M.D. backed advice to proceed, but I'm hoping also for one 1 good one
How long might I water fast without losing muscle mass?
I have personally fasted for 72 hours (I would have went 76 but found benefits regardless of the hour) and found many benefits from it spiritually and physically.To answer your question though is dependent upon two variables.Do you currently have enough body fat to burn that will inevitably prevent muscle loss? If you have over 15% you should be fine to do a 3 day fast with very minimal muscle loss if any.The second variable would be the physical activity you may participate in. If you plan on lifting weights or doing intense cardio muscle loss will more than likely occur but not in significant amounts.If you would like to experience what a 3 day fast is like without potentially hindering muscle mass you may want to consider supplementing with amino acids(building block of protein) in order to prevent muscle breakdown.You can even purchase a product such as this one at Walmart to ensure protein synthesis is not hindered.
How easy is it to lose muscle by fasting?
The act of fasting does not cause weight or muscle loss. Calorie deficits and surpluses does.If you happen to fast for long periods of time you’ll lose fat and muscle slowly.Our bodies prefer fat over muscle because keeping muscle on is expensive and hard to maintain due to being a caloric surplus.Our bodies are lazy and that’s why most people have more fat than muscle, it’s just harder to maintain and the body prefers it.Now, if you are doing intermittent fasting and still remain in a caloric surplus during your eating window you���ll maintain and build muscle.The opposite is true as well. Eat in a caloric deficit during your eating window and you’ll lose weight.People really have to get it out of their heads that fasting causes weight or muscle loss.The body reacts to calories and macros.Here are 10 PROVEN methods for drug free muscle that will keep all of your GAINS > 10 PROVEN Methods For Drug Free Muscle Mass
Weight loss water fasting for 40 days?
this would mean only drinking water for 40 days. please don't tell me its unhealthy, because i have read up on it alot, at it seems to actually be very good for peoples health. the only problem is i couldn't find ANYWHERE that said how much weight you would lose? i'm 5'3, female and 126 lbs. how much do you think i would lose? thanks.
Will I lose muscle even while taking BCAAs on a week water fast?
The largest and earliest source of muscle loss is exhausting glycogen stored in the muscles. Losing one lb of glycogen with an associated 4–5 lb of water would be obvious but would be easily replaced afterwards.During hunger, as blood sugar drops, muscle is cannibalized for amino acids which the liver can convert into more glucose. Since muscle is approximately half water, that should amount to 1–2 lb of muscle per day.Eventually, glucose and insulin levels drop. Insulin inhibits the breakdown and hepatic metabolism of fat. Once insulin drops, the body can start burning fat either as fatty acids or as ketone bodies and there is little need to cannibalize muscle. While red blood cells require glucose, there is disagreement on whether the brain can function on just ketone bodies and how much glucose can be produced from fat. Even with that disagreement, muscle loss appears to stop after several days to one week of starvation or fasting and remains low until fat stores are exhausted or nearly so.One can minimize that transitional loss by switching to a reduced carbohydrate or even ketogenic diet before beginning a fast.BCAAs are problematic. Half of the amino acids from digested protein are converted into glucose on first pass through the liver and BCAAs are more susceptible to conversion than other amino acids. BCAAs can also stimulate insulin release directly and as already stated, insulin inhibits fat burning.While BCAAs might inhibit autophagy via the mTOR path, both muscle and fat breakdown occur through other paths. With low insulin, HGH rises to stimulate fat breakdown and secondarily does appear to preserve muscle.
Do you really burn muscle mass during a long water fast (40 days), even if you do resistance training almost daily (18 years old)?
As a follow up to the answer given, if you are weight training every day during a 40 day “Water fast” you are breaking down muscle tissue.. without amino acids and protein to repair/rebuild those muscles you will lose muscle mass.
How long is it safe to keep water fasting?
Not eating = starvation, to maintain your blood glucose levels your body during the first 24 hours can use up the meagre reserve you have as glycogen (liver, muscles), after that must depend on gluconeogenesis making glucose out of fat and protein, thus breaking down muscle too. If you break down enough muscle, which includes your heart muscle, you can die. Moderate exercise partially prevents lean muscle mass loss during weight loss.In the long run you need to supplement vitamins and minerals like sodium, potassium. magnesium too.Here is a medical report on a successful 382 day fast by an extremely obese man, http://edwardjedmonds.com/wp-con... in this period losing a massive amount of weight from 456 to 180 lbs. It goes without saying that this man was monitored closely during this extremely long fast.During this fast his blood glucose levels were between 30 and 100 mg/dL, this could fit your observation of feeling dizzy, blurry sight etc., not really healthy.Usually loosing so much weight will be followed by gaining most of the weight lost in less than a year, so we advocate a slower weight loss of 1 lbs/week, and keep to eating a lot less calories, only by doing so will your weight loss last.Fasting for two days a week will make you lose one lbs a week, at present you having so many symptoms I’d say start eating again, non starchy veggies, lean (white) meat, fish, olive oil, keeping your caloric intake low, after one week of recovery you can start fasting for e.g. a few days, maybe up to a week again.