Fasting Concerns

Concerns About Fasting

There are a lot of reasons why people fast. Fasting has a lot of religious connotations too. If you are fasting to lose weight the there are some points that you should keep in mind before you start a fast. There are many types of fasting and you will have to find one which suits your requirement. Discuss the benefits of the different types of fasts with your doctor before you decide.

Let’s start with water fasts. Now if you are suffering from conditions like hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, chronic heart problem or schizophrenia then this fast is not advised. When the body is going through water fasting, the heart rests so it is important that you take deep breaths when you stand up to get the heart pumping or you may feel dizzy or feel a black out coming on. 

A lot of people can handle a juice fast for about 30 days and safely too. But again those who have problems like diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, Wilson’s’ syndrome etc should not attempt this without first consulting their doctor. Along with the juice fast, people who have these conditions should supplement the fast with bananas and avocado slices every 2-3 hours. Adding some vegetables to the juices will give it high protein power and psyllium will give it the required bulk. This will ensure that your blood sugar is regulated. But if your kidneys are not functioning properly then a juice fast is not advised.

Handling a fast with caution

Be careful while getting up and sitting down as during any fast, the heart slows down so energy can be conserved and fast movements may cause blackouts. During a fast it is better to rest than to do active work. There is going to be some amount of weakness and this is especially true of water fast. While fasting, ensures that early in the morning you don’t have too many acidic juices as they can cause stomach cramps.

Are you on any medication? Then before you commence with any kind of fasting you must check with your doctor about how the fast and the medication is going to affect your body. You don’t want to aggravate the problems you already have. Vegetable juice helps line your stomach against the harsh effects of medicines.

If weight loss is your aim for doing the fast then keep in mind that in the first few days you will lose about 3-4 pounds and then your weight loss will stabilize at one pound per day. Only juice fasting will not aid weight loss as much as an alternate program of juice and water fast since juice provides all the required calories, besides which a lot of fruit juices contain a lot of sugar. But if you have a heavy work day and you are doing a juice fast then you need to add 2-3 cantaloupes, honeydews or honey laced herbal tea and some vegetable juices to keep up your energy levels to do the work. Or, you could follow a more regulated, modified fasting program.

Keep in mind that your diet should not make you anorexic and impair your overall health. That is why it is important to be in touch with your nutritionist or dietician and your doctor. This way you get all the benefits of fasting and don’t fall prey to the bad effects.  

Post fasting you must start eating gradually so that your body is able to process what you eat effectively and maintain the correct weight. If you binge, then it will put paid to all the hard work that you did. So enjoy your fast. But fast the right way.