Fasting is often considered an easy technique to lose weight. However, is it really a healthy technique to lose some pounds?
Fasting might help in weight loss but is not a permanent solution
If you wish to lose weight, you must keep your body in a calorie deficit state. This means, in order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. There are various other factors such as dietary changes, and workout regimes that contribute to weight loss. Hence, many people resort to fasting as a way to lower their daily calorie intake. In this article, we will discuss how fasting works, and assess whether or not fasting promotes weight loss. Furthermore, whether or not it is a healthy way to lose weight.
What is fasting?
Fasting essentially means refraining from eating for long durations of time. Fasting may be practiced to lose weight, for religious reasons, or to detoxify the body. Fasting often takes a lot of willpower as it has almost no exceptions, all foods must be avoided. One might drink water from time to time, especially in case your goals are either to lose weight or detoxify the body.
How does fasting make you lose weight?
While fasting, you take long breaks between meals which reduces your overall calorie intake by the end of the day. On average, a human consumes about 2,000 to 2,500 calories in a day. For an average human, these calories would ideally be consumed through 3 meals along with snacks between these meals. In addition to this, an average human burns about 1,800 calories a day (without partaking in any physical activities). Now, if we assume a person fasting is only consuming one meal a day and refraining from consuming any snacks or only opting for low-calorie snacks (for example, fruits). This would reduce their calorie intake to about 800 calories. This would instantly put the body in a calorie deficit state, resulting in weight loss.
Is fasting a healthy way to lose weight?
The simple answer is no. The number of calories a human is expected to consume in a day (2,000-2,500) has been assessed through scientific studies and extensive research. Which makes it the most reliable data when navigating a diet.
Achieving a healthy weight is not equivalent to a healthy body. A balanced diet is a key to losing weight as well as maintaining good health. Losing weight through fasting reduces your calorie intake as well as starves you of all the necessary nutrients your body needs to function properly. In fact, eating a low-nutrient diet for a long period can hinder your health, causing serious health complications in the future.
Furthermore, when we deprive our body of necessary nutrients, it adversely affects our body as well as our mind. Lack of proper nutrients in the diet can decrease the production of various elements in our body, such as haemoglobin (due to iron deficiency, causing fatigue and headaches), hormones (cause mood swings and disorders), etc.
However, fasting done with the purpose of losing weight can be altered according to one's convenience. This gives us the liberty to add more nutrients and make it healthier. For example, scientifically, having a light dinner or having a salad for dinner is considered healthy. In addition to this, consuming healthy snacks throughout the day such as fruits, and nuts is also a great way to help you lose weight.
Finally, the best way to lose weight is to eat a healthy balanced diet and workout at least 30 minutes daily. Working out and eating healthy is not only beneficial if you wish to lose weight but also promotes the performance of various functions in the body.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
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