How Much Weight Can You Lose With Water Fasting

Starving Myself Is The Best Way To Lose Weight

Crash diets are unlikely to result in long-term weight loss. In fact, they can sometimes lead to longer-term weight gain.

The main problem is that this type of diet is too hard to maintain. You may also be missing out on essential nutrients as crash diets can be limited in the variety of food consumed. Your body will be low on energy, and may cause you to crave high-fat and high-sugar foods. This can lead to eating those foods and more calories than you need, causing weight gain.

Learn more about a healthy diet and how to lose weight sensibly.

May Improve Insulin And Leptin Sensitivity

Insulin and leptin are important hormones that affect the bodys metabolism. Insulin helps the body store nutrients from the bloodstream, while leptin helps the body feel full (

27 ).

Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage parts of cells. They are known to play a role in many chronic diseases .

Moreover, animal research has found that water fasting may suppress genes that help cancer cells grow. It may also improve the effects of chemotherapy .

Keep in mind, only a handful of studies have analyzed the effects of water fasting in humans. More research in humans is needed before making recommendations.

Summary

Research shows that water fasting may lower the risk of many chronic diseases and promote autophagy. However, most research is from animal or short-term studies. More studies are needed before recommending it.

Although water fasting may have some benefits, it comes with health risks.

Here are a few dangers and risks of water fasting.

Weight Loss And Fat Burning

While your resting energy expenditure stays the same during a fast, your body quickly learns to switch to burning fats for this energy. By 18 to 24 hours into a fast, your body begins to rely heavily on fat breakdown for energy. This is a great thing if you have fat youd like to lose while preserving lean muscle mass.

After 12 hours of fasting, energy mobilized from adipose tissue stores was approximately two times that available from glucose production, whereas after 72 hours of fasting the energy released from adipose tissue was sixfold greater than that generated from gluconeogenesis . Klein et al., 1993

Our LifeOmic employees lost an average of 5.5 pounds over the course of a 5-day fast, or an average of a little over 3% of their body weight. The percentage of weight loss range was from 1.5% to nearly 7% body weight loss over the course of five days.

Our CEO dropped almost 9 pounds over the course of his five-day modified fast .

Fasting Tip: Doing light to moderate resistance activity during your prolonged fast can help to preserve muscle mass while helping your body to burn fats for fuel. Exercise will also further promote ketone production and autophagy, and may help you feel energized through the tougher periods of your fasting. Consider going for walks, rock climbing, swimming, or doing some strengthening or slow flow yoga.

Going on a multi-day fast, whether a water fast, a low-calorie or Prolon fast?

Download the LIFE Fasting Tracker app here.

Read Also: Does Fasting Cause Weight Loss

Loss Of Lean Body Mass

In one study, scientists proved that it’s possible to destroy as much as 13 pounds of lean body mass during a 21-day water fast.

Now, maybe you’re the kind of person who doesn’t really care about how much muscle mass they lose during a water fast.

Maybe you just want to get rid of that annoying body fat as quickly as possible, and you’re willing to sacrifice some lean body mass as you do that.

But even if that’s you, you should know that the single most important muscle in your body that can suffer because of this is your heart.

And while a short water fast isn’t likely to cause any serious damage your heart, I’m telling you about this stuff to make sure you always stay on the safe side with fasting.

But still. If you ask me, losing even a single pound of muscle mass mass as you go after a quick drop of that number on your scale isn’t really worth it.

Especially since science has already discovered a better and more effective way of fasting.

Diet Myth Or Truth: Fasting Is Effective For Weight Loss

Fasting is an age-old practice, often done for religious reasons, but fasting for weight loss is still capturing the public imagination. You can find dozens of do-it-yourself plans touting the unproven benefits of fasting, ranging from flushing “poisons” from the body to purging 30 pounds of fat in 30 days.

It’s true that fasting — that is, eating little to no food — will result in weight loss, at least in the short term. But the risks far outweigh any benefits, and ultimately, fasting can cause more harm than good.

Read Also: When Should I Eat During Intermittent Fasting

What To Expect On A 5

For National Fasting February in 2019, a group of LifeOmic employees voluntarily did a 90 to 120 hours of modified water fasting for science. For more than a year we had been researching and reading scientific literature reviews on the mechanisms of prolonged water fasting and its potential benefits for aging and longevity. But we wanted to experience a prolonged fast ourselves, measure its outcomes, and be able to better relate to our LIFE Fasting Tracker users. More recently, our CEO Dr. Don Brown, embarked on a 5-day modified fast. We describe what we experienced below.

For our company 120-hour modified water fast, we used the Prolon fasting-mimicking diet developed by Dr. Valter Longo at the University of Southern California. Prolon is a plant-based low calorie, low protein and low carbohydrate diet that puts the body in a similar metabolic state as does water fasting. It mimics water fasting by restricting calories , elevating ketone levels in the blood and lowering levels of glucose, insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 and IGF-binding protein. Our CEO created his own fasting-mimicking diet. He put a couple of cups of mixed greens in a bowl and sprinkled on a tablespoon of olive oil, some salt, and a dozen almonds. This single, 250-calorie meal was all he ate everyday for 5 days.

How Does Intermittent Fasting Work

There are several different ways to do intermittent fasting, but they are all based on choosing regular time periods to eat and fast. For instance, you might try eating only during an eight-hour period each day and fast for the remainder. Or you might choose to eat only one meal a day two days a week. There are many different intermittent fasting schedules.

Mattson says that after hours without food, the body exhausts its sugar stores and starts burning fat. He refers to this as metabolic switching.

Intermittent fasting contrasts with the normal eating pattern for most Americans, who eat throughout their waking hours, Mattson says. If someone is eating three meals a day, plus snacks, and theyre not exercising, then every time they eat, theyre running on those calories and not burning their fat stores.

Intermittent fasting works by prolonging the period when your body has burned through the calories consumed during your last meal and begins burning fat.

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Carbs Make You Put On Weight

Eaten in the right quantities and as part of a balanced diet, carbohydrates will not, on their own lead to weight gain.

Eat whole grain and wholemeal carbohydrates such as brown rice and wholemeal bread, and potatoes with the skins on to increase your intake of fibre and don’t fry starchy foods when trying to lose weight.

Learn more in starchy foods.

Days Water Fasting Plan For Weight Loss

To make sure that you get the most out of this fast, I have divided the fasting period into 3 phases. The first phase or the pre-fasting phase lasts for 2 days, allowing your body to consume less and less solid foods and making your body more comfortable with liquid only diet. The second phase or the water fasting phase is the toughest of all, but by the time you complete this phase, I assure you that you will feel like a new person. Drink neither less nor too much of water. Drinking less water can make you dehydrated and drinking more water can flush out all the salts from your body, which can prove to be fatal. Drink about 1-2 liters of water per day during the water fasting phase. The last phase of breaking the fast is crucial. You have to gradually re-introduce the solid foods or any other liquid food over a period of three days. Eating fruits and veggies in the first and third phases will provide your body with enough vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber to survive the water fasting phase as well as for recuperating from the fast.

Here is a diet chart for all the three phases to help you get an idea about what to eat in the first and third phases. Take a look.

• Pre-Fasting Phase

Why This Works

Useful Tip

Try not to shop for any meat so that you dont have to see it in the refrigerator! Buy lots of fruits and veggies instead. Take a break of 20-30 minutes before drinking the probiotic drink after breakfast.

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Water Fasting Weight Loss Pictures

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Overview Of The 21 Day Water Fast

1. Easier for BeginnersAs with anything you should not begin with extremes. This is true also with fasting. If you and your body are not used to the effects of water fasting then you should start with a more healthy time period so you do not put your body into shock. Just as a runner would not begin his training for a marathon by running 26 miles on the first day.

2. Helps You Increase Water Intake, Even After FastingAs a human being, we are made up mainly of water, it is one of the vital sources of life. Many people do not consume the recommended amount of water on a daily basis , so doing this cleanse can get you into the habit of drinking water. It is said that 21 days is the amount of time it takes for something to become a habit, so you can conclude that if you only drink water for 21 days you will be much more likely to continue your increased consumption and you are done.

3. Skin ImprovementOne of the biggest perks of doing a water fast is the amazing effect it can have on your skin. A large percentage of people suffer from acne, dry skin, and eczema in the world. Drinking water will help your skin to purge the bacteria that has been stored in your pores, causing blemishes, and also to re-hydrates your skin.

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Some Foods Speed Up Your Metabolism

Metabolism describes all the chemical processes that go on continuously inside the body to keep you alive and your organs functioning normally, such as breathing, repairing cells and digesting food. These processes need energy and the amount of energy required varies between individuals depending on factors such as body size, age, gender and genes.

It is claimed that certain foods and drinks can increase your metabolism by helping the body to burn more calories and aid weight loss. There is little scientific evidence for this. Beware that some of these products may contain high levels of caffeine and sugar.

Find out how to speed up your metabolism.

Fasting Is A Great Tool For Attaining Your Desired Weight

Fasting to lose weight is best undertaken as a jumping off point, leading you into better eating behaviors and a more healthy lifestyle, as these better decisions will be made easily and naturally. If you’repaying attention to your emotional being during a fast, many doors will be opened. And that is actually the greatest benefit of fasting to lose weight — the insights it gives into ourselves.

More information on fasting and weight loss is available at Using Fasting for Weight Loss.

For general information about getting started with fasting, read Fasting Overview for Beginners, which includes guidelines for a one-day fast.

Also Check: How Much Should I Eat Intermittent Fasting

Can I Take Supplements During Fast

If you stick to a longer fast, you may face nutrient deficiency. Thats why adding supplements to your daily routine is recommended. But you should know which ones are better and which ones should be taken with foods. Again, consult your doctor or dietitian to find out the most suitable supplements.

How Much Weight Can You Lose

Your weight loss during water fasting will depend mostly on your gender and your weight.

Luckily, science can already offer us with a pretty good estimate of how much weight you can expect to lose on a typical water fast.

According to research that compared the average weight loss results between men and women, men can expect to lose more weight than women during water fasting.

I’ve compiled the data from the study into this pretty long table:

Ok, so, like I said, you don’t need to do ANY manual calculations.

But just so you understand how the calculator works, here are two example calculations:

Example 1 :You’re a 150-lbs woman who plans on doing a 7-day water fast.

You can estimate your weight loss results by taking the value from the second column in the table for a 7-day water fast and multiply it by your current weight.

Your estimated 7-day water fasting results: 150 lbs * 4.5 / 100 = -6.8 lbs

Example 2 :You’re a 180-lbs man who plans on doing a 14-day water fast.

You can estimate your weight loss results by taking the value from the third column in the table for a 14-day water fast and multiply it by your current weight.

Your estimated 14-day water fasting results: 180 lbs * 7.9 / 100 = -14.2 lbs

Easy, right?

Ok, now that you have a good idea about how much weight you can expect to lose, let’s take a closer look at what really goes on under the hood.

Recommended Reading: Does Intermittent Fasting Cause Weight Loss

Future Of Weight Loss : How Much Weight Can I Expect To Lose On A Water Fast

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Water Fasting: Benefits And Dangers

• Bottom line

Fasting, a method of restricting food intake, has been practiced for thousands of years.

Water fasting is a type of fast that restricts everything except water. It has become more popular in recent years as a quick way to lose weight.

Studies have shown that water fasting could have health benefits. For example, it may lower the risk of some chronic diseases and stimulate autophagy, a process that helps your body break down and recycle old parts of your cells .

That said, human studies on water fasting are very limited. Moreover, it comes with many health risks and is not suitable for everyone.

This article gives you an overview of water fasting and how it works, as well as its benefits and dangers.

Read Also: What Is Fasting And Prayer

It’s All About Changing Patterns

If you’re interested in fasting to lose weight, you’re on to a great idea. Fasting does help immensely at dropping pounds, although maybe not for the reasons you think. While the numbers on the scales will go down during a fast, many factors come into play as to how much of that weight will stay off.

Fasting will put you on the right track to losing weight if it’s used with proper attention and awareness. A commitment to lifestyle and behavior changes is still necessary or the weight will come right back. But a fast will make those changes easier as new decisions flow from you naturally.

This is because fasting offers a unique vantage point from which to view your life. It’seffects aren’t just physical, but allowgreater understanding and clarity on mental and emotional issues. There is much opportunity to expand and enhance your life as a whole, including any weight issues, if you are willing to pay attention.

Your body is already showing you the effects of the foods you’re eating and the mental and emotional patterns you’re holding. Some combination of these things must change in order for your body to change. Andfasting can lead you to that special combination.

~ Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Fasting and Eating for Health

Once you’ve tried fasting and understand how powerful the process is, you will prefera day of fasting over days or weeks of dieting. Since what we typically call “hunger” disappears in the first couple of days, it becomes much easier to fast than to diet.