Many raw foodists and health nuts have contemplated the benefits of water fasting. While some believe it to be a beneficial practice for weight loss and detoxification, others believe it to be a dangerous practice that leads to weight gain and slowed metabolism.

Water fasting is a type of detoxification process where someone only consumes water for a set amount of time. The process usually occurs for a few days, as anything longer than that can switch from a healthy detox to long-lasting, significant health damage.

Gaianstudies.org argues that human beings are evolutionary inclined to fast, therefore the process is incredibly safe. Fasting, they say allows the body to rest, detox, and heal. Going days with nothing but water helps the body to get rid of the excess waste that it has been storing.

In an experiment conducted by GQ, one of their writers tried out a six-day juice fast. He went to a juice cleanse center in California to aid him on the journey.

“It can be an intense, miserable experience, but when people are successful they forgive us,” the co-founder of the TrueNorth center, Alan Goldhamer, warned the writer before he got started.

Although the writer has claimed to have lost over 17 pounds on the fast, not every person will yield the same results. Before opting to try any change to your diet or lifestyle, you should contact your doctor to discuss whether or not this is a safe option for you.

According to Gaianstudies.org, in certain cases, fasting has helped cure symptoms of type II diabetes, chronic cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure and total cholesterol.

Even though you may see immediate weight loss after just a week of practicing a fast, this weight has the potential of catching up to you later. Whether it be right away or a year from now—anytime people put their bodies into starvation mode, their metabolism slows, holding onto fat and preparing for a future starvation should one occur.

“If it’s easy off, it will come back quickly—as soon as you start eating normally again,” stated Madelyn Fernstrom, founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Weight Loss Management.

“Fasting slows your metabolic rate down so your diet from before the fast is even more fattening after you fast,” She continued.

Fasting of any kind puts severe stress on your heart. This poses the potential risk for heart failure and even death. Always consult your doctor and if a fast was not prescribed for medical reasons, it is best to not play around with something so potentially dangerous.

 

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