Thursday, October 15, 2009

6 Reasons Why Fasting Will Thwart Your Fat Loss

By Katherine Crawford M.S.

The fitness industry is constantly looking for the next best thing for you to digest. In an effort to keep things fresh, an endless amount of fad diets have hit the market. One specific diet that has gained popularity is the fast.

The big problem with fasting, however, is that it can cause some very serious issues especially if you do it for a prolonged period of time. Don't believe me? Here are 6 reasons why you shouldn't be fasting:

1. An emptied liver. What gets emptied from your liver? Carbohydrates that are stored in the form of glycogen. This liver glycogen is responsible for maintaining normal blood sugar in between meals. Without it, your blood sugar will be at a perpetual low.

2. The conversion of protein to glucose. Your nervous system needs glucose (sugar) to survive. Unfortunately, fat can't be converted to glucose so your body attacks the next best thing: protein. It essentially eats away at your lean tissue and converts it into sugar.

3. The breakdown of organs. Muscle won't be the only target here. Your body will also break down vital organs and tissues, to a lesser degree of course. And cannibalizing your own organs is probably not that healthy?

4. Ketone bodies. Your body can only cannibalize so much tissue before you enter the danger zone. And once you're in the danger zone, your body will do everything it can to get you out. How does it do it? With the production of ketones which are basically an inferior substitute for blood sugar.

5. No proven benefits. Many people undertake a fast under the impression that there's some type of health benefit. Yet there hasn't been any solid scientific evidence proving this. On the contrary, fasts tend to be extremely unhealthy.

6. Acidic conditions. If you fast, expect a more acidic body. On top of this, you're likely to lose a lot of vitamins and minerals through urine. Even worse, exercise will hurt a lot.

What effect do all these factors have on your body? A decreased metabolism. And studies have shown that most people end up bingeing after a fast above and beyond what's needed for weight maintenance. The end result here is a massive rebound in weight and fat gain!

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