Water Fasting

[Athena22]

I'm thinking about Water Fasting and I understand that taking medication every morning and night with medication and nothing to coat your stomach can do damage to it very quickly especially for seizure patients.
Although with water Fasting; and I just thought about this personally;
What if I took a tums before I took my medication; since I understand that it coats my stomach. Although I'm not quit sure that the tums will affect the medication?
Or should I talk to my doctor before doing this.
And Yes I do plan on doing this for about five days.
I have researched it.
I might change to juice.
And Yes to the question I am doing this to loose a few.
Do you think I should water fast or not?

 

[masterjen]

Definitely do not water-fast for the sake of losing weight. There are healthier and safer ways to lose weight, and that will help you maintain a healthy weight in the long term. So you lose a few pounds in 5 days . . . as soon as you resume your normal diet the weight will be put back on anyway. There are other risks as well, such as causing hypoglycemia which can be dangerous for anyone let alone someone with epilepsy. Typically a crash diet like you are considering will send the body into starvation mode, thereby causing one's metabolism to slow down. If you instead were to exercise regularly (a combination of cardiovascular exercise and weight training), your metabolism would increase and in the long run contribute to weight loss when combined with a sensible diet. You are far better off determining where you can improve your diet and your exercise regimen than slamming the body with a crash diet!

 

[AlohaBird]

There can be health benefits to fasting but it is not a good idea as a weight loss strategy for all the reasons masterjen said.
So no reputable MD is going to tell you anything other than "hell no!" if you ask.
There are however smarter ways to do fasting as opposed to starving yourself for five days straight.
I highly recommend the book, "Eat, Stop, Eat" by Brad Pillon. It is based on a five days on, two days off per week schedule.
Once you set a goal like fasting for five days, there is a tendency (this is me anyway) to tough it out even if you are really not feeling right just to not wimp out. This can be very unhealthy. If you do decide to do this, give yourself permission to take it day by day and to quit if your body tells you it's time.

 

[valeriedl]

If you are trying to loose weight the best thing to do IS drink water. Water is guaranteed to have no calories in it.

If you are doing it to loose weight I don't know how much weight you are trying to loose and I can't imagine you loosing enough weight to drop a size or more in clothes in 5 days.

I weigh myself every morning and I weigh on average 137lbs, which is a healthy weight for me. I don't want to loose any more weight, just stay were I am. But my weight does fluctuate some. I notice that if I don't eat junk food or have a second helping at dinner they day before I might weight 2 or 3lbs less the next morning. If I do eat those things I might weigh a pound or 2 the next morning.

Pay attention to what you are eating. Eat vegetables, fruits, salads and things like that. Don't eat a ton of food but do eat. Your body needs something in it for your medicine to work.

Do some exercises. Walking, sit ups, bike riding and what ever else you can think of if you don't belong to a gym.

I'm a woman and I weighed around 170lbs and went on a diet for about 8 months. When I went on the diet, not the best diet, it took me that long to loose about 35lbs and 3 sizes in clothes. I know if I would have gone on a better diet and did more exercises I would have lost the weight faster. One thing I did do was drink a lot of water.

Even when I did go down a size in clothes it took a few weeks to tell that I had because there was still fat all over my body.

Defiantly do not do it! Which is better - being skinny or having seizures all the time?

 

[Athena22]

Thankyou for your support everyone who replied !
I'm going to contemplate your responses and come up with my answer sunday.

 

[valeriedl]

Another thing I want to add is I notice when I drink a good deal of water the day before is when I've lost a pound or two the next day.

 

[masterjen]

Another thing I want to add is I notice when I drink a good deal of water the day before is when I've lost a pound or two the next day.

Often this is because drinking a lot of water (but not over-drinking) helps one feel full, so they are likely to eat less during the day.

 

[BIGMAN131307]

Fasting of any kind is not safe. You will find out the hard way if you try this. When others try this, they actually gain weight.

Dietitians will tell you that you need to eat to loose weight. Which is correct.

It also depends on what you eat, how much of it, and when you eat it. Having five small meals throughout the day is much better than three large ones. Before each meal drink a full glass of water. This will reduce the chances of you over eating, and it aids with digestion.

FYI juice is nice, but water is better for you. Juice has sugar in it.
TUMS is medicine that is supposed to be used for short term symptoms. If you use it like you are thinking of, it may cause stomach problems.


Talk to your doctor(s) and a dietitian to come up with a healthy weight loss plan.


We all want to look and feel the best that we can. Just do it in a healthy way.

 

[Cint]

Fasting of any kind is not safe.

Talk to your doctor(s) and a dietitian to come up with a healthy weight loss plan.

:agree:

 

[Nakamova]

I highly recommend the book, "Eat, Stop, Eat" by Brad Pillon. It is based on a five days on, two days off per week schedule.

I did this kind of diet two years ago and lost 15 lbs over the course of about 4 months. You eat normally for 5 days, and then eat fewer than 600 calories on the two "off" days. It worked for me, though I gained some of the weight back last year.

I feel like the negatives of crash fasting outweigh any benefits. Fasting can give you a sour stomach and make you dehydrated (even if you drink water), cranky, lightheaded and slow-witted. And for some, it can trigger other health issues, including seizures.

 

[lindsayschu2]

Consuming nothing but water will also throw off your electrolyte balance, especially salt--that is a major seizure trigger, in addition to the glycemic problems. I definitely don't recommend either! At least talk to your neuro first.

 

[Mr.21T]

For the record I'm with everybody else saying that fasting is dangerous and only a temporary solution to weight loss.

But Intermittent fasting is a good solution for your problems. You do a days worth of eating in the span of 2-4 hours after fasting for 12-16. The guy below is a bit different (he skips breakfast rather than lunch) but still gives a good idea of what it is and how it works.

http://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting

I blend veggies (Kale/spinach, carrots), fruit (Pineapple, strawberries or blueberries), almonds, hemp protein and coconut oil (Healthy source of saturated fat) into a 12 oz smoothie for breakfast before starting the fast. It gives me a day's worth of vegetables at the start of my day, is relatively low in sugar, and has enough fat to give you energy without spiking your glycemic levels. A smoothie like this also does wonders for your digestive system.

The best thing about this diet is that you can eat just about anything you want for dinner if you have the gall to skip lunch and eat a healthy breakfast. It also can turn from a diet into a lifestyle very quickly if you stick to it. And if you can exercise regularly....you'll be in business.

Water fasting is a good religious process, and it has health benefits, but it definitely isn't a good idea for a diet.

 

[AlohaBird]

Right. The big difference is that crash fasting for five days is a one time solution to an ongoing problem. Intermittent fasting is a lifestyle change that, once incorporated into your routine, becomes really easy to maintain. It's a permanent solution.

 

[Athena22]

Ok guys; Did not do the 'crash diet' found it to be very dangerous and definietly not a long term diet. Did not want to put my body through whats known as a bingeing lifestyle if i started this Fast. Ive read on many places that people can faint after 2 days, have dehydration because its 'water weight' your loosing. right? Your drinking water, And your organs are very dehydrated, thier the first to loose the weight. Imagine how a person w seizures would feel? I havent been going on crazy diet fads, havent been bingeing(maybe on sweets once in awhile) and I havent been worrying about my weight that much.
Dieting is a solution if you give it time to get used to it. For example my atkins diet of 2013. I stuck to it; Gave it tons of time to swell into my lifestyle.