It can’t be a healthy way to lose weight. Plus it is my opinion that fasting of any type can be a hardship on your body. Some diets or people caught up in the fad of losing weight would use any type of fasting as a means of losing weight or to keep the weight off. This whole area of discussion would be moot if people would just learn to eat a healthy diet full of nutritional foods and plenty of water and other fluids.
Back and forth, commonly called yo-yo dieting has been shown to only make you gain weight, as each time you lose the weight, the more weight you gain back after the diet or fast. We are all sick where eating is either a game of calorie counting or just plain over excess. Here we are talking about managing body weight as a lifestyle change not a back and forth weight management system.
There are so many good, healthy recipes for people who are overweight and food should be enjoyed and not an unhealthy attitude of a poor self-image. Anorexia Nervosa and other related eating disorders are extremely unhealthy both mentally and physically.
The images of terribly thin young models are hard for me to watch on TV (and television adds 5 pounds to people). The super skinny models are to me, not enjoyable to watch and they also look so miserable. In fact, I am glad they are starting to have “big” models as they more represent the majority of our society and display a healthier image for our children.
Practicing fasting for weight loss is not healthy. Overeating and then purging is unhealthy, dangerous and shows some emotional instability and seems to be a problem in the US society today.
Drinking only juices and water alone for an extended period of time is thought by many to be a great beginning to a diet only because the fat drops quickly. Fasting can produce a temporary hunger shut down which when turned back on, causes most people to eat to extremes. It seems to me that people who are attracted to fasting need some professional emotional and mental health and it seems to be an addiction of some sort. Sooner or later you must begin eating again. Extreme hunger wakes up and the smells of fast food are a pull on you causing overeating.
It seems that our society entered territory that is dangerous – from healthy and proper diets to a generation of adults with poor body images. My answer to this question which has become a major health concern is to encourage everyone to create a balanced and healthy lifelong weight management program, avoiding losing weight through the latest fad dieting coupled with quick lost fasting. This is not a healthy way to live and can damage your body.
So yes water fasting for weight loss can be an option, but only when you begin to change to a lifestyle of healthy eating with plenty of fluids will you really learn the joy and passion for really good food and healthy living.