If fasting is something you normally observe due to any religious faith or for general well-being, then here is a good news for you. How about fasting or intermittent fasting to reverse type 2 diabetes, if you are diabetic? Yes, that is what a recent study conducted on three men suggests. Well, fasting in general, gives your digestive system and related organs a relaxation time. It works wonders for overall physical wellness. Maybe that is the reason that many religious faiths recommend observing fast. On certain occasions or during festivals, many faiths recommend fasting, which is good for physical health.
Fasting to lose weight
Yes, that is one of the most common reasons that many of us observe fast. However, it often doesn’t work or produce any desirable results because most weight loss aspirants offset the effect of fasting by feasting the next day. Here, the key to success is planned fasting and sticking to a routine to achieve the desired result.
Fasting for weight-loss? Here is the catch
I am pretty sure that if you are looking to lose weight, then you must have tried fasting only to find that it doesn’t work. If you agree that it didn’t work for you, then read on about why it didn’t work.
First of all, the initial weight you lose by fasting is often due to water loss. It is regained by your body as soon as you start a normal diet. Don’t be overwhelmed by the initial and sudden weight loss. Continue fasting in a planned way for long-term results. The results will be noticeable soon.
Don’t fast more than 24 hours
Secondly, stopping your calorie intake by fasting is effective only if you fast for short periods such as starting from 12-hour fasting to 24-hour fasting every 3 days. Here the catch is, you should not continue fasting for more than 24 hours, as this may be counter-productive.
What happens when you fast for more than 24 hours
Our body has a natural mechanism to alert it for any impending food crisis. As a result, it starts storing fat instead of burning it. That is what happens when you start fasting for longer duration. Your body comes to the energy saving mode, which means that fat starts getting deposited in your body.
Reverse fasting- an effective and fast weight loss technique
Reverse fasting is actually a very effective technique that is easy to follow for early risers or those who can eat their dinner early. As per a study conducted by the University of Alabama, Birmingham, you can lose weight by developing a habit of finishing your dinner early in the evening.
The idea is to give your digestive system enough time to digest the food you eat and burn the deposited fat for energy. As you give your digestive system approximately 12 hours before eating next day’s breakfast, your body burns fat for energy until fresh food is received by the system. Also, your blood pressure comes down, and heart health gets a boost.
Fasting to reverse type 2 diabetes
Though, once you lose weight by fasting, your blood sugar level improves to some extent, you can reverse type 2 diabetes by fasting more systematically in a timed manner. In the 18-day study on 3 diabetic patients, the researchers observed that two of them were completely off medication during the period. They noticed a remarkable reduction in their waist circumference and overall health.
“In all cases, their blood sugar was actually better at the end than the beginning despite not taking medication, which tells you the diabetes is reversing,” says Fung, the researcher. Read the full report here.
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