Short Term Fasting For Weight Loss

How good is short term fasting for long term weight loss? Fasting is a proven method for dramatic, extremely quick weight loss. It is also said to have other benefits mentally and physically. Apparently, after 8 hours with no food the body goes into repair mode. Before 8 hours = Fuel mode, after 8 hours, repair mode. This is the case for the mind also. It builds new neurological pathways that strengthen the persons resolve to abstain from eating. Acting almost like an automatic appetite curber

It's originally built into humans to help them where they had nothing to eat, but in 2017, specially in the western world, people use it unknowingly to abstain from eating, and not because they have literally nothing to eat like our hunter-gatherer ancestors did. So it serves the exact same purpose but in a different capacity these days for most.

There was a documentary that I watched were a man fasted only for 2 days. Both days he only consumed one small meal at the same time on each separate day. The results were amazing in terms of how much weight the guy lost who was doing the experiment. He showed the waistline of his jeans and demonstrated how they usually fit compared to how much space was now in between his trousers and waist. It was dramatic. Weight loss gone wild! It was actually quite shocking to see.

His thoughts on doing this were that generally, it was very tough to begin with, but after a while it did get easier throughout the day. However, he did say that it was much harder to resist food on the second day. I believe this was made harder because he met up with some friends on the second day and they had some food in a pub, and him fasting, sat and watched them eat. However, I have tried a two day fast and can attest that I found it extremely difficult on the second day too.

And I wasn't sitting in a pub watching people tuck into a hearty pub meal. I think it's because on the second day the body is running on extreme empty, but on the first day there is still more food in the system from previously eating normally. I'll be totally honest here, I did not succeed on the second day. I gave up and had something to eat earlier than I was supposed to. I know, I'm a joke! Ah well, I was doing it as an experiment anyway, as I'm not overweight.

Of course, the issue with short term fasting is that once the person stops fasting there is a big chance of them making up for lost calories, and falling straight back into their old habits. This is where discipline comes in. You have to be committed to keep the weight off. One other good thing about fasting is that it shrinks the stomach, making you feel full much quicker. But this is temporary, and can't be relied upon over the long term to help you keep the portions small.

Fasting, while not for everyone, such as people who are diabetic, is very good for the mind and body. It doesn't have to be for prolonged periods of time to be effective. Even just doing it one day a week can be effective if you don't make up for lost food / time and gorge yourself on the other days. Give it a go!

'Good' Body Fat Promotes Weight Loss

We often hear people referring to good fats and bad fats. But when we think about these different kinds of fats, we are usually thinking about the fat in our food. I love good fats. I eat avocados all the time. Nuts too! But researchers in the USA, Finland and the Netherlands are studying a different 'good fat' - the kind we already have in our bodies. With tissue samples from patients, and using high-tech imaging, these three groups were able to determine how much sugar this brown adipose tissue actually burned. Scientists had thought that this good fat played a role in keeping infants warm, and that it becomes inactive or irrelevant in adulthood. Recent research is leading scientists to believe that this fat generates body heat, and burns calories.

Could we use this good fat to lose weight? 

To be specific, the two types of fat are completely different. The bad fat is white or yellow, and is found predominantly around the waistline. The good fat is more of a brownish colour, and found under the collar bone, and around the neck. This brown fat is called, brown adipose tissue. Since this brown fatty tissue contains more capillaries than white fat, it has an increased requirement for oxygen.

Scientists are learning that thinner people have more good fat than their overweight opposites, especially older overweight people; brown (good) fat burns more calories and helps generate more body heat in colder settings; and women usually had it more often than men. According to an abstract in the New England Journal of Medicine, the amount of brown adipose tissue has an inverse correlation with body mass index.

So how do we get more of this good fat? The idea of gaining fat to lose weight is something that has never crossed my mind. Looks like it might be time to take the Smart Watch off!

Researchers in Boston have been experimenting by injecting mice with specific genes to promote the growth of brown fat cells.Other researchers are suggesting that possibly turning the thermostat down could result in burning more energy. A small study is already underway, and results could be in by the end of the year.

The idea of turning down the thermostat to lose weight raises a few questions for me: Is that the reason why we eat so much in the winter? Is this why Europeans tend to be healthier than Americans? I'm considering conducting my own study this summer by turning my air conditioning thermostat way down. However, summer nights can be cold in my neck of the woods, and I don't really fancy going cold every night to conduct this test when I don't really have much fat to lose anyway! Does anyone else want to volunteer, lol.