Losing Weight With Intermittent Fasting

Weight reduction and toxin elimination from the body can be done by fasting, according to alternative health practitioners and some celebrities who have tried it. A word of precaution though, as fasting intermittently may have some serious consequences on certain bodily functions. When a person fasts for an extended period of time, the nutritional level in his or her body may decrease, the normal hormonal levels are disrupted, the muscles loss their mass, and the immune system is generally weakened.

Certain Nutrients Are Lost During A Long Term Fast

To keep bodily functions going for a highly complex organic system like the human body, chemical interactions inside must never be disrupted. In order for the human body to sustain itself, it needs certain vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, electrolytes, and lots of water. When a person fasts for too long, the normal bodily processes needed to replenish its reserves are disrupted, causing the person to feel dehydrated, constipated, nauseated, mentally confused, fatigued, weak, and even anemic and hypoglycemic. IM on the other hand, is a much safer way to avoid these problem.

Body metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, determining whether you will have a generally high or low metabolism rate. When a person goes on a streak of not eating for a long period of time, the body automatically shifts to a self-preservation mode also known as the starvation or survival mode. What happens in this mode is that the thyroid gland will lower your metabolism rate, slowing the breaking down and absorption of nutrients for as long as possible. The stress hormone cortisol also has an effect on how the body reacts and works during starvation or survival mode.  When cortisol levels in the body are high, a person may feel even more stress physically.

The brain, as well as other major organs of the body, needs a steady supply of sugar in order to sustain their own functions. Lack of sugar in a person's diet will result to its organs consuming the amino acids in the muscles as a source of energy. When the amount of muscle mass drops, a person will feel weak and will then be unable to burn calories effectively, a process which requires sufficient muscles.

When the body's normal functionality is out of sync, it also weakens the ability of the body to fight infection and reduce inflammation. The good bacteria and acid levels in the stomach and the intestines may be disturbed by not eating for too long, causing difficulty in food and nutrient breakdown. At first, a reduction in the food intake causes a detox process to begin, releasing chemicals in the body which have been stored in the fat tissues. As the immune system releases toxins into the bloodstream, each person may have a different kind of reaction, varying from headaches, irritability, fatigue, body pains, and even cold-like symptoms.

It's extremely necessary to get the guidance of a qualified program like Eat Stop Eat Insider before considering a new diet. With that said, many find extremely successful results as long as you are aware of the health risks.