Fasting once a week...

[Walzber813]

Starting in May of this year. I decided to take charge of my body, and get back in shape. I'm 20 years old, and 6'3. I weighed 230 in May, and since I have started a rigorous plan of weight training and cardio, 5-6 days a week. Since getting back to school, I have been focusing more on cardio, and working higher reps with lifting, and I'm sitting around 210 lbs.
My roomate wanted to start fasting once a week. I hear there are benefits for detoxing and clearing your system. But I wanted to know if that would hurt my goal of getting down to 195 by christmas. I would be drinking approximately 16, 8oz. glasses of water a day. And drinking 4 servings of V8, only.


Yay or Nay?

 

[Deeko]

A) It's not fasting if you're drinking V8
B) Fasting once a week? That seems pretty excessive to me.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Walzber813
Since getting back to school, I have been focusing more on cardio, and working higher reps with lifting

Why?

Originally posted by: Walzber813
My roomate wanted to start fasting once a week.

Why?

From: webmd
If you weed through all the controversy, you'll find that most medical experts agree on one thing: fasting is not a healthy weight loss tool.

"The appeal is that [fasting] is quick, but it is quick fluid loss, not substantial weight loss," says Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD, CNS, founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Weight Loss Management Center.

"If it's easy off, it will come back quickly" -- as soon as you start eating normally again, she says.

Even some proponents of fasting for other medical purposes do not support fasting for weight loss. Some say it can actually make weight problems worse.

"Fasting is not a weight loss tool. Fasting slows your metabolic rate down so your diet from before the fast is even more fattening after you fast," says Joel Fuhrman MD

Two other interesting articles: article 1 and article 2. It's possible that fasting may boost your immune system and help you "detox" (although many argue against that), but I don't think it would help your weight loss any. In fact, if you're exercising 6 days a week, fasting will probably get in the way by sapping your energy on an exercise day or depriving you of proper recovery on a rest day.

 

[Walzber813]

Haha. Oops.

 

[Walzber813]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: Walzber813
Since getting back to school, I have been focusing more on cardio, and working higher reps with lifting

Why?

I hurt my shoulder lifting the first weekend of school. So I have been doing 35 mins of cardio at the gym, and working with lighter weights and higher reps until I'm back to 100% to prevent future injury.

Originally posted by: Walzber813
My roomate wanted to start fasting once a week.

Why?

He had done it before, and said that it was beneficial.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Walzber813
I hurt my shoulder lifting the first weekend of school. So I have been doing 35 mins of cardio at the gym, and working with lighter weights and higher reps until I'm back to 100% to prevent future injury.

Fair enough. Although for your lower body exercises, no real reason to go high rep unless you're trying to build muscular endurance for some reason.

Originally posted by: Walzber813
He had done it before, and said that it was beneficial.

Beneficial in what way?

 

[Walzber813]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: Walzber813
I hurt my shoulder lifting the first weekend of school. So I have been doing 35 mins of cardio at the gym, and working with lighter weights and higher reps until I'm back to 100% to prevent future injury.

Fair enough. Although for your lower body exercises, no real reason to go high rep unless you're trying to build muscular endurance for some reason.

Well, a lot of my weight has been in my legs. Though there is a lot of muscle, I'm still trying to trim them up. Higher reps = tighter/leaner legs...atleast that has been the case for me

Originally posted by: Walzber813
He had done it before, and said that it was beneficial.

Beneficial in what way?

Just in clearing out his system, and he made it sound like it made him feel healthier overall. (He is on the college track team, and in very good shape btw) I'm simply wanting to know if I should partake, or just pass and stick to my 5-6 meals a day.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Walzber813
Well, a lot of my weight has been in my legs. Though there is a lot of muscle, I'm still trying to trim them up. Higher reps = tighter/leaner legs...atleast that has been the case for me

Higher reps = more muscular endurance. That's it. The whole idea that high rep sets make you more "toned" is a total myth.

If your legs have become more "trim", that means that (1) you lost body fat all over your body, including your legs and/or (2) you lost muscle mass in your legs. #1 is likely since you've dropped 20lbs since May and #2 is possible if you started doing high rep sets (with less weight) rather than low rep sets (with more weight). Of course, it's very hard to avoid losing some muscle mass while losing weight, so I'm sure that could contribute to #2 regardless of your routine.

Originally posted by: Walzber813
Just in clearing out his system, and he made it sound like it made him feel healthier overall. (He is on the college track team, and in very good shape btw) I'm simply wanting to know if I should partake, or just pass and stick to my 5-6 meals a day.

Well, as I posted in my first reply, it probably won't help your weight loss and may even hurt it. If you are interested in the other benefits (detox, immune system boost) and believe they'll happen, go for it. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

 

[Walzber813]

Thanks man, sorry for the confusion with the original post.

 

[presidentender]

When cutting weight for wrestling, I found that I could make weight by fasting. Once. The next day, it would be back. It worked much better to run a minor, long-term caloric deficit.

 

[irishScott]

"Cleared out his system?" Lol.

Slowing down the metabolism actually prevents toxins and such from leaving the body.

If anything, it's placebo effect.

 

[chalmers]

Yeah I'm not sure where people heard this idea that doing higher reps somehow "tones" your body.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: irishScott
"Cleared out his system?" Lol.

Slowing down the metabolism actually prevents toxins and such from leaving the body.

If anything, it's placebo effect.

Yep. There is no magic way to clear out your body. I don't understand why everyone thinks there are severe amounts of toxins in themselves anyways. If you stay hydrated and eat a well balanced diet including dark greens and fruits (maybe some tea too), then you will be the most detoxified you can possibly get. Fasting seems like a poor idea since it may drive you to other things the days afterward. Hunger is a powerful beast and will give you cravings galore that you may look to satisfy the next day. It would probably be in your best interest just to maintain a lower-than-maintenance calorie load for your daily diet. That way you will continue to lose weight, be healthy, and be less susceptible to urges.

 

[Kaido]

You should fast about once a month. No food, water, or anything else for 24 hours. Best way to do it is to skip dinner one night and not eat until the next day's dinner. Studies say it's good to fast on a regular basis, but once a week sounds excessive.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: Kaido
You should fast about once a month. No food, water, or anything else for 24 hours. Best way to do it is to skip dinner one night and not eat until the next day's dinner. Studies say it's good to fast on a regular basis, but once a week sounds excessive.

No water? I don't think I've ever seen a study done that said 24 hours without water is beneficial.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

Originally posted by: Kaido
You should fast about once a month. No food, water, or anything else for 24 hours. Best way to do it is to skip dinner one night and not eat until the next day's dinner. Studies say it's good to fast on a regular basis, but once a week sounds excessive.

No water? I don't think I've ever seen a study done that said 24 hours without water is beneficial.

It's not really fasting if you consume water

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

Originally posted by: Kaido
You should fast about once a month. No food, water, or anything else for 24 hours. Best way to do it is to skip dinner one night and not eat until the next day's dinner. Studies say it's good to fast on a regular basis, but once a week sounds excessive.

No water? I don't think I've ever seen a study done that said 24 hours without water is beneficial.

It's not really fasting if you consume water

Definition has nothing to do with water, just says abstaining from eating food.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

Originally posted by: Kaido
You should fast about once a month. No food, water, or anything else for 24 hours. Best way to do it is to skip dinner one night and not eat until the next day's dinner. Studies say it's good to fast on a regular basis, but once a week sounds excessive.

No water? I don't think I've ever seen a study done that said 24 hours without water is beneficial.

It's not really fasting if you consume water

Definition has nothing to do with water, just says abstaining from eating food.

Hmm, good point. Guess that's the different between a dry and wet fast?