The Benefits of Fasting + 3 Possible Ways to Get Them

What do you think of when you hear the word “fasting”?

Improved body composition?

A lowered risk of chronic diseases?

Slowing the aging process?

Incredible skin?

Improved insulin sensitivity, heart health, and brain function?

Believe it or not, fasting accomplishes all this and more! The benefits of fasting, all backed by science, are nothing short of miraculous!

The Benefits of Fasting

Fasting improves body composition and can lead to weight loss.

This benefit can be attributed to several different factors that each tend to lead to weight loss:

• Fasting kicks your body into ketosis, or a fat-burning state. After your body runs out of carbohydrates for energy, it starts burning through your fat stores. 
• Fasting regulates hunger hormones, like leptin and ghrelin. Once regulated, these hormones will only signal hunger when your body is truly hungry, rather than when you’re tired, stressed, or hear a fajita plate sizzling past your table at Chili’s.
• Fasting boosts your metabolism. We’ve been told that any long span without food will tank our metabolism, and that the solution is to snack every three to four hours. But in fact, fasting increases your metabolism. This is because it decreases leptin resistance, which increases thyroid hormone production, which results in a boost to your metabolism and overall metabolic health.
• Fasting raises human growth hormone (HGH) levels. This hormone helps to treat obesity and build muscle mass. And more muscle mass means that your body is burning more calories at rest. Bonus: Increased HGH also boosts muscle strength!

All of these factors combined make it no wonder that fasting leads not only to weight loss, but to positive effects on the overall composition of your body weight.

Fasting lowers your risk of developing deadly chronic diseases.

This is because it sends your body into cell recycling mode, called autophagy. In this phase, your body targets and eliminates malfunctioning cells and damaged tissues, which might otherwise multiply and lead to disease and other poor health conditions.

Studies have found that this “detox” offered by fasting lowers your risk of chronic diseases, and may also help to prevent cancer, making it one of the best health benefits of fasting.

Fasting improves insulin sensitivity.

When you’re fasting, you’re no longer feeding your body a steady stream of sugar to drive up blood sugar levels. This means your body secretes less insulin, and your insulin sensitivity improves. This is fantastic news for those with insulin resistance!

Fasting decreases chronic inflammation.

By temporarily removing inflammatory foods (and all foods) from your diet, and balancing your hormones, fasting reduces both acute and chronic inflammation in your body.

And reducing chronic inflammation reduces your risk of experiencing health conditions such as chronic bloating, increased belly fat, unexplained weight gain, fatigue, migraines, digestive issues, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, depression, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and even some cancers! (You can learn more about inflammation and download an anti inflammatory foods list here!)

Decreasing inflammation also improves your immune system and speeds up healing.

Fasting improves heart health and decreases your risk of heart disease.

Studies have found that fasting lowers high blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels and heart performance, reduces free radical damage, and increases the growth of blood vessels within the heart.

Combine all of these incredible health benefits of fasting, and you’ve got a major boost to your long term heart health and overall life span!

Fasting protects and improves brain function.

Studies have shown that fasting kickstarts protective mechanisms in the brain, and inhibits the production of free radicals and irritating proteins that would otherwise contribute to premature brain aging.

It has also been shown to have a positive impact on both the growth of new nerve cells in the brain and the production of brain proteins that protect against Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Fasting improves your gut microbiome.

Fasting has been reported to induce significant changes in the gut microbiota.

It can alter the composition of the gut microbiome, impacting bacterial taxa and gene modules associated with short-chain fatty acid production. These fatty acids are important for gut health and have systemic effects.

Moreover, fasting can provide rest for the gut bacteria, allowing for time to repopulate and potentially leading to a more balanced gut microbiome. This can be particularly beneficial in individuals with obesity, where fasting may help improve the balance of gut microbiota.

The potential benefits of fasting for the gut microbiome are thought to work through multiple pathways, including reducing oxidative stress and enhancing mitochondrial health.

Fasting has been shown to slow aging and increase life span.

Fasting enhances the body’s resistance to harmful stress and improves the body’s protective chemicals. Combined with all of the benefits of fasting above, it makes complete sense that fasting increases your life span.

And finally, fasting results in healthier skin.

It improves your skin’s integrity and collagen quality. It also clears skin of acne and other impurities through autophagy.

So why isn’t everyone and their mom jumping on the fasting train? Because fasting can sound super scary, am I right?!

Options for Obtaining the Benefits of Fasting

Luckily, you can reap all of the benefits of fasting through either a full-fledged fast or simply eating within an eight-hour window of time each day, known as an “intermittent fasting plan.”

Intermittent Fasting Plan

The idea of an intermittent fasting diet is to restrict eating to a certain span of time (usually an eight-hour window) every day.

My husband and I practice intermittent fasting and eat all of our meals between noon and 8:00 PM. You can set your eight-hour window for any time that makes sense for you, your job, and your family.

The beauty of an intermittent fasting diet is that you can slowly work your way into an eight-hour window. So if you usually eat at 8:00 every morning, you could try eating at 8:30 or 9:00 the first day. Move your window a little further out every day until your body adjusts to the new time.

Alternate-Day Fasting

Alternate-day fasting (sometimes referred to as ADF) is an intermittent fasting plan where you alternate days of the week between fasting and eating normally. On fasting days, individuals typically consume about 25% of their energy needs, while on feeding days, they eat without strict restrictions.

This pattern of eating aims to prolong the period when your body has burned through the calories consumed during your last meal and begins burning fat. Many people find this approach to fasting more achievable and sustainable.

Three-Day Fast

Three days, nothing but water. I can’t lie; this is challenging.

But after three days, I have sky-high energy, Bradley Cooper Limitless-levels of mental clarity, and am 100% free from those naaaaagging sugar cravings. It’s pretty incredible, and (I think) worth the challenge!

A few tips though:

• It’s much easier to tackle fasting if your body is already in ketosis before starting your fasting period. You can get into ketosis through intermittent fasting, a low-carb/high-fat diet, or a combination of both.
• You’re subject to dehydration while in a fasted state, so be sure to drink at least half your weight in ounces every day on fasting days. For example, if you weigh 200 lbs, aim to drink at least 100 oz of water a day during your fasting period.
• You may find, like I did, that the most challenging part of short-term fasting is the mental aspect. I had no idea how much I medicated my emotions with food until…well…I couldn’t anymore.
• Introduce food slooooowly on your first day after a fast! Your toilet will thank you.
• Experts recommend avoiding a full fast if you have a history of eating disorders. You should also consider if you have young children who may misunderstand your actions and/or motives.

Fasting, both intermittent and three-day, is more challenging for some than others. 

You might not experience any side effects at all. Lucky you!

Or you might experience headaches, nausea, heartburn, low blood sugar, fatigue, or general irritability. (Who doesn’t feel angry when they’re denied Ben & Jerry’s?!) 

If you can navigate the side effects, you might find the benefits of fasting to be nothing short of miraculous.

Because fasting has been proven to improve body composition, lower risk of chronic diseases, decrease inflammation, slow aging, result in healthier skin, and improve insulin sensitivity, heart health, and brain function. You can reap all of these benefits through either a full fast or intermittent fasting. 

This is totally within your reach! Have any questions? Or victories to share? Let’s chat in the comments!

*DebPreston.com is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, medical treatment, or therapy. Always seek the advice of your physician with any questions you may have regarding fasting or nutrition. Never disregard professional medical advice nor delay in seeking professional advice or treatment because of something you have read on DebPreston.com.

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