There seem to be a ot of reports of a period of feeling terrible on any drastic diet. This is usually claimed to be the result of toxins leaving the body.
This has never made much sense to me - surely if toxins are leaving your body you should feel better as you have less toxins in you? So what is this period where people feel terrible? Is it just the body suffering because of the new diet, until it manages to somehow adjust to it?
Thank You Moderator.
I started this whole mess. I have never been into ‘message boarding,’ and now know why. The string of responses thus far have been distasteful and unhelpful. I do hope Cecil can provide some useful information and/or answers to a relatively straightfoward question. Maybe you can pass the word along.
Sorry, hollyhoux, but if you’re unwilling to accept the answers you’ve gotten, I’m not sure if anyone here can possibly satisfy your request. The simple fact, alas, is that none of the claims made about the benefits of fasting can be supported by any reputable scientific study or, for that matter, by any plausible theory.
This is out of place in GQ, but my advice is simple: if you’re thinking about fasting, in the hopes of achieving some kind of health benefits, you should think, instead, about eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise, and getting a good night’s sleep every night.
Oh, and welcome to the SDMB! You should be happy - some new members post things that no one responds to. Even if you think this thread somehow turned into a mess, you’ve got to admit that it’s better than being ignored.
(Oh, and Otto, though DrMatrix was right to slap your wrist, I didn’t actually take any personal offense at your post; on the contrary, I chuckled when I read it. I know that I come off, in print, as being more strident than I do in person - not sure why.)
For those who don’t believe laxatives can cause permanant harm, ask any recovering bulimic. They’ll tell you the sad truth.
I, not so long ago, asked about flushing salt out of my system, as I had just been eating a lot of salty foods, which tends to cause a lot of fluid in my ears. (I also get this instead of bloating on my period). I asked if I drank tons of water, would it help?
Duck Duck Goose, our Google Queen (and I mean that in a GOOD way, Duck!) found me an article about water intoxication. Good call.
I do have to ask-is drinking 8 glasses of water a day then false? Because I heard it does keep your skin clear-moisturizing and all that.
(I would think it also prevents dehydration, which is a result of diarrhea. So if you take a laxatives, you’ll be dehydrated!)
All this sounds like is a fancy method of anorexia.
Yes, the whole drink 8 glasses of water rule is false. No one is even sure where that one got started. So is the bull you’ll see in alot of fitness magazines that says if you wait until you’re thirsty to drink, you’re already dehydrated. There is nothing wrong with waiting until you’re thirsty. If your skin is dry, use moisturizer. Another thing you’ll read in beauty magazines is it’s best to moisturize “from the inside out” by drinking lots of water. It doesn’t work. You’ll just pee more.
I’ve had doctors tell me to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Weird.
As for keeping your skin moisterized, try eating alot of olive oil. My sis used to DRINK a bottle a day with no ill effects. For the less insane type people, get some really nice french bread, put about 1/4 of olive oil in a tea saucer and salt to taste. dip the bread and enjoy!
This is a VERY expensive habit though.
I’ve witnessed water intoxication in action, and if you don’t know what’s happening, it’s pretty bizarre.
My 84-year-old mother’s doctor scheduled her for a type of urinalysis that required her to down 8 glasses of water in the two hours prior to giving the sample. She was OK on the way to the lab, but by the time I got her back to her place, she was about as muddled as I’ve ever seen anyone get. She couldn’t follow the simplest conversation, and started performing pointless actions, like taking something out of a drawer, putting it back in, taking it out again, etc.
I quickly figured out what was happening, and started getting some food into her, especially salty stuff, and she was OK within a couple of hours.
A younger, healthier person probably wouldn’t react quite as dramatically, but it certainly provided a vivid object lesson in the dangers of overdoing anything, even something as harmless and vital to life as water!
I tend to get thirsty quite a lot-and I also have a small bladder, so you can imagine that I already get a lot of liquids in me!
If you want to lose weight, the only smart choice is to change the way you live so that you take regular exercise at least 3 times a week, including cardio-vascular exercise, and eat a diet which will provide all the nutrition and satisfaction you need while allowing you to shed surplus fat. There is no alternative that works in the long term.
To get the diet right, you need to understand the role that protein, fat and carbohydates play in human nutrition, and amend your diet so that you get a little fat, enough carbs and all the protein you want, but encourage your body to use up its reserve fuel stores (fat).
If you have followed steps 1 and 2, then fasting can possibly play a productive yet minor role in your programme. Some people suggest that fasting one day a week is a good idea (for various reasons, medical or spiritual). Others would suggest fasting for a couple of days once a month. However, if your main aim is to lose weight, fasting isn’t necessary, probably won’t feel good, and can easily produce precisely the opposite effect (because you accidentally trigger your body’s ‘starvation’ response mechanisms, and it suddenly tries to conserve all the reserve fuel it can).
Most of the supposed ‘benefits’ of fasting are bogus, and I’m glad a few posters have pointed this out. Next time you hear someone banging on about ‘toxins’, ask them to name and define any of these toxins, to list their properties, how they come into the body, what deleterious effects they have, and why fasting will eliminate them. If you don’t get a full set of detailed answers, tell them they don’t know what they are talking about.
If you want to look after your bowels, eat an apple a day and be sure to eat the core as well. You’ll be amazed at the benefits. It provides all the roughage and regulatory influence you could wish for, plus apples taste good and can be eaten anytime, anywhere… even while you read the SDMB!
Not really weird at all. First of all, phsycians get little to no training in nutrition and dietetics. On the average they are no more knowlegable in that subject than the average person. That’s why a goog doctory will refer you to a dietitian.
Secondly, it’s good to remember what my dad’s flight surgeon and good friend used to say - half of the practicing physicians today graduated in the bottom half of their class.
Yes, yes, that’s probably unlikely becuase a larger portion of the bottom-halfers probably went on the other things becuase of their dismal performance, but there’s still a lesson to be learned there.
As far as all the anecdotes, a little phrase always pops into my head when I read such things: mind over matter. I have no doubt those things really happened, I’m just doubtful if it was the fasting that is responsible or it it just your expectation that the fasting is responsible.
And no, I have no idea what a goog doctor is either.:smack:
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