Intermittent fasting is gaining popularity as a dietary option, but what really happens to your body when you fast? We went ahead and found out.
We know our readers are beautiful and awesome, so we keep collecting tips and tricks to keep everyone that way! Whether you fast for food or for religious reasons, this is exactly what happens to your body when you fast.
Fasting Effects On Body
6. Sugar Breakdown
The first few hours of fasting are quite normal for most people, as their bodies are going through the regular process of breaking down glycogen and storing glucose as fuel for energy.
Overall, about 25% of this goes directly to your brain, while the rest supports red blood cells and muscles.
5. Ketosis
After 5-6 hours, depending on blood sugar levels, you will reach the stage of ketosis, the metabolic state, during which your energy levels are supported by ketone bodies in the blood.
This is a fat breakdown process, as the broken fat results in ketone bodies.
This is the moment when the royal fast begins; Therefore, it is a desirable state for people who are fasting to lose weight.
This state can also be achieved by following a ketogenic diet, based on a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates.
4. Cholesterol And Uric Acid Clean-up
During the ketosis process, several more important things will happen: Your body will release cholesterol and uric acid into the bloodstream, which is part of a detoxification process in the body.
During this stage, you may experience headaches, dizziness, fatigue, skin rashes, muscle pain, and joint pain in rare cases.
At the end of this stage, the pain will decrease and the blood pressure will decrease. The calcification process, cholesterol, and mucoid plaque (alternative medicine) will be reduced.
3. Resting Of The Digestive System
Since your food intake has been reduced, the digestive system can rest. But since the digestive process takes time, it is never completely interrupted during intermittent fasting, only during prolonged fasting.
2. Emotional Detox
After the first 6 hours of fasting, you will feel hungry and perhaps even overwhelmed. It can trigger some emotions like anger, frustration, feeling down, or sadness.
It is crucial to deal with these emotions as they arise and to remember that there is a perfectly logical reason for your fast.
Try not to expose your emotions to the people in your life and take the time to meditate or focus on something else, rather than being hungry. Concentrate on an activity that doesn’t require a lot of body effort.
1. Two Ways To Fast
Intermittent fasting is a fasting method used primarily by people who want to regulate their weight and calorie intake. The practice involves eating during certain hours of the day and abstaining from eating during other hours.
This helps regulate “irrational chewing” and even allows you to eat your daily calorie count during “eating hours.”
The most popular time for intermittent fasting is 8 eating hours with 16 hours of fasting – either in bulk or split throughout the day.
The prolonged fast is a fasting experience during which you only consume drinks (the most popular are the water and juice fast).
This type of fasting requires consultation with a health professional who decides if this method is safe for you in your health condition in the first place.
If your body can handle the prolonged fast method, you will likely be suggested to run a week-long detox program that also includes supplements and remedies for digestive support.
The Benefits Of Fasting
In conclusion, we want to list several benefits that fasting can have on your life and overall health.
- It is the perfect tool to use when trying to control your weight.
- It is a good way to normalize insulin sensitivity and, as a result, prevent type 2 diabetes.
- Normalizes ghrelin levels and helps “discipline hunger”.
- Lowers triglyceride levels, lowering the risk of heart disease.
- It can slow down the aging process.
- It can help with skin conditions.
- It can help normalize the digestive system.
Did this article make you wonder if you would try to fast? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!
