Biggest myths that you shouldn’t believe about fasting
Any information you have or have heard that fasting is bad for you is either completely unfounded or plainly false. Myths are broken down below so you can fast with peace of mind and justify your actions from anyone who might question them.
The fasting protocol is the approach or regimen you use to practice various forms of fasting. Fasting regimens involve missing or limiting meal consumption between 12 and 24 hours of fasting. You may opt to follow certain protocols that fit your organism depending on the purpose and kind of fasting, as well as your body’s requirements and health circumstances.
1. Fasting causes your metabolism to slow down
Your metabolism is the sum of all the biological activities that keep you alive; it is the energy expenditure that keeps your cells alive. In most circumstances, your basal metabolic rate is proportional to your body weight.
No matter where this myth originated, it is simply false, since, contrary to common perception, studies have repeatedly demonstrated that only the amount of food consumed counts, not the manner in which it is consumed. That is, your body composition is not determined by how frequently or when you consume. The only thing that counts, and always has been, is how much you consume in terms of weight and body composition. In terms of health, the quality of what you consume is also quite important.
Your metabolism is the sum total of all the biological activities that keep life going. It isn’t some supernatural fire in your stomach. And it’s not something you should attempt to speed up all the time. Rather, it is something you should strive to improve. Fasting does not lower your metabolism or put you into a famine state. Starvation mode is a fallacy, unless, of course, you are genuinely starving. But fasting does not cause you to go hungry.
2. Putting on weight after eating
Some argue that fasting or dieting in general is a waste of time since you will simply regain the weight once you stop. Fasting is thus a lifestyle shift. It isn’t a diet. It has become a permanent landmark. You can’t just go back to your old ways and expect things to be different because you went on a diet for a few weeks. If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll receive precisely what you’ve always gotten.
A typical misperception entwined in this myth is that after you quit fasting, you will quickly gain the weight back. That is true only if you overcompensate by eating more calories to compensate for those lost during your fast. Others may argue that the weight you lose when fasting is merely water weight or muscle glycogen depletion. While this is accurate in certain circumstances, it is far from the complete truth. The fact is that you will lose weight as body fat. It won’t happen right away, but if you continue with your fasting plan, it will happen eventually.
3. Having less energy when not eating
While fasting, you may feel a few problems, one of which may be reduced energy. After your body and mind adjust to the fasting lifestyle, you probably won’t notice that you have less energy when you miss meals. You’ll feel energized and vigorous. You’ll have a thousand suns’ worth of energy.
Consider this: Hunger is a motivation, maybe the most primitive motivator of all. Predators prey because they are hungry. They waste the most energy when they are hungry. Consider fasting to be a period when your body is poised to do its most rigorous tasks.
