Does Fasting Work? Or is it Just for the Rich and Infamous!

By Brad Pilon, MS

I suppose all of us have at one time or another wondered does fasting work? On thesurface it appears to make sense, especially for the short term. Less food, giving thebody a chance to cleanse itself from unwanted toxins that have managed to take upresidence, and allowing the body's natural processes to work.

This all seems to make sense.

Then we head to the supermarket and areconfronted by images of the latest starletand her emaciated form clinging to life,and wonder what if any benefits are to befound in denying the body the basic build-ing blocks of life?

The answers, like in many areas, liessomewhere in between the emphatic absti-nence from all fasting, and the fanatic ab-stinence from all food!

Fasting does have a beneficial effect onour bodies, but only if it's not overdone.

We've all seen and heard about famousfasts for political and spiritual reasons,

and far be it from me to debate the spiritual benefits one may or may not receive fromsuch an endeavor, (political fasting tends to end badly most of the time) fasting for ahealth benefit is both a good practice and long a staple of those seeking optimumhealth.

The key question here is how much and how often. I've become a fan of what isknown as “intermittent fasting”, which is the practice, as the name implies, of doing afast at intermittent periods. There is a lot of latitude here. Some people do as much asalternate day fasting, some one or two days per week. Most people opt for the once ortwice per week regimen, in part because many who are employing these methods areon a fitness quest, and to deprive the body further would likely derail their efforts atoptimum health.

Doing this type of fasting allows for individuals to still maintain a rigorous workoutroutine if they so desire, and in fact can benefit that aspect greatly, both by helping tocleanse the body of accumulated toxins by the use of the fasts, as well as by helping

to keep additional weight from adding another element to the fitness equation.

Make sure you are healthy enough to employ a fast, without a heart condition, hypo-glycemia or other serious medical issues. Start slowly and get used to the lifestyle andsee what works for you and you'll have a much greater shot at success. Programsstarted at light speed sometimes lose their traction as people get discouraged and loseinterest. Start slow to ensure success!

You would do well to check out this kind of fasting as a method of not only improv-ing your dietary and general fitness levels, but also for the many added benefits thatfasting usually brings around, some of those being a sense of discipline, improvedsense of well-being, a real chance for your body to rejuvenate, and an antidote to thefast paced lives we all live.

****Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in thenutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and newproduct development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciencesspecializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television andhelped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing thefoods they love.

For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.LiveProof.info/eatstopeat/