Intermittent Fasting: Good idea or bad idea?

Unless it is for religious purposes, in which case I recommend, I am strongly against fasting. I have personally fasted a few times in my life as a way to strengthen my spiritual walk, but when it comes to physical health or weight loss, I have always said no way. I have always been taught that fasting, or going a period of time without eating actually might result in weight gain because your body begins to store fat.

For me personally, I have found that when I partake in a really strict diet or pay close attention to what I am eating/not eating for a short amount of time, it begins to consume me and I obsess over maintaining my habits and it quickly becomes unhealthy. With that it mind, for me, fasting for dieting purposes would not be healthy or wise. I would definitely not recommend fasting to anybody like me, who tends to be consumed by strict diets. However, there are many people who find that fasting has been very beneficial for their health and well-being.

The purpose of this study done by Horne and other researchers was, "We evaluated whether fasting initiates acute changes in biomarker expression in humans that may impact short-term and long-term health". They recorded the results of the participants of a 24-hour water fast.

• Increased hemoglobin
• Increased red blood cell count
• Increased hematocrit
• Increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol 
• Decreased triglycerides
• Decreased bicarbonate 
• Weight loss

As I read more about the results of this study, I began to understand why people may fast and I am more open to recommending this diet tactic. I would definitely recommend fasting to anybody who would like to see and increase in human growth hormone and to be CONSISTENT after the fast is over. I recommend fasting to somebody who already has healthy eating habits and someone who has maybe even fasted in the past and is committed to maintaining healthy habits once the fast is over. Otherwise, you would begin go move backward rather than forward.

I would also advise partaking in a fast with another person. Having a friend or another accountability partner would be very beneficial in a fast as a way to have somebody else to encourage you along the way and to process your individual results with.