Quote:
Originally Posted by F32Fleet
I think fasting is just the current fad and unless the research has changed it can really mess up your metabolism.
Ultimately it's not about losing weight. it's the ratio of muscle : fat.
Muscle burns calories.
|
From an evolutionary perspective fasting is the norm, it's a condition we evolved under, the difference being historically it was not voluntary fasting. What is a "fad" is our current 24/7/365 supply of endless variety of food. Voluntary fasting can be challenging at first, not because fasting "messes up your metabolism", but because your metabolism is already compromised from an excess of feasting and zero fasting.
The body stores energy in 2 ways, first could be considered your capacitor, it is carbs stored in the liver and muscle tissue as Glycogen with a capacity of a few hundred grams. Second is as adipose tissue (fat), this is your battery. Too frequent eating and no fasting conditions your metabolism for a constant stream of energy input leaving no need to retrieve from storage, insulin levels stay high and you are effectively locked out of using your stored energy. This is a "messed up" metabolism, and is the condition that the majority find themselves in today. You should be able to seamlessly transition from a fed state to using your glycogen stores to metabolizing fat stores with no appreciable change in metabolic rate. For prolonged fasts, once you're able to do them, basal energy expenditure actually increases after around 36 hours.