By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief Provided by: SELF.com

Happier, Healthier You

Fasting? Forget It Posted Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 3:30 am PDT

Showing 1-15 of 108 Comments

Leave a Comment
  • 1. Posted by Einar G on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 1:47 pm PDT

    To my knowlege detox diets etc. are not traditionally ment to be used to loose weight. Clearing your system of garbage is closer to the truth of it. For this purpose many of these diets are just fine. On the other hand your point about the efficacy of these diets for loosing weight is well taken. I can only imagine the distress these people live with if they will go on diets and clenses to loose weight. How desperate can one get.

    Report Abuse
  • 2. Posted by hollytuhey@sbcglobal.net on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 1:49 pm PDT

    My husband and I did a cleansing 2 years ago, which resulted in some fasting. HE NOW HAS GOUT!!! The cleansing/fasting resulted in flipping his uric acid level, which causes gout. His doctor told him to never do this kind of cleansing again. He lost 15 lbs, but now has to deal with gout. It is very painful when it flairs up. It causes "needle" like bone spurs that are of the arthritis family that you will never get rid of and you get it in your joints etc....

    Report Abuse
  • 3. Posted by l_capital@sbcglobal.net on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 1:51 pm PDT

    Writing about fasting during Holy Week is inappropriate. Besides, perhaps it's good every once in while to stop stuffing ourselves and think about something besides food!

    Report Abuse
  • 4. Posted by Nikki on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 1:52 pm PDT

    YOUR WRONG THESE DETOX THINGS ARE GOOD. THEY CLEAN YOUR BODY OF THE BAD, YOU GET HEADACS FROM NOT EATING B/C YOUR BODY IS RUNNING OFF THE STUFF THAT SHOULDN'T BE IN YOUR SYSTEM. ONCE YOU GET RID OF THE BAD THEN YOU WONT FEEL AS BAD AND THE HUNGER GOES AWAY IN LIKE TWO DAYS. THERE IS SO MUCH BAD IN YOUR BODY THAT YOU CARRY, AND IT DON'T ALL LEAVE ITSELF. ALSO IT CLEARS YOUR HEAD AND IF YOU MAKE THE LIFE STYLE CHANGE AFTER YOU ARE DONE DETOXING THEN IT WILL BE GOOD. PEOPLE NEED TO DO ALL THE RESEARCH ON DETOXING BEFORE THEY SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT

    Report Abuse
  • 5. Posted by jdog on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 1:54 pm PDT

    Apparently you haven't read the Bible and think you know more than our creator does about fasting.

    Report Abuse
  • 6. Posted by gracebeall@att.net on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 1:55 pm PDT

    y'all dont' know what ya'll are talking about concerning fast! if you do it strickly to lose weight, of course it won't work, you must committ, to the fast as as a lifestyle choice! fast are mor then just physical!!

    Report Abuse
  • 7. Posted by Alicia on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 1:59 pm PDT

    I agree with you, that it is lifestyle changes that make the only long-term impact, but already being a healthy person, who eats all her raw fruits and veggies daily and gets moderate exercise daily, I do see benefits in adding teas like matcha and kombucha, both of which are very cleansing, to my diet. I think the key is to stop looking at weight loss in relationship to your vanity and start looking at it in regards to the health of your body, mind and spirit.

    Report Abuse
  • 8. Posted by Duke on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 2:14 pm PDT

    What a bunch of crap!! Detox your body and do it now!! Do colonics and beat Cancer!!! Drink Psyllium powder and be healthy!! Doctors will never admit to anything that cures you!! They want your money!! The government does not want you to buy natural medicines, they want you to conttinue to be sick so they can get your money!! DON'T BELIEVE YOUR DOCTORS!! THEY WERE TAUGHT BY GOVERNMENT TEXT BOOKS!! THEY REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW WELL THESE NATURAL PRODUCTS WORK, BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO LEARN ABOUT THEM!! WAKE UP AMERICA!! WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW COUNTRIES LEFT THAT REFUSE TO RELEASE THE CURE FOR AIDS AND CANCER!! I GOT NEWS FOR YOU!! THE CURE IS COLONICS!! BUT GO AHEAD AND KEEP LISTENING TO YOUR DOCTORS, AND YOU WILL DIE A SLOW DEATH!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! CURE YOURSELVES!!! WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE MAGIC JOHNSON'S AIDS IS GONE?? NOBODY TALKS ABOUT IT!!! EXERCISE AND DETOX IS THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE OURSELVES!! BUY A COLONIC BOARD AND DO IT!!! DO COLONICS FOR ONE WEEK AND YOU WILL NOT GET SICK FOR AT LEAST SEVEN YEARS!! DON'T BELIEVE ME? THEN GO DIE!!!

    Report Abuse
  • 9. Posted by Dwight B on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 2:14 pm PDT

    It is silly to denounce all fasting. It has its place just like everything else. Granted fasting needs to be used with other smart approaches as mentioned here. It cannot stand alone but can be a very benificial part to an overall healthy life style.

    Report Abuse
  • 10. Posted by petitti6165@sbcglobal.net on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 2:14 pm PDT

    It's too bad that you don't understand what a fast really does.Unless you eat all homegrown veggies and fruits and have your own chickens and goats you probably have or are overloading your liver,etc. with garbage food and toxins................I will go with the study of the 7th day adventist on fasting that shows they have less health problems and heart disease then not. Nature knows best and always bats last............

    Report Abuse
  • 11. Posted by Kari A on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 2:18 pm PDT

    I will have to disagree with the statement that all one has to do it exercise to detox. Yes, your liver, kidneys, and gall bladder are our bodies way of detoxing however with the Standard American diet today our bodies our unable to detox. In addition, besides the Standard American diet of McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc. most of the food we eat are nutrient deficient meaning we are not getting all of our essential vitamins and minerals that help sustain our body as well as aiding in the cleansing process. So yes it is important for a person to detox at least quarterly with the change of seasons. I will have to say that there are right and wrong detoxes out there a person just has to do their homework.

    Report Abuse
  • 12. Posted by agoincre8iv on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 2:30 pm PDT

    At last...someone with some common sense! Fads just aren't the way to go. Less calories, exercise, and life change...hard, but that's the only thing that works in a lasting way.

    Report Abuse
  • 13. Posted by loveyourlifetoo@sbcglobal.net on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 2:34 pm PDT

    I used to be tired all the time. Now I'm not tired, have boundless energy, sleep well and wake rested. Best of all I released 13" of body fat and am now wearing a size 2--I haven't been this slim since I was 19 (that was a very, very long time ago). I've maintained this status for a year now--all due to an anti-aging, nutritional cleanse program. Weight and inches lost is only one of the side effects. It's not just about exercise, eating right and sleeping well...the missing link is cleansing impurities from your body at a cellular level. It didn't take me long to figure out that the nutrients in this program surpass anything! I've since become a nutritional cleansing coach and, while results vary, I have coached over 100 people to achieve their goals.

    Report Abuse
  • 14. Posted by Austin C on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 2:47 pm PDT

    ....

    Report Abuse
  • 15. Posted by Dan and family on Tue, Mar 18, 2008, 2:50 pm PDT

    I have to disagree for the most part. I personally have lost and maintained a 70 pound weight loss for over five years by (1st) getting nutritionally sound and (2nd) following a regular detox program. I have helped hundreds of people with this simple two step system. Eating the Standard American Diet will never get you nutritionally sound. Eat real food. Dansarver@sbcglobal.net

    Report Abuse

Leave Your Comment

Comment Guidelines You must sign in to post a comment

Yahoo! Health Videos

My Health

help

Tip of the Day

Provided by: RealAge

For a quick and healthy snack, you can’t go wrong grabbing one of this season’s freshest apples. But put the peeler away. Read More »

View All Tips »

Tell us what you think about Yahoo! Health - Send us your feedback