What is Dry Fasting?
Dear Dr. Manny,
I keep hearing about dry fasting as a way to lose weight. What is dry fasting? Is it effective?
Intermittent fasting is a very popular way of dieting. The fad has grown, and more and more people want to try it to lose weight. Dry fasting is when someone fasts without drinking lots of water. Instead of supplementing food with water, the person goes without completely.
Is Dry Fasting Dangerous?
It’s not necessarily dangerous, because it repairs cell damage. There is a way to do this without getting sick or hurting yourself. If you take the proper steps to dry fast, you can experience some benefits.
Don’t attempt to dry fast if you have never fasted before. It’s not something people should just do. After all, typically denying yourself food and water for a prolonged period of time can weaken your immunity and make you fatigued.
If you are already on a ketogenic diet, then you won’t have too many hunger pangs or have to deal with thirst.
How Do You Do Dry Fasting?
An intermittent dry fast involves eating and drinking for a small window of time during the day and avoiding food and drink during the rest of the day. The usual window involves eating over a period of 8 hours and fasting for the remaining 16. The lesser-known path involves eating over a four-hour period and avoiding intake for 20 hours.
When Does Dry Fasting Become Dangerous?
A prolonged dry fast is done over a period of 24 hours or more. It’s not recommended. Many people who do it for religious reasons experience headaches and other unpleasant symptoms.
What Type of Meat is Healthiest?
How Does Dry Fasting Work?
Limited fluid intake forces your body to burn more fat since fat can be used to produce water. Fat is the most efficient source of internal water for your body.
If you have high-fat meals in between your fasting periods, you should be able to fast comfortably.
A dry fast can help your brain to create new neurons, lower your inflammation levels, balance your cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, prevent diabetes, lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and increase bone health.
Can Dry Fasting Help With Weight Loss?
Dry fasting is not the best way to lose weight, since most people gain it back afterward.
Before dry fasting always speak to your doctor to make sure you have no pre-existing health conditions that would get worse during a fast.
