What are losing weight with water and its variations?
Losing weight with water is the intentional and voluntary continence of food and drinks, except for water, for a given period of time.
The modified variations of this diet which allow the intake of fresh juices, tea or detoxification foods are relatively easier to stick to than the diet with water itself. Although even these easier variations of the water diet cannot be applied in the longer term as they can seriously endanger our health!
Can the diet with water actually help us lose weight?
There is a major debate amongst the scientific community with regards of the question if losing weight with the water diet is beneficial for our health and if it can really detox the body.
Despite the popularity of the nutritionists the majority of scientists unanimously state the fact that losing weight with water is not a healthy way to achieve permanent weight reduction. Indeed the fast results of such a diet are tempting, especially the quick weight loss during the first few days, but it is important to realize that this weight loss represents practically loss of water weight and not of body fat.
Most experts recommend the water diet or water fasting as an effective detox method when applied for one day each week or combined with the Moon cycles. By granting a one-day rest to the digestive system we can cleanse our body from toxins and assist the more effective assimilation of consummated food.
In fact, according to an article in the American Journal of Cardiology, some studies suggest that the regular one-day restraint from food can not only assist the weight loss process in the longer term but can also reduce the risk of developing health issues as cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes even cancer.
Water diet or water fasting should be well planned and should be applied for a maximum of few days. If we have health issues or known conditions we should always consult our treating physician before starting losing weight with water.
When complying with all precautions, the benefits of short duration fasting are really numerous! We feel our bodies lighter, we cleanse our system of accumulated toxins and we somewhat feel more ready to undertake more serious and permanent changes in our lifestyle by starting eating healthier , which basically will lead us to permanent weight loss.
Fasting and weight loss with water for longer periods are not only hard but also pose some serious risks for our bodies and can provoke us to abruptly stop our diet and give in to uncontrollable consumption of unhealthy and high-calorie food which will both lead to unfavorable consequences for our health and excessive body mass gain.
What are the positives and negatives of weight loss with water?
After applying diets with water people are often ready for a more serious positive, healthy change in their diet and lifestyle and thus weight loss with water can become the “trampoline” in the right direction.
Though, you should not forget that in order to achieve permanent weight loss without Yo-Yo effect, you should make permanent changes in your habits: to reduce the intake of saturated and trans-fats, to increase the unprocessed and unrefined food consumption, to drink plenty of water even in the days when you are not sticking to the water diet, to exercise more and to sleep at least 8 hours!
One of the most unfavorable results of the water diet is that due to the considerable calorie reduction, metabolism significantly slows down, and the slowdown caused by fasting can reach 22%. This shall reduce the capacity of the body to transform the calories into vital energy.
Consequently if we continue consuming the same quantity of calories as the one before starting the weight loss with water, right after stopping the diet we will gain weight in terms of gaining excessive fat.
Fasting with water has an increased risk of muscle mass loss. The abrupt weight gain after a long water diet leads to accumulation of fat on the lost muscle tissue spot. Even if we do not regain the weight, if this happens we will have a higher body fat percentage, compared to the level before starting the water diet as muscles are heavier than fat.
Which are the benefits of the short-term water diet?
- During fasting the stomach reduces its volume which means that we will need less food in order to feel full and thus we will decrease the calorie intake when we start eating again;
- After a short water fasting we usually feel healthier and more energetic, we increase our physical activity and thus we burn more calories;
- Detox of water diet itself will not help us lose weight permanently. It will assist the adequate functioning of the digestive system and the more effective assimilation of the food, but in order to improve the metabolism it is crucial to move actively.
If the goal is weight loss, we should be ready to also change our lifestyle after the water diet and it certainly is a good stimulus and motivator. Somewhat, after the efforts we have put and the results we have achieved we do not want to give up so easily the feeling of lightness and energy rush.
- If we do fasting to lose weight, we should do it for shorter periods followed by a healthy diet, rich in raw foods, fruit, vegetables, pure protein sources and slow carbohydrates.
When losing weight with water, we should be aware also of some of the unwanted reactions of the body. Symptoms like headache, fatigue, muscle pain, nausea, dizziness, irritation, increased heart rate, increased joint issues, slight stomach discomfort may appear. Everyone reacts differently to such type of regimen. While some may feel energetic and renewed, other may feel tired, dizzy, experience loss of wellness and energy.
The opponents of losing weight with water claim that it poses real risks to our bodies and can generate multiple health issues as damaging the gastrointestinal tract, nutritional malabsorption, impaired hepatic function, anemia, renal problems and hypoglycemia.
When applied for too long, the water diet can lead to hepatic and renal impairments can cause drastic slowdown of metabolism which practically has exactly the opposite effect to the one we seek and can become the reason to gain weight in the longer term.
Who can apply the water diet?
Losing weight with water is not recommendable for all and it is not advisable in particular for the following groups:
- Pregnant/breastfeeding women.
- People with conditions which provoke loss of energy or malnutrition.
- People with known cardiac arrhythmia.
- People with hepatic or renal insufficiency.
- Children.
Everyone undergoing losing weight with water for longer periods of time should do it only under strict medical supervision.
Re-feeding after the water diet is actually one of the most important elements in order to achieve the desired effect after such type of fasting. The benefits of losing weight with water depend mainly on the way we re-feed after ending the diet. The longer we have followed the water diet, the more attention we need to pay after we end it.
Re-feeding after the water diet can be more difficult than the fasting itself. After such a diet our digestive system is sensitive and despite that we want to taste each food around us, we cannot do it and we shouldn`t because our bodies need time to be back on track.
During the water diet the stomach shrinks and our digestive organs do not function at a full scale that is why solid food should be introduced slowly and gradually in order to avoid renal insufficiency or nutritional stress.
After the diet too much and too frequent excessive food consumption pose the biggest threat. If we hurry to introduce again solid food in our menu we risk overloading the digestive organs, to cause bad digestion and to experience physical discomfort as diarrhea, flatulence, bloating and even vomiting.
Additionally, we can indeed cause ourselves some serious health disruptions. After water fasting we should stick to a transitional phase consisting of gradual introduction of certain foods before returning to our normal nutritional habits. Our organs should be restored gradually to their normal function by introducing very small quantities of light food and slowly returning to our nutritional habits.
If you feel insecure if the water diet is suitable for you, but you still would like to try and benefit of its detox properties and effect, do not hesitate! Subscribe into any of our weight loss programs! The experts at Lucky Fit Bansko will make sure that you easily and seamlessly set your body to the water regimen, and afterwards they will provide you with full support during the re-feeding process so that you could fully benefit of all the advantages of the water diet.
Not only will you cleanse your body safely, but you will also increase your energy levels and rid yourself permanently of few excessive kilos.
Looking forward to see you!
