Is Fasting Making Me Gain Weight?


During the Lenten season, many Christians fast in a variety of ways during the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Fasting refers to any type of abstinence from food, and there are many varieties. Some fasting eliminates all solid food and relies upon liquids only for a particular number of days. An extreme version of this limits the fasting person to only water. For example Jesus fasted for 40 days after he was baptized. Some multi-taskers might be excited to imagine that their spiritual disciplines might support their fitness goals. However, it is important to note that fasting is not dieting, and it could in fact backfire. When you go without food, your body reacts to that and can even work against your weight-loss goals. You might find a lasting and unwelcome change in your metabolism.

However, there is a modern variation on the fasting theme that could actually help your long-term fitness goals. Modern Christians, particularly in the Western world, struggle with self-denial so they have developed an alternative to traditional fasting that involves giving up only one thing during the Lenten season. Sometimes the sacrifice is not even related to food. It is not uncommon these days to see a social media post announcing a self-imposed break from this particular outlet or possibly all social media.
If you choose to give up one thing that is in fact a very unhealthy habit, like soda or smoking or your candy addiction, then that is one kind of fasting that would support your fitness goals. This is especially true if you can develop a new habit and continue to avoid soda after the forty days of Lent. One of the significant keys to long-term weight loss is employing healthy changes each and every day. Taking a small step towards your health and well-being may not feel like much at first but these movements towards health make a tremendous difference over time.

Are you ready for a real and lasting change? Contact a weight loss clinic to see if you are a candidate for bariatric surgery.

On the Space Coast, Dr. Diego Velarde at the Advanced Surgical and Weight Loss Institute in Merritt Island has over ten years of clinical practice and specializes in bariatric surgery. Dr. Velarde performs minimally invasive robotic surgery using the da Vinci Surgical Robot which allows an increased range of motion and more precise movements.