>Previous Threads
>What are the benefits of fasting?
Autophagy. Based on new understandings of the physiological functions of autophagy we now know that both basal levels of autophagy and stress-induced increases in autophagy are likely important in promoting mammalian health Definition: basically, you stop eating and your body says "hey bro where's the food at?". At this point your body says "well I can either starve, or eat something I don't really need that I already have!". The body then looks at the following: old cells, dead cells, fat tissue cells, etc, and says "well I could eat this".
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Note that this process does happen when you're eating, but fasting GREATLY speeds it up.
>Common myths
You will not lose all your gains. In the history of fasting
>Can I exercise while fasting?
You can, but not strenuously. Muscle ketone oxidation decreases after 1 week of fasting, along with decreased overall energy expenditure(page 144-152 of Burstztein S, et al. ‘Energy Metabolism, Indirect Calorimetry, and Nutrition.’ Williams & Wilkins 1989). If you exercise hard and push for PRs on a 7 day fast you'll essentially accelerate muscle wasting.
>Won't I get water poisoning?
A healthy male would have to binge on close to 3 gallons of water within a few hours to get fucked by water poisoning. If your urine turns brown go to the ER.
>How long is an optimal fast?
Depends on your willpower and bodyfat. Since you likely eat every day, you likely have quite a bit of fat reserves to burn. During fasts, soft fatty adipose tissue lipolysis is known to reach a MAXIMUM within the first week of a prolonged fast as does hepatic ketone production.
>ncbi.nlm.nih.gov