There’s a myth out there that fasting for weight loss alone is the best way to drop unwanted pounds.

Some people think all they need to do to lose weight is to stop eating for a week or two, taking nothing but water or juice.

Wrong!

Fasting for weight loss can help you lose weight, but it should be used sparingly as part of a proper diet program – it should never be the only way.

For a start, fasting on its own without additional diet and lifestyle changes will only lead to a temporary loss of weight, mostly from water in your tissues.

Second, prolonged fasting – more than a couple of days – will put your body into “starvation” mode. Your brain will slow down your metabolism to burn calories more slowly. That’s exactly the opposite thing you want to happen! You need a fast-burning metabolism to start eating away at accumulated fat stores.

Third, going on a water-only diet for more than a couple of days can actually make you sick, causing headaches, dizziness and constipation. If you fast for a long time you might even lose muscle.

Fasting for weight loss by itself is one of those “crash diet” methods that are doomed to fail. People who’ve tried fasting to lose weight (and survived) are at first thrilled to lose several pounds quite rapidly, but are then crushed as the pounds pile quickly back on once they resume eating. And boy, do they resume eating – after a prolonged fast some folks have such a raging hunger they just can’t stop eating!

Now there are good reasons to go on a short fast that are recognized by cultures the world over. Often, a fast is used to help recover from gastro-intestinal disorders. A stomach bug (stomach flu) can be defeated by drinking cooled boiled water for 12 to 24 hours for example. As it flushes food from the body the bug has nothing left to feast on!

The main non-medical objective of a fast or “rest” is to quieten the body and mind. You are giving your digestive system a break from the daily grind of several meals and all the other junk in between – coffee, candy, snacks perhaps even alcohol. It’s a time for the system to replenish itself and rid itself of accumulated toxins.

A fast is often linked to a quietening of the mind, too. An opportunity to meditate and take it easy. Indeed, while on a fast you should never undertake vigorous exercise that could tax a system that is winding down into a restful state.

Fasting for weight loss can be great if you follow the old rule of “moderation” and there’s no better example of this than in the Master Cleanse Secrets method devised by fasting expert Raylen Stirling. This brilliant modern revision of the original Master Cleanse fast incorporates a light diet into the fast. You fast, eat and lose weight at the same time!

Read more at Master Cleanse Secrets.