Does just not eating actually help you lose weight?

Question

My mom said she lost tonss of weight when she was getting divoriced because she was kinda depressed and just didnt eat... so if i just stopped eating for a few days or aete very little would i lose alot of weight?

Well someone said down there that if i walk 45 minutes a day for a week i could lose 5 pounds or so but when i walk that long i burn like 100 calories how is that even closee to a pound hows that work???

Answer 1

No, you'd feel bad and your body would go into starvation mode. You lose weight when you eat a balanced diet and exercise.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

There are 3500 calories in one pound of fat... that means to lose a pound of fat, you will have to not eat 3500 calories... that is about 1 and a half days of not eating anything to lose just 1 pound! And unfortunately, after you do this, your body will go into a sort of "calorie saving mode" and slow your metabolism down a lot... so the longer you go without eating, the slower your metabolism will become and eventually when you do eat again, you'll find that your body packs on the weight like never before (remember, it thought you were starving!). Don't misunderstand - cutting calories is a great way to lose weight, but you can't cut back too much. Try eating about 300-500 less calories each day, and excersize so that you burn more, and rev up your metabolism. This will make losing weight much easier! In sum, moderate calorie restriction coupled with increased excersize will allow you to continually burn the most calories - leading to the most weight loss.

Answer 4

No, actually what tends to happen is that your body loses weight even slower than people who exercise, because it is basically being told by your brain that your starving and all food has to be turned to fat so that you can conserve your energy. It's why people in the beginning of not eating feel almost bloated, because your body is basically having a meltdown over your lack of food.

Why would you want to lose weight this way? I am definitely by no means small at 5'11" and weighing around 190, but I definitely won't attempt to lose weight this way. I joined a sport on my college campus that I really enjoy where I get to hang out with people who are really cool. I've lost probably forty pounds in 10 weeks, but I eat more now than I ever did before. You should try to find a sport or set of exercises you really enjoy that you can do with people you know or maybe get to know by participating.

Answer 5

Your body contains a few "self protection" features that are not mentioned in the user manual that came with you when you were born.
Our bodies were developed 10s of thousands of years ago when there were no cities and people ate and drank from what they found in a nomadic existence.
If you could not find water for a day or two then the body learned that it could develop a method to retain water to keep you alive until the next water hole came along. Same with food. feeling hungry then your body will store whatever it has any way it can just to keep going until the next food comes along.
Try to stop eating and your body will try to stop you from losing weight.
The only way to lose weight is to have a consistent intake of nutrients, but not quite enough so that your body will burn some fat.
There are a few tricks you can play around that by taking some fat free yoghurt within your calory allowance each day, the calcium in the yoghurt will eliminate the body fat for you as you go along. About 500 calories less than your body needs each day should equate to a loss of 1 pound each week. Good luck.

Answer 6

Hi Chris,

Well, this is one time where I have to argue about the "Mom's Know best" rule...lol.

It is definately in your best interest to not follow that particular game plan.

The biggest reason is that you may do the opposite of what your intending.

To lose weight effectively there are several things to follow but these three will get you on the right path.

1. Nutrition: Eat 5-6 (start with 3-4 and progress from there) small portioned meals a day. Every 3 hours you will want to supply a certain amount of Protein/Carbs/Fat into your body.

Nutrition plays a vital role on weight loss and all aspects relating to good health, muscle tone and longevity.

Getting your body fed consistantly with several healthy small portioned meals throughout the day will kick start the metabolic rate (internal furnace) and allow your body to use what it needs and get rid of the rest...rather than starving it and focing the body to go on the "feast or famine" FAT storage regime.

2. Exercise: Being active is imparative to a successful weight loss plan but more importantly you need to ensure that there are various forms of resistance training.

Cardio alone will not give you optimal health and may also add to the challenge...thats another topic in its self.

A circuit training program indoors or out would be a good start 3 x a week but, you will want to work with a qualified fitness professional and undergo a computerized fitness evaluation to better understand your current level of fitness.

3. Rest: With good food and a personalized workout plan you have the neccessary tools to win your battle.

However, rest is absolutely important as well.

Recovery is needed so that muscles can be repaired (you break them down while training) and growth can occur.

You will find as you gain lean amounts of muscle (don't worry the average person can only gain about 10lbs of muscle in a year) it will also assist you in burning fat.

Depending on your specific weight loss goal you will have a different battle plan to reach it.

If it is just weight you wish to lose regardless of whether it is fat, muscle etc. than I suppose starvation would be the best "horrible" choice to pick.

If weight loss in terms of fat loss is your goal than be sure to find a fitness professional to work with and get on those three steps.

Yours in Health and Fitness,

James Moncherry
[e-mail]

Answer 7

It is never a good idea to just stop eating. If you really want to lose weight you should try to eat a healthy diet, lots of vegetables & fruit, no candy bars or other rich calory stuff.
If you can't manage on your own, go see a dietist.

Answer 8

Exercise everyday like jogging around the block
Skip meals. Eat 2 times per day than 3 times per day
Dont eat until you're full
Eat fruits at night if your hungry.
Drinks lots of water and stop all the fast food and chocolate.
There are more tips and info.
there's a video on success fitness too.

Answer 9

LOL. the old myth of not eating makes you lose weight. This works but only for a while and exttremely unhealthy. I suggest you write a plan of what you eat and check the calories. Find out how many calories you burn and lower your calorie intake. This method works best. Hope i helped.

Answer 10

Maybe for a while but then you'd gain it and more back since you're body will store all the fat it can get since it goes into starvation mode. Instead eat healthier,exercise, and drink 8 cups of water a day. That will work much better.