Addicted to Fasting: Should You Get Help
According to the Mayo Clinic, fasting may be a good way to strengthen your body and kick off a weight loss program. Unfortunately, there are circumstances where fasting becomes dangerous. When it is associated with excessive dieting or an eating disorder you might need help for a fasting addiction.
What is Fasting?
Fasting is abstaining from foods or liquids. People fast for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are:
- religion
- spiritual enlightenment
- to achieve focus
- organ detoxification
- cleaning out the body
- to lose weight
Although no one is sure why fasting accomplishes many of these things, they are certain why you lose weight on the fast. When your body does not have anything else to metabolize it metabolizes fat. This is why so many diets based off fasting exist.
How Can you be Addicted to Fasting?
Fasting can cause rapid weight loss, leading some to become addicted to it.
You can be addicted to fasting itself, the endorphin rush that fasting triggers or weight loss in general. If you are on a total fast, for the first few days you will lose weight very rapidly. This rapid weight loss is addictive because it produces results quickly. Unfortunately, just as some fasting is healthy, extreme fasting can be dangerous. When you fast too often you deprive your body of vital nutrients. Like many addictions fasting has some side effects that show up particularly when you are addicted to it. These side effects are:
- weakness
- muscle cramps
- fatigue
- abnormal heart rhythms
- hormonal changes
- low blood pressure
- changes in cardiac function
- kidney damage
Most of these side effects are reversible as soon as your body starts to get the nutrients that it needs again.
Disorders that are Involved in Fasting Addiction
Fasting addiction is also sometimes due to a disorder. Most eating disorders have a fasting component. These eating disorders are:
- Anorexia – this eating disorder is characterized by starvation. It is the most common one associated with fasting addiction. A person suffering from anorexia will engage in excessive fasting which eventually causes the body to break down vital tissues after it has metabolized the fat and muscles.
- Bulimia – although bulimia is generally characterized by binging on food and then purging it, many bulimics have issues with fasting addiction. The guilt that they feel over the binging causes them to fast for as long as they can. The fasting addiction just triggers another binge.
- Othorexia – an obsession with what you are consuming. People suffering from this disorder often fast on specific foods or liquids to the point where the fasting becomes unhealthy and their bodies suffer from malnourishment.
- Body dysmorphic disorder – body dysmorphic disorder is an unrealistic view of one’s body. Although technically not an eating disorder, it often contains eating components. Many people who suffer from this disorder see themselves as overweight and then engage in excessive fasting to lose weight that is not actually there.
Almost every eating disorder can have a fasting addiction component. Although some people do not recognize it as fasting, addiction to dieting or fad diets is often an addiction to fasting.
How to Treat a Fasting Addiction
You can find treatment for a fasting addiction by simply calling 800-310-4680Who Answers?. We can help you find the treatment center that you need.
Addicted to Fasting: Should You Get Help
According to the Mayo Clinic, fasting may be a ....
Fasting for a Drug Detox: Is it Safe?
According to the National Institute on Drug ....
Dry Fast, Liquid Fast, and Partial Fast: What’s the Difference?
According to the National Library of Medicine, ....
Toxins, Liver Damage, and the Need for Liver Cleansing Treatments
In light of today's advanced technological age, the level of toxins the body ingests on a day-to-day basis runs higher than ever before. While the body, particularly the liver, does a good job at expelling toxins, a certain degree of build-up can be expected over time. Toxins pose a threat at most every point where the ....
How Detox Treatments Can Help Relieve Menopausal Symptoms
Menopause can affect different women in different ways, with some undergoing a smooth transition while others experience extremely uncomfortable symptoms that all but diminish their quality of life. The hormonal changes taking place during menopause can offset any number of bodily systems causing ongoing discomfort and frustration. During this time, any extraneous substances capable of offsetting ....
Why Detoxing Should be Top On Your To-Do List
With the advent of processed foods, fast foods and preservatives, global food supplies have taken on more chemicals than ever before. According to the U. S. National Library of Medicine, the amount of xenobiotics, such as metals and synthetic chemicals, has seen exponential increases over the past century. Human exposures to scores of PBTs, also ....
Daily Habits for Healthy Detox
The human body has an amazing capacity for clearing out the toxins it encounters on a daily basis. According to the University of Hawaii, toxins found in the environment continue to grow in number and mass with each passing year. Likewise, food supplies undergo a series of preparation and processing stages that employ a wide ....
Reviews
True Facts: Ultimate Maqui Berry Review
The Maqui berry, also known as the Chilean wine berry, has overtaken the Acai berry for Top Health Berry. It contains more antioxidants than the Acai berry, and the Maqui berry is impressing health-conscious people all over the world. Our tester took Ultimate Maqui Berry for 60 days to test the effectiveness of the “new Acai ....
Pure Colon Detox Reviews
A Revealing Peek into Pure Colon Detox People are finding it tougher and tougher to find a product that will help them to lose weight and keep them motivated to stay on a health path. Pure Colon Detox has quickly become the fastest way to achieve great health. People all over the world are drawn to ....
Pure Berry Detox Review
A Stunning Peek into the Effects of Pure Berry Detox Pure Berry Detox has quickly become the hottest health supplement on the market right now. People, all over the world, flock to it because of the incredible benefits to their health. For anyone looking to become healthier, remove harmful toxins from their bodies, and lose unwanted, ....