pmaitra
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What people do nowadays is nothing like the fasting of old.
Regardless, times are different and we live more comfortably. The body is conditioned to think we are in stress when our eating habits change that drastically, and what that does, is make it convert what little you eat into fat. It's a survival mechanism. Haven't we all piled on a few pounds before an exam or a project that you're desperate to submit on time?
The difference in going from 3 square meals (4 for some) to suddenly a desire to be anorexic? The body will break down your muscle instead of fat, and convert what you eat to fat, as a double whammy. Not healthy.
Healthy eating and exercise, always the way to go.
Intermittent fasting actually benefits the body. There is a difference though. Dieting, as many see it, is restriction of the calorie intake. This, IMHO, is a wrong approach. Instead of restricting calories, one should take in the normal calorie intake that a person requires, and burn it off through exercise. I have seen so many people who simply don't eat when they should be eating in the hope they will get slim. There are people who have been doing it for years (won't eat lunch on weekdays), yet, they are still fat.This is my area of interest, please research intermittent fasting and ketosis we can debate. Intermittent fasting puts bodies in ketosis, wait too long after that and the body will start breaking down muscle eventually. Switching from three meals a day to one or even not eating a day in a week is not going to do that however. This has been documented extensively.
Source: http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/can-lose-muscle-dont-maintain-calories-2544.htmlYou might be at risk of losing muscle mass if you do not consume a certain amount of calories. Adequate intake of carbohydrates, protein and fat is imperative to provide energy for workouts, as well as to build lean muscle tissue. Cutting calories can help you lose weight, but some of the weight might come from losing muscle mass.