Fasting for 48 hours may help promote weight loss, cell repair, and improve insulin sensitivity. However, it is associated with sluggishness, exhaustion, dizziness, and is not advisable for pregnant/breastfeeding women or people with underlying medical conditions such as underweight, low blood pressure, or kidney problems.
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that alternates eating with fasting or skipping food. It has become popularized and is associated with many health benefits, including reducing weight, promoting cell repair, and increasing insulin sensitivity. The 48-hour fasting is another form of intermittent fasting that involves skipping food for 48 hours or two consecutive days, during which one can take fluids only. There is not so much that’s documented about it, but it may help promote weight loss, increase insulin sensitivity, and activate cell repair. However, it is not for everyone, considering that it may make you sluggish, exhausted, and dizzy, and it may also affect people with an underlying medical condition or a history of a medical condition. Peer into this article to know everything about intermittent fasting, including what the days look like, as well as its potential benefits and drawbacks.
What is the 48-hour intermittent fasting?
Let’s first explore what the 48-hour intermittent fasting is before looking at other things about it. Simply put, it is an eating-fasting pattern that involves abstaining from eating for two consecutive days, during which one is supposed to survive on fluids such as water and black tea. Contrary to what many believe, the 48-hour intermittent fasting is best down once or twice a month. This may seem less effective on paper, but it actually works, especially if you follow the guidelines. Remember that a person takes 2,000 calories per day on average, and abstaining from eating for 2 days means that you are cutting off 4,000 calories from the diet. Besides, this translates to 8,000 calories if you fast for 48 hours twice a month. Of course, 8,000 calories are enough to help you realize substantial weight loss over months.
Guidelines to fasting for 48 hours
Starting off the 48-hour intermittent fasting is as easy as taking dinner on Monday and not eating anything until Wednesday when you have your next dinner. While fasting for 48 hours, keep the following in mind;
- You can drink zero-calorie fluids such as tea, black coffee, and water as you fast to help keep you hydrated and energized
- When the 2-day fast ends, let your first meal be a light snack, say a handful of almonds to prevent shocking the gut, otherwise resulting in gas, bloating, diarrhea, and nausea
- Reintroduce other meals slowly, maybe an hour or two after the snack
- Be warned about overindulging to overcompensate the lost calories
- Fast once or twice a month to avoid adverse effects on your metabolism
- Try shorter fasts like the 16:8 option to establish how your body responds when deprived of carbs
Potential benefits of the 48-hour intermittent fasting
There are extensive studies about intermittent fasting in general, but there is barely any that talks about the 48-hour version. However, it is linked to the overall benefits of intermittent fasting, including;
i. Reduced inflammation
Inflammation is an autoimmune response the body uses to defend itself against infections and other attackers. However, prolonged inflammation can be damaging to all organs and is often linked to many chronic health problems, including cancer, diabetes type 2, heart disease, and kidney failure. Thankfully, studies have shown that fasting for more than 24 hours, as in the 48-hour fasting, is linked to a reduced risk of inflammation.
ii. Reduced cell damage and improved cell repair
Cells usually age as others replicate in a continuous process. However, when cells age more than they get repaired or replicate, health complications set it, and aging fastens. Studies have shown that abstaining from foods for more than 48 hours is linked to reduced cell damage and the continued formation of new cells.
iii. Increased insulin sensitivity and reduced blood sugar levels
Intermittent fasting is an effective way to boost your insulin sensitivity and keep blood sugar levels in check. As such, fasting for 48 hours may help your cells respond better to insulin production, which is also supported by studies. One study noted that fasting for 24 hours helps reduce fasting blood sugar levels in rats, and the same effect can also be realized in human beings. When you fast, the body depletes all carbs and uses fats for fuel production. Fasting for more than 24 hours, as in the 24-hour fasting, makes fat metabolism even more efficient, further improving insulin sensitivity.
iv. Better weight loss results
Many people go for intermittent fasting to help them lose weight faster, and the same can happen with 48-hour fasting. Abstaining from food for 48 hours helps you lose at least 4,000 calories, and you can make this 8,000 by fasting twice a month. Besides, as you fast, your metabolic rate increases by 3%-14%, helping you lose additional 100-275 calories. This results in faster weight loss, especially if you fast every month. However, metabolism diminishes as you fast longer than 48 hours, so don’t be tempted to do more than necessary.
Potential drawbacks of the 48-hour intermittent fasting
The 40-hour intermittent has its own challenges, including;
i. Hunger
Feeling hungry, dizzy, and sleepy is what makes the 48-hour fasting challenging the most. Studies show that three-quarters of all those following this fasting method usually feel hungry and may not stick to it. Besides, this is made worse by the fact that you can only take zero-calorie fluids that are not as filling as true foods.
ii. Sluggishness and exhaustion
When you are hungry, you will likely feel sluggish and exhausted, too. As such, it is best to start with shorter duration fasting to see how the body deals with carb deprivation. This helps you prepare better for longer-duration fasting, and also to adapt to the metabolic changes accompanying them.
iii. It is not suitable for everyone
Some people are at risk for intermittent fasting and are advised not to follow it. For instance, people with diabetes type 1, low blood pressure, or those under blood-thinning medications are not supposed to fast for 48 hours. This means that the 48-hour fasting is not a one-for-all approach to weight loss.
Conclusion
Intermittent fasting involves abstaining from food for 2 days, during which you survive on zero-calorie drinks like water and tea. It should be done once or twice a month, resulting in weight loss, increased cell repair, improved insulin sensitivity, and reduced inflammation. However, it is not meant for everyone and may result in sluggishness, exhaustion, hunger, and dizziness.
Ksenia Sobchak enjoys blogging on fashion, style, lifestyle, love and CBD areas. Prior to becoming a blogger, Ksenia worked for a renowned fashion brand. Ksenia is a contributing author to leading fashion, lifestyle and CBD magazines and blogs. You can bump into Ksenia at her favourite cafe in South Kensington where she has written most blogs. Ksenia is a staunch advocate of CBD and its benefits to people. Ksenia is also on the panel of CBD reviewers at CBD Life Mag and Chill Hempire. Her favourite form of CBD are CBD gummies and CBD tinctures. Ksenia is a regular contributor at leading fashion, lifestyle as well as CBD magazines and blogs.
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