Doctor shares do's and don'ts of fasting

ATLANTA - Fasting is hot right now, and Dr. Taz Bhatia, the founder of Centre Spring MD in Atlanta, says there is a good reason for its popularity.

Fasting the right way

FOX Medical Team's Beth Galvin shares what techniques work when it comes to fasting.

She says her patients are seeing real results.

"They're seeing really tough weight loss now becoming accessible, they're seeing their stomachs get smaller, they feel better," Bhatia says.

Fasting gives your digestive system a rest, which Bhatia says can drop your insulin levels and help you lose belly fat.

Dr. Taz Bhatia, founder of Centre Spring MD in Atlanta, shares tips on how to fast safely (Dr. Taz Bhatia)

But, she has some "do's" and "don'ts."

First, she says, avoid longer fasts, which can raise your risk of problems like hunger and dehydration.

Extreme fasts, she warns, can send your body into "breakdown" mode.

Bhatia recommends avoiding any fast that lasts longer than a day.

"I think for women, in particular, they shouldn't be fasting for longer than 24 hours," she says.  "We create a lot of hormone havoc when we try to do that."

Another fasting don't: Bhatia says don't do water fasts, or drinking nothing but water for longer than 24 hours.

"You're wearing down the kidneys," Bhatia says.  "You're wearing down the liver. You're wearing down muscle mass, and that's not good for your health."

So, which fasts are a safer bet?

Dr. Bhatia has two "do's."

First, she recommends the fasting-mimicking diet, where you cycle between days you restrict calories, and days you eat normally.

Notice you're not going without food, you're just cutting back on your eating.

"On the fast days, you don't have more than 300 to 500 calories," she says. "On the eating days, you can go up to 2,000 but not much higher than that."

Bhatia's other "do" is intermittent fasting, which is gaining popularity.

That's where you eat during an 8- or 10- or 12-hour window, and then fast overnight.

It's a style of eating Dr. Bhatia practices.

She says the science, coupled with her own experience and that of her patients, seems to show intermittent fasting is the most effective style of fasting.

"So, intermittent fasting seems to be the best fast for weight loss, for resting digestive health, and for improving brain fog, or cognitive health," she says.

There is a catch to intermittent fasting, Dr. Bhatia says: the window for eating may be short.

"What the research says, and what I'm seeing in practice as well, is that fast is the most effective when you have a 16-hour fasting interval," Bhatia says.  "So, you're not eating for 16 hours, and you have about an 8-hour eating interval."

If you are new to fasting, start with short fasts and build your way up to longer ones.

Also, Bhatia says, check with your healthcare provider to make sure fasting is appropriate for you.

She does not recommend fasting for pregnant women, people with hormonal issues, or those with underlying health issues like diabetes.

When you decide to break your fast, Bhatia recommends eating a healthy meal, avoiding overdoing it.

Eat too much at the end of your fast, and you could end up feeling bloated and uncomfortable.