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Can fasting tighten loose skin?

Fasting benefits skin appearance by keeping it firm yet flexible, reducing loose skin while losing weight. Loose skin is usually the result of decreased skin elasticity due to a decline in collagen and elastin production.

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Bat wings, stomach aprons, thigh rubbers. Call that loose hanging skin on your arms, belly, bottom, neck, and thighs by any name . . . it doesn’t matter. All of it is unwanted and can steal your self-confidence when you should be celebrating on your weight-loss journey.

Some women opt for surgical removal of the extra skin, but if that isn’t the right option for you, perhaps fasting is.

Why does loose skin appear after weight loss?

There is a genetic component to loose skin after weight loss, but genes aren’t the only culprit. Not everyone who loses weight will experience hanging skin. But for those who do, it is usually due to decreased collagen and elastin production.

Collagen and elastin are proteins found in connective tissue. They work together to give the skin firmness and elasticity. Collagen provides structure and helps keep skin firm and supple. Elastin is responsible for bringing the skin back to its original shape after being stretched. Both are required for healthy, elastic skin.

Other reasons for saggy skin or wrinkles are:

Diet lacking in whole foods

Not getting enough vitamins and minerals

Losing weight too quickly

The autophagy, fasting, loose skin connection

There is so much information about the fat-burning benefits of fasting that many ask: can fasting tighten skin too?

Fasting refers to when you refrain from putting nutrients into the body for a length of time. When in a fasted state, the body switches from using sugars from the foods you eat for energy to burning your stored fat for fuel. If you remain in a fasted state long enough, you will trigger the body’s natural cell recycling process of autophagy.

Fasting and autophagy don’t directly rid the body of loose skin, but they help trigger processes that can prevent the skin from loosening in the first place.

Autophagy

Autophagy is how the body gets rid of the faulty parts of the cell that cause issues such as disease, inflammation, and aging. The process repairs the damaged cell and heals itself.

Autophagy and loose skin

There have been several studies on how autophagy prevents loose skin. The research shows that the cells of our connective tissues make collagen. The collagen fibers keep the skin firm. As we age, the cells have more difficulty performing, and in some cases, are unable to produce collagen due to a buildup of waste clogging up the cell. This leads to both wrinkles and loose skin (1).

Extra weight on the body over stretches the skin and weakens the collagen and elastin fibers. The skin “bounces back” less easily after significant weight loss. The heavier a person is and the longer the weight has been carried, the looser the skin (2).

Autophagy is the perfect remedy for cleaning up the cellular waste that is causing the lack of collagen and elastin production that results in loose skin. The increased collagen and elastin due to autophagy naturally firms up the skin and keeps it elastic (3)

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Is peanut butter good after a fast?

Foods rich in protein and fiber will fill you up, which is especially important on fasting days when you won't be eating as much. Some examples of protein and fiber rich foods include: chicken and lean meat, broccoli, milk, black beans, almonds, peanut butter, bananas and pasta.

There are plenty of trendy diet plans out there that promise to help people lose weight and stay healthy. From juice cleanses to raw food diets, there can be a lot of misinformation about the reality of living a healthy lifestyle. Contrary to popular belief, intermittent fasting does not mean starving yourself in an attempt to lose weight. Instead, it focuses on restricting your daily calorie intake so your body will adjust to eating smaller, healthier meals. In addition to maintaining a healthy weight, intermittent fasting may also decrease your risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to a study published in Cell Metabolism. There are different versions of intermittent fasting that you can choose from. For example, you may consider eating all of your meals only during certain hours of the day. Another popular approach is known as the 5:2 plan, which calls for two days of fasting (with a goal of 500-600 calories per day) and five days of following your regular diet. The transition to an intermittent fasting diet can be challenging at first, but success is possible! Here are some tips to ease the transition between a non-fasting and intermittent fasting diet:

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