Here are some reasons I dry fast:
I have tried water fasting, low carb, carnivore, the vegan diet and so much more.Dry fasting and the carnivore diet are just amazingly effective. Literally the best things I have discovered.
Faster results, easier to get into ketosis, and like your example stated, more weight loss. Most of us find dry fasting easier than water fasting (for a time). So we don’t see it the same way as you do. Another metaphor would be training for and running a marathon vs running a mile everyday. Running a mile everyday is certainly great for your cardiovascular system, but some people push it to the extreme.
What you share is your perspective and opinion, that doesn’t mean everyone else thinks the same. There’s a lot of reasons someone would take the more challenging route of dry fasting than say intermittent or water. Some people enjoy a challenge versus what is easy. Some people genuinely do not enjoy food the same that they do the feeling of clarity and emptiness as well as the healing dry fasting offers. And of course, some people want the quick way to lose weight and fat. Many reasons, and more.
Another thing to understand is that dry fasting is far more detoxing and healing for the body than intermittent fasting. It goes deep. That is a very powerful way to help the body heal. If you enjoy and have results with intermittent, maybe that’s for you. But many of the people on this subreddit are here because dry fasting is valuable and powerful and we have chosen to take that challenge for some personal reason.
You do you. No need to come to this forum bashing what people do here. I could not care less that you do not understand. It is not my mission to convince anyone of anything. Why do you feel you need to come here and challenge people?
It takes a great deal of self discipline to dry fast. It’s gets easier with practice like anything else. If it’s not for you fine, but no need to let everyone know. We think for ourselves and do what works for us. You are free to do the same.
Well now that I read all the comments and I am surprised to see that there are so many in response to my simple question I understand this must be a heated debate that I accidentally stepped into forgive me I will be now stepping out I will say on my way out you people seem to be awfully touchy especially towards somebody new who is simply asking questions you might consider taking some comfort in knowing that some of us are simply interested in learning and perhaps teaching and keeping an open mind
Well, the comment is a bit to vague. An experienced faster can do 24-48hr dryfast without little to no effort. It might be you don’t have the discipline or drive to do it. Results vary so much from person to person. If you are cool with losing 8lbs in a month that’s good for you. A dryfast can to that in 3 days. It’s a battle of wills.
A fair question, food is enjoyable and so is drinking. I predominantly do most of my fasting on a daily basis aka eat 1-2 times daily. Because I found when you cut that out you can almost feel lost, I like my routine and we have food ingrained into our psyche. There are some big HOWEVER’s though.
A lot of us are dry fasting not for weight loss but for the other health benefits. I for one don’t need to lose weight but nothing compares to healing my gut problems than a prolonged fast, dry fasting ups the ante even further.
Prolonged fasts are great for fat loss. Peoples (including mine) motivation waxes and wanes. Sometimes it is easier to go 5 days and see huge progress to enforce your will to continue to eat well and exercises etc. I’m sure seeing 5kg go in 5 days as oppose to half a pound is far more rewarding.
Acts as a reset, stops urges and isn’t actually all that hard. I like my routine but if I am gonna be really busy after the first day or two hunger goes. Then I’m left with more time and no hunger, if you have a lot of weight to shift who doesn’t want that.
Then there are the people who want the challenge for whatever reasons, religion, culture, self worth, why not etc etc.
I think fasting is fantastic, and everyone can adjust their own frequency and duration of fasting depending on their goals. However I think dry fasting purely for weight loss reasons shouldn’t be done. Dry fasting is intense and can be problematic if abused and should be used sparingly. That being said a lot of overweight people have a lot of health issues and start a fast doing a few days dry could be very beneficial.
Your premise is wrong.
There is no way that you loose 8 pounds during x amount of time doing IF and only loose 10 pounds in the same x amount of time doing a dry fast.
More likely than not, the weight lost will be closer to 20 pounds doing dry fast for the same x days.
Now moving on to why people want to dry fast.
I am sure there are many more, but these are what I remember off the top of my head.
You propose that food is enjoyable, fasting is painful, and also that fasting is only a tool to lose weight.
As someone who has been fasting (including DF) for about 2 years, I’d say that food is enjoyable, fasting is enjoyable, fasting is has many purposes beyond weight loss.
My most recent fast which was 3DF + 4WF (so not super long) was my 9th or 10th, and it has been so easy, that I couldn’t even believe it.
I look forward to my quarterly fasts. I also look forward to going out for sushi in about a week when I’m done with the transition to regular food.
If you haven’t fasted, you won’t understand, and that’s natural. Just like you might want to post on the r/ running and ask them why the heck they run when they can walk.