Water fast -- the 'most dangerous' weight loss diet and the deadly health risks associated with it

Water fast- will you have just water and tea or coffee for a few months to lose weight?

A ridiculous and dangerous weight loss fad diet called water fast is taking over young adults and social media across the world. To lose weight, the new diet focuses on banning everything but water, tea and coffee. It also refrains you from eating any food. What s even scarier is that the proponents of #WaterFast are encouraging others on social media to adopt this seemingly easy way to lose weight. Supporters of water fast believe that this weight loss method is similar to cleanse diets that help the body get rid of toxins and relax the digestive function.

Nutritionists, however, are wary of this new diet trend and warn against following the water fast. Nutritionist Neha Ranglani says, The whole idea behind this water fast diet is cleansing the body and give it digestive rest. But you must understand that you can t do this at a stretch for days simply because your body can t live on water. Water has no proteins, vitamins or minerals. Drinking only water and not eating food will only cause muscle loss. Also, consumption of just tea or coffee is bad because they are both acidic. If you re having just tea and coffee, your body will need to work even harder to throw away caffeine and tannin out of your body. This defeats the whole purpose of giving your body a rest. Here are common fad diets for weight loss and their side effects.

Clinical nutritionist and diabetes educator Sneha Sadhwani adds, "When you go on such a drastic diet, you deprive your body of nutrients which will automatically make you feel sluggish and lazy. Also, when you stop following the diet and resume regular meals, you will tend to overeat because you will have more food cravings. As a result, you will gain all the weight that you may have lost and gain even more. This can also slow down your metabolism, lead to constipation and even hormonal issues because your body isn't getting what it wants."

Experts have likened water fasting to conditions like anorexia. Water fast has also created a buzz on Twitter, where dieters claimed that the water diet left their skin looking "amazing", while others claimed to have got the "best sleep of my life". Conversely, a dieter, who lost almost 25 kgs, said that he was forced quit because he was so tired he could barely get out of bed.

A Toronto based kidney specialist, Jason Fung, suggested that water fasts were appropriate for clients who are obese or have Type 2 diabetes - but only under the supervision of a doctor.

What you can do instead of the water fast diet to lose weight

Neha Ranglani suggests having foods that are easy to digest and don t put a load on your system, for eg, fruits, or fruits juices, vegetable juices or clear soups like moong or lentil soup. Steer clear of refined foods that put your digestive system under strain. You could also have coconut water or sugarcane juice along with fruits and vegetables. You could this kind of cleansing diet about once a week and for maximum two days at a stretch.

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With inputs from IANS