Expert debunks common myths about fasting as mindblowing simulation shows what happens to your body

Someone who has written a book on fasting has spoken about some of the common myths people get in their heads about it.

It's a popular food fad as folks reckon if they go without scran for a period of time it'll help them lose weight, and there are various ways people have tried it.

At its core, fasting involves going without food for long enough that your body switches from trying to burn stores of sugar or carbs and instead moves onto burning through your reserves of fat.

There are a number of other claimed health benefits, though the science behind just how effective fasting really is has been disputed given the lack of studies on humans.

Meanwhile, a simulation has claimed to depict the changes your body goes through while fasting.

Chiropractor Dr Mindy Pelz said some people were messing up their fasting attempts by falling into common myths (YouTube/Diary of a CEO)

With all of those claims out there people might get the wrong idea about what fasting can do for them or how it's supposed to work.

Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Dr Mindy Pelz (her doctorate is chiropractic, in case you were wondering) talked about some of the common myths and misconceptions people have around fasting which means it doesn't work for them like it's supposed to.

She said: "People drinking a diet drink that has chemicals in it, or a synthetic sweetener that actually stimulates hunger, some of the diet drinks that are out there.

"If we go with the mistake people just think 'I can drink whatever I want then' that's just not eating. I've had questions of 'can I do fruit juice'.

"It's not 'not eating', you're trying to get your blood sugar down so you switch into this ketogenic energy system. So I would say the fasting window, people can trip over themselves a little bit."

The chiropractor claimed that there was one other major mistake people made with fasting, and another of the common misconceptions they had about how it worked.

"The other mistake that people make is people think they don't have to clean up their food, that's your prerogative but if you clean up your food system that makes fasting a lot easier," she claimed.

Those were the two big ones she had, but added that people shouldn't think there was a 'one size fits all' approach and told viewers they 'get to decide where your eating window goes'.

As with any big change in your diet you should check with a licensed medical professional before trying it.

Some people might have success with fasting whereas it may prove ineffective and frustrating for others, and if you want to burn off excess fat your conversation with a doctor should probably start there rather than focusing solely on fasting.