The misinformation here about fasting surprises me. Unnatural? Your body does it every night - that's why the first meal is called...breakfast. Muscle wasting? If overdone, maybe, but not in the first ~18 hours. And it's such a helpful tool for what physically ails western civilization: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, perhaps certain cancers. The body is "designed" to store fats *and* to burn those stored fats. Why would it store those fats if it didn't plan on burning them later?!? So figure out how to coax your body into burning stored fats, and get it done. Fasting is one tool. Healthy food choices, low carb, calorie counting, exercise, and carb cycling can also help.