Britney Spears Shows Off Her Body On Day 1 Of Controversial Water Fast

Pop star Britney Spears is dancing around in her living room, although that in itself was nothing new.

Fans were surprised, however, to see that the 41-year-old pop star posted to her Instagram Stories, which is something that she does not usually do. There, she posted a clip admitting that she was on day one of her water fast, which usually involves drinking water and eating nothing for an extended period of time.

On Friday night, the “Mind Your Business” singer took to Instagram to share a few videos of her dancing in different outfits. One outfit was a black crop top with a green checkered schoolgirl skirt while another was a glittering pink top with black bottoms, a few screenshots of which were saved to a Britney fan’s Twitter account.

Almost all of the videos and photos posted on Friday night were deleted by Saturday morning, except for two videos that featured her dancing to Madonna’s hit song “I’m Addicted” in a red top that looked like the decoration on a Christmas ornament and camo-print bottoms that showed off the two tattoo on her hips. She is wearing the same brown heels in both videos instead of her usual pointed white boots.

Although she didn't write anything in the caption of either video, the "Hold Me Closer" singer let her fans know that she was doing an extended water fast in her Instagram Stories. "Day [one] of fasting !!! Just water !!!" she wrote over the photo, which shows her drinking a glass of water while standing in her living room in the same outfit that she was wearing in her two new dancing videos.

According to Medical News Today, a water fast is when a person only drinks water and does not eat any food. There are a variety of reasons as to why people water fast. Some do it for religious and spiritual reasons, and Britney has frequently voiced in the past what a big fan she is of her meditation practice and has gone on “watermelon juice fasts” in the past.

Some also do it to try to lose weight quickly, which might mean that the pop star is trying to slim down on the verge of a career comeback. Water fasts can last for any amount of time, but according to Medical News Today, it is recommended that 24 hours to 3 days is the maximum amount of time for a person to go without food.

Late last month, TMZ reported that the pop star had hired two new staff members for her home in Los Angeles. One of those doctors has a background in medicine, and although they are primarily responsible for making sure that they take her medication, their key job is stated to “make sure she stays healthy.” In other words, it is likely that Britney has the sign-off of a medical professional she hired for this water fast.

Medical News Today notes that water fasting can also be beneficial for a variety of health conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. As per the publication, the body will start burning fat for fuel when it does not have access to carbohydrates, which is known as a state of ketosis. The keto diet has become extremely popular in recent years and people often fast in order to get into ketosis quickly.

Of course, there are some people who should not fast. Given Britney’s medical history, it could be potentially dangerous for her to fast if she is on a specific medication. Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have heart problems, are underweight, have an eating disorder, have type 1 diabetes, have uncontrolled migraines, or are undoing a blood transfusion should not fast unless under medical supervision.

Some celebrities, like actress Gwyneth Paltrow, have come under fire for promoting intermittent fasting, which means eating during a certain window of time. Other individuals follow a 5:2 diet, which means eating a regular diet for 5 days in a week and then slashing their calories on the other two days.

Although some studies have found that fasting is beneficial for reducing the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, it is important to check with a doctor or medical professional before starting any new diet or exercise program.