I remember that I did fasting for over three months before, where I didn’t eat for 16 hours straight. It wasn’t effective for me because I experienced bowel problems three times. The worst experience was when I had back-to-back fevers for three straight days, plus bowel problems. You know that feeling when you feel better after taking paracetamol, then the fever comes back again. I felt like I was in hell for three days, no fluff.
After I returned to eating normally, I was glad it didn’t last longer. I still diet, but more on calorie deficit. I get your point that some people do fasting because of their financial situation. When I was younger, I remember hearing on the radio about a sender saying he just slept to bypass hunger. He wasn’t doing it for dieting, but because he was poor.