Do fasting days help you lose weight and how does it work?

Fasting days an effective way to lose weight

Fasting days will not help you lose 10-15 kg per month before summer. They are more suitable for those who need to keep fit without any particular effort or to get back "in line" after the winter. Unloading days for weight loss don't bring impressive results as we would like, but if you do them regularly and then don't skip on food, the effect will definitely be welcome.

What are fasting days for?

It would seem what can happen after a day of fasting, but this is only at first glance. The benefits of fasting days have long been tried, tested and double checked. And it consists of the following:

  • After a short hunger strike a feeling of lightness appears due to intestinal cleansing;
  • Stress brings the body in tone;
  • Helps overcome the "plateau effect" known to many for pain. In other words, it is stagnation during the diet. The weight drops at some point, and then stops, not wanting to move. A hunger strike can act as a mild stress on the body and a kind of catalyst for fat burning processes.
  • And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the "test of strength" and the development of willpower.

Types and characteristics of food unloading

Unloading days are conditionally divided into two types:

  • "Hungry"
  • "satiated".

These two options are distinguished by the calorie content of the daily menu and the number of ingredients allowed for use.

The essence and principles of the "hungry" days.

The simplest and most rigorous option is a day on the water. Discharges in which easily digestible proteins, fats and carbohydrates are also called "detergents". In other cases, in addition to liquid, a product is included in the diet. The maximum daily calorie content is 500 calories. Considering that you can eat lean kefir, cucumbers, apples, cabbage or citrus, in general low-calorie foods, it will be easy to not exceed the allowable bar. For example, the calorie content of 100 grams of a regular cucumber is 15. 5 calories. With these restrictions, you can eat 3. 2 kg of fresh green cucumbers per day.

Important!Regardless of the type of food consumed, it is necessary to drink 2 or more liters of water. Ordinary non-carbonated water will be supplemented with green tea or a decoction of herbs.

"Complete" download: types and rules

A more benign option. They allow 2-3 products to be combined: meat, vegetables, eggs, legumes, fruit, dairy products. The caloric condition changes slightly, you cannot exceed the 800 calorie limit. Depending on the type of products used, the "full" fasting days for weight loss are proteins and carbohydrates.

  • Unloading protein is the best option if more restrictive diets cause weakness, dizziness, or are unsuitable for health reasons. You can eat: lean meat; crustaceans, crustaceans and fish; vegetable proteins. If desired, the menu can be diversified with low-calorie vegetables. Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, vegetables are successfully combined with proteins. According to the method of preparation, it is better to give preference to cooking or steaming. During the day, there is no strong feeling of hunger.
  • Carbohydrate Drain: Sounds tempting, but it has nothing to do with sweets. In this case they are foods rich in slow carbohydrates. Usually it is buckwheat, rice, dried fruit.

When compiling the menu for a "full" fast day, it is important to consider product compatibility.

Product group name Meat, fish, poultry Legumes Vegetable oil cereals Acid semi sweet Sweet and dried fruit Vegetables Dairy products Egg
Fruit
Meat, fish, poultry / - - - - - - + - -
Legumes - / + 0 - - - + - -
Vegetable oil - + / + + 0 0 + - -
cereals 0 - + / - - - + - -
Acid - - + - / + 0 + 0 -
Fruit semi sweet - - 0 - + / + + + -
Sweet and dried fruit - - 0 - 0 + / + + -
Vegetables + + + + + + + / + +
Dairy products - - - - 0 + + + / -
Egg - - - - - - - + - /

Benefits and contraindications

The days of fasting will help in the unequal struggle with excess weight. They will help get rid of heaviness after busy holidays, contributing to the gentle cleansing of the intestines of toxins. Indicated for some diseases. So, for example, in case of kidney disease, it is recommended to spend days "watermelon", heart and blood vessels - "potato", and for joint problems - "cucumber". Only without initiative, after consulting a doctor. Without fail, the discharge should be carried out by those who constantly follow various fitness diets, love protein foods, artificial proteins and other "heavy foods".

It is impossible to download patients with diabetes mellitus, pregnant and lactating women. People exhausted from a long illness and suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (only "complete" discharges are shown after consulting a gastroenterologist). It is undesirable to organize discharge during menstruation.

Advise!You should not get carried away by the "hungry" discharge, they are performed no more than once a week, while the "full" can be done 2-3 times.

5 unloading rules

In order for the days of fasting to bring the expected result, it is necessary to follow five simple rules.

Rule 1: respect the conditions

Most fasting days are based on the principle of a mono diet, that is, you can eat a product, but you need to do it as often as possible. Of course, in small portions. In addition, the selected product should like it, this will help relieve the already stressful situation for the body. The total energy value of the products must not exceed 800 cal.

Rule 2: choose the optimal product

Usually the discharge is carried out on low-calorie foods, with a minimum content of fats and carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, kefir). For a carbohydrate-based diet, you can stop at a low-glycemic type of cereal (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal). Lean meat and lean fish are allowed in the protein discharge. The most effective are the days of "liquid" fasting, when the teeth are at rest, but you can only drink.

Rule 3: the right day

Many do not attach importance to this moment, but the choice of a day is no less important. Nutritionists advise not to take legal leave days, but to choose Mondays. This option is not suitable if the job involves physical labor. Unloading is best organized weekly on the same day.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner of a day of fasting

Rule 4: rest

On the day of discharge, not only the digestive tract should rest, but the whole organism as a whole. It is important to exclude any physical activity, especially training. Alcohol is excluded per day. And for those with poor alcohol tolerance, in 2 or even 3 days. In the list of recommended activities: a visit to the bath or sauna. Sauna procedures calm the body, help cope with stress, improve lung ventilation and promote the elimination of toxins. Pleasant walks in the park are also shown.

Plenty of time to sleep. Ideally: at least 9 hours. Don't miss the chance to relax instead of lunch. Prolonged sleep will strengthen the body and at the same time help to transfer the feeling of hunger more easily.

Rule 5: no contrast

It is very important to enter the fast day smoothly, to survive it calmly and also to get out of it smoothly.

Smooth entry and exit - why is it important?

Any diet, even for a day, is a great stress for the body. At some point, without explaining why, they suddenly stopped feeding him. When will it end or will it completely end? Just as suddenly, he finally gets a portion of high-calorie food and assimilates it to the fullest. That is why after long diets, the lost weight quickly returns.

How to start a fasting day

Proper preparation of the body will help to get the maximum effect from the discharge. On the eve of lunch, they refuse heavy food. Dinner is replaced with a light salad, fruit, kefir. Before going to bed, it is recommended to do a cleansing enema. You can drink herbal tea, which has a laxative effect, but without fanaticism.

How to complete the unloading without problems

Of course, you shouldn't start with fried potatoes the next morning. It is best to drink 200 ml of water on an empty stomach and eat stewed vegetables or a spoonful of rice, then refrain from eating for 2-3 hours. Cereals, vegetables and fruits will help the body move to stable work. It is better to give up meat, legumes, eggs or fish. Due to the production of cortisol (stress hormone), appetite increases and food is absorbed to the maximum.

The most efficient way to download

The effectiveness of a particular diet is a relative concept. Each organism is individual, reacts differently to stress, perceives and assimilates the products. Therefore, the best option for you can only be chosen empirically. Judging by the reviews of "users", in addition to listening to the opinion of nutritionists, the most noticeable results can be obtained by adhering to the diets described below. You can stop at one type of drain or alternate between different ones. So, we present to your attention the most effective fasting days for weight loss.

Unloading day in the water

The most difficult and effective are called "liquid" discharge, if only they are done correctly. Many begin to "unload" the day after the party or immediately after the holidays, but nutritionists advise at least one day before the "X" day to exclude lactic acid, meat, flour and switch to light foods. Of course, everything is fatty, fried, salty and even smoked. It is best to prepare the water in advance. It can be ordinary non-carbonated or purified mineral, but not boiled.

The really effective fasting days for weight loss are as "rigorous" as possible. Eliminate food completely. It is necessary to drink every hour, so that you get at least 3 liters per day. Due to the fact that the stomach is constantly filled with liquid, there should not be a very bright feeling of hunger. The stricter version of the discharge says that on this day you can not drink tea, coffee or juice, only water.

Advise!It is very difficult, but you need to keep a positive attitude and stick to the end. Of course, listening to well-being. If weakness, dizziness or other negative symptoms appear, the experiment must be stopped.

You have to be very careful when you get out of the water. In the morning, after fasting, they drink a glass of water and eat steamed or stewed vegetables. All through the next day you can only eat grains, vegetables and fruits.

The girl observes a strict discharge into the water

Unloading day on cucumbers

The vegetable, which contains 95% water, is adored by nutritionists, and the cucumber fast day for weight loss is so popular that it needs no advertising. Cucumbers are a negative calorie product (the body spends more on their digestion than it receives) and it is much easier to get enough (albeit for a short time) than water.

Those who have not yet gone through the cucumber diet face to face should know that this vegetable is a strong diuretic.

So during the day it is best to stay close to the bathroom. An active social life will have to be postponed, weakness may appear after dinner, especially in the legs. Some have increased stools. One-day cucumber discharge is indicated for uric acid diathesis, obesity, hypertension, gout, osteoarthritis, and atherosclerosis.

For the "green" drain, you will need 1. 5-2 kg of fresh cucumbers. This amount is divided into 5-6 doses. Drink without restrictions. For a change, you can make a cucumber salad with herbs, which can be filled with a spoonful of vegetable oil. Salt, of course, is not allowed. Cucumbers remove excess water and will interfere with this process, but you can add lemon juice to the salad. At lunchtime, the diet can be supplemented with a boiled egg. It's just a shame it won't save you from hunger.

Cucumbers - a low-calorie vegetable for unloading

Kefir unloading day

Kefir can compete with cucumbers in popularity. Much has been written about the beneficial properties of the product, the most important thing is that it is available all year round, helps normalize pressure, is effective for the prevention of atherosclerosis and, of course, normalizes the digestive tract.

Mono diet on fat-free kefir will be the most effective. The mode of discharge is extremely simple: every 2-3 hours you need to drink 1-2 glasses of kefir. In the middle of the day, the product is getting tired of the order. For taste, you can crumble dill or parsley, and for a change, do not drink, but eat with a spoon. If you want to eat between meals (you absolutely want it), you can drink a glass of water. And if the feeling of hunger is very strong, a tablespoon of wheat bran, an unsweetened vegetable or fruit will help kill it.

There are many options for unloading kefir. Kefir is often combined with vegetables, lean meats, or honey. The "full" unloading days for weight loss on kefir are perfect for people with low willpower and for those who are dictated by certain health conditions.

One of the most popular is the unloading on kefir

Apple unloading day

An apple is a slow-digesting, low-calorie fruit. It contains 85% water and the remaining 15% is a precious storehouse of vitamins and minerals, not for nothing it is called "rejuvenating". Apples are cheap and healthy, boost immunity, contain antioxidants, regulate intestinal microflora and promote fat burning. A one day apple diet is also called a fast day to lose weight in the abdomen. But every coin has two sides. Apples can swell, and a strict apple diet is absolutely contraindicated in diseases of the digestive system (gastritis, ulcers, hyperacidity, biliary dyskinesia). In these cases, the use of cooked apples is allowed.

Let's start by describing the simplest version of apple unloading, which will require a couple of kilograms of apples.

The procedure is as follows: 2 kg of unsweetened green apples are divided into 5-6 doses or eaten one at a time approximately every hour.

You can eat fresh or baked fruit, as well as combine. It is best to use sour apples, but they can increase appetite.

If it is difficult to resist apples alone, you can try malolactic discharge. It is allowed to eat 1. 5 kg of apples and 500 g of fat-free cottage cheese per day or drink 1. 5 liters of kefir.

Great shape thanks to a day of fasting on apples

Unloading day on buckwheat

You probably shouldn't repeat that buckwheat is incredibly healthy, it contains trace elements, vitamins and amino acids. In this case, it is more important that the cereal is rich in dietary fiber, which improves digestion, helps restore normal functioning and cleanses the intestines. Like many other cereals, buckwheat belongs to the low glycemic index foods, and therefore dulls the feeling of hunger for a long time.

It is best to prepare for buckwheat unloading the day before. A cup of cereal (about 250 g) is poured into a small saucepan, poured with boiling water (0. 5 liters), covered with a lid and left overnight. Naturally without salt, but you can add vegetables as spices. In the morning, the porridge is divided into 4-5 portions. By the way, it is better to use green buckwheat, not roasted brown. In it, according to experts, all nutrients are preserved. If the feeling of hunger has worsened, it is permissible to snack on a green apple, but it is better to drink water.

Healthy buckwheat, ideal for a day of fasting

Unloading day on rice

One of the most effective is the rice fast day. It is good because it has practically no contraindications. The main problem is the likelihood of constipation. Therefore, it is best not to dump on rice for hemorrhoid sufferers or irregular stools. After eating, it is recommended to drink tea with a laxative effect and start the next morning with kefir and fresh vegetables. In the intestine, the grains function as sorbents, absorb water and toxins, which are then removed from the body.

To make the right rice porridge, take 350-400 grams of low-calorie brown rice and 0. 5 liters of water. Previously, the cereal must be soaked in water for several hours. The grains are boiled until half cooked. All porridge (up to 1 kg) is distributed in portions. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, you can water, green tea, herbal decoctions.

The unloading day on rice has no contraindications

Comparative review of popular fasting days

The table shows an exemplary menu for each of the fasting days described above ("full" option).

Type of unloading day cucumber Apple Kefir Buckwheat Rice
8-00 Breakfast 2 cucumbers + 50 gr. boiled meat 2-3 apples + a glass of kefir 1-2 cups of kefir 100 g of steamed buckwheat + cucumber or tomato 200 g of rice + a cup of green tea
11-00 Snack 2 cucumbers + green tea or juice 2-3 apples + 100 g of any porridge 200 g of any vegetables 100 g of steamed buckwheat 200 g of rice + 50 g of fish or meat
14-00 Dinner 2 cucumbers + hard-boiled egg or 100g of rice porridge 2 baked apples + fresh cucumber salad with a spoonful of rast. oils 1-2 cups of kefir + 50 g of lean meat 100 g of buckwheat + 50 g of meat 200 g of rice + 1 fresh carrot
17-00 Snack Cucumber and apple smoothie with lemon juice 2-3 apples + 1 banana 1 glass of kefir + banana 100 g of buckwheat + apple or ½ grapefruit 200 g of rice + glass of juice
20-00 Dinner 2 cucumbers + a glass of kefir 2-3 apples + 100 g of cottage cheese 1-2 cups of kefir 100 g of steamed buckwheat 200 g of rice + 1 glass of kefir

Coffee on fasting days

Coffee lovers are probably interested in the question: is it possible to drink coffee these days or even arrange "coffee unloading". According to nutritionists, only 1-2 cups of the drink will benefit. In this case, the cup of coffee should not be the same as the tureen. The recommended volume is 90-120ml. Of course, the coffee must be natural without sugar or cream, but you can add a sweetener or skim milk.

Coffee lovers did not want to limit themselves in some way and came up with their own version of the diet. The fasting day menu for weight loss is extremely simple: 5-6 cups of coffee at regular intervals. You can also eat fresh fruits and vegetables. The amount of other liquid must be limited. Many reviews write that after one of these days they lost up to 3 kg. The only pity is that this "weight loss" is deceptive. Coffee is a diuretic. During the day, instead of the prescribed 2 liters, about a liter is drunk and much more is excreted from the body. Only the weight of the lost water is basically what the scale shows. But the big problem is that an already stressful situation for the body is exacerbated by a heavy load on the heart and kidneys.

You can complement a fasting day with a cup of natural coffee.

The conclusion that follows is simple: it is undesirable and even dangerous to organize coffee fasting days, but it will be useful to supplement the drain with 1-2 cups of natural coffee. The key is to drink plenty of fluids.

Helpful tips

Suggestions compiled by numerous reviews, but equally suitable for any type of exhaust.

  • Your hunger strike days will be much easier if you spend it on your favorite foods (but not on cookies and sweets).
  • During fasting days it is recommended to supplement the diet with decoctions of medicinal herbs. You can use ready-made herbal teas for weight loss. As a rule, they have a complex effect, have a laxative, fat-burning, cleansing effect, reduce appetite, diuretic and choleretic.
  • There is no need to try to do everything at once and combine diet with physical activity in one day. But breathing exercises will be the way to go.
  • If it is difficult to maintain five meals a day, the daily portion can be divided into several meals.
  • Avoid sugar, salt and spices altogether.

Unloading days for weight loss bring different results. In reviews, they often write that they lose up to 2 kg of weight per day. Anyone who is attracted to this figure should understand that 2 kg of body fat is not lost! Excess liquid with toxins and "food debris", semi-digested food that accumulates on the walls of the intestine, leaves. It is impossible to lose weight even by 1 kg per day. With the most rigorous water drain, you can get rid of a maximum of 100-200 grams of fat.