Do fasting days help with weight loss and how does it work?

Fasting days will not help you lose 10-15 kg per month before summer. They are more suitable for those who need to keep in shape without making special efforts or to get back "in line" after winter. Unloading days for weight loss do not bring such impressive results as we would like, but if you do them regularly and do not skip on food, the effect will certainly please.

What are fasting days for?

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

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

Types and features of food unloading

Unloading days are conditionally divided into two types:

• "hunger"
• "satisfied".

These two options differ in the calorie content of the daily menu and the number of ingredients allowed to be used.

The essence and principles of "hungry" days

The simplest and most rigorous option is a day on the water. Unloading from which proteins, fats and easily digestible carbohydrates are excluded is also called "cleansing". 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 low-fat kefir, cucumbers, apples, cabbage or citrus fruits, in general low-calorie foods, it will be easy not to exceed the allowed bar. For example, the calorie content of 100 grams of an ordinary 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 eaten, you should drink 2 liters or more of water. Regular non-carbonated water will be supplemented with green tea or a decoction of herbs.

"Full" unloading: types and rules

A more benign option. They allow 2-3 products that can be combined: meat, vegetables, eggs, legumes, fruits, dairy products. The calorie requirement changes slightly, you cannot exceed the 800 calorie limit. Depending on the type of products used, the "complete" fast days for weight loss are protein 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; shellfish, crustaceans and fish; vegetable proteins. If desired, the menu can be diversified with low-calorie vegetables. Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, greens are successfully combined with protein. Depending on the method of preparation, it is better to favor cooking or steaming. During the day there is no strong feeling of hunger.
• Carbohydrate dump - sounds tempting, but has nothing to do with sweets. In this case, we are talking about foods rich in slow carbohydrates. Usually it is buckwheat, rice, dried fruits.

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

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

Advantages and contraindications

Fasting days will help in the uneven fight against excess weight. They will help get rid of heaviness after a busy vacation, contributing to the gentle cleansing of the intestines from toxins. Indicated for certain diseases. So, for example, in case of kidney diseases, it is recommended to spend days "watermelon", the heart and blood vessels - "potato", and for joint problems - "cucumber". Only without initiative, after consulting a doctor. Without fail, unloading 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 discharge patients with diabetes mellitus, pregnant and lactating women. People exhausted by a long illness and suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (only "full" discharges are indicated after consultation with a gastroenterologist). It is undesirable to arrange unloading during menstruation.

Tips!You should not get carried away with the "hungry" unloading, they are carried out no more than once a week, while the "full" can be carried out 2-3 times.

5 unloading rules

In order for fasting days to bring the desired result, five simple rules must be followed.

Rule 1: respect the conditions

Most fasting days are built on the principle of a mono-diet, that is, you can eat one product, but you need to do it as often as possible. Naturally, in small portions. In addition, the selected product should be appreciated, it will help alleviate the already stressful situation for the body. The total energy value of the products should not exceed 800 cal.

Rule 2: choose the optimal product

Usually, unloading is carried out on low-calorie foods, with a minimum content of fats and carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, kefir). For a carbohydrate diet, you can stop at a type of cereal with a low glycemic index (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal). Low-fat meat and lean fish are allowed in protein unloading. The most effective are "liquid" fasting days, 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 choosing a day is no less important. Nutritionists advise not to take your legal holidays, but to choose Mondays. This option is not suitable if the job involves physical labor. Unloading is better organized each week on the same day.

Rule 4: rest

On the day of unloading, 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 to cope with stress, improve lung ventilation and promote the elimination of toxins. Also shown are quiet walks in the park.

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

Rule 5: no contrasts

It is very important to enter the day of fasting smoothly, to survive it calmly and to come out of it smoothly.

Smooth entry and exit: why is it important?

Any diet, even one day, is a significant stress for the body. At one point, without explaining the reason, they suddenly stopped feeding him. When will it end, or will it end at all? Just as suddenly, he finally gets a serving of high-calorie food, and assimilates it to the max. That is why after long diets, the lost weight comes back quickly.

How to start a day of fasting

Proper preparation of the body will help to achieve the maximum effect from unloading. The day before 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 finish unloading smoothly

Naturally, the next morning you should not start with fried potatoes. It is best to drink 200ml of water on an empty stomach and eat a few cooked vegetables or a spoonful of rice, then refrain from eating for 2-3 hours. Cereals, vegetables and fruits will help the body switch 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 unload

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

Unloading day on the water

The so-called "liquid" unloadings are the most difficult and the most effective, provided they are carried out correctly. Many begin to "discharge" the day after the holiday or immediately after the holiday, but nutritionists recommend at least a day before the "X" day to exclude lactic acid, meat, flour and flour dishes. switch to light foods. Naturally, everything is fatty, fried, salty and smoked too. It is better to prepare the water in advance. It can be a non-carbonate mineral or an ordinary purifier, but not boiled.

Truly effective fasting days for weight loss are as "strict" as possible. Eliminate food completely. It is necessary to drink every hour, so that at least 3 liters are obtained per day. Due to the fact that the stomach is constantly filled with fluid, there should not be a very strong feeling of hunger. The strictest version of unloading says that on this day you cannot drink tea, coffee or juice, only water.

Tips!It's very difficult, but you have to keep a positive attitude and stick to the end. Of course, listening to well-being. If weakness, dizziness or other bad symptoms appear, the experiment should be discontinued.

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

Unloading day on cucumbers

The vegetable, which is 95% water, is adored by nutritionists, and the cucumber fasting day for weight loss is so popular that it doesn't need publicity. Cucumbers are a negative calorie product (the body spends more on their digestion than it receives), and it is much easier to get enough of them (albeit for a short time) than water.

Those who have not yet encountered the cucumber diet face to face should know that this vegetable is a powerful diuretic.

Thus, during the day, it is better to be near the toilet. An active social life will have to be postponed, weakness may appear after dinner, especially in the legs. Some have more saddles. One-day cucumber unloading is indicated for uric acid diathesis, obesity, hypertension, gout, arthrosis and atherosclerosis.

For "green" unloading you will need 1. 5-2 kg of fresh cucumbers. This amount is divided into 5-6 doses. Drink without restriction. For a change, you can prepare a salad of cucumbers with herbs, which are left to fill with a spoonful of vegetable oil. Salt, of course, is not allowed. Cucumbers drain excess water and it 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 that it doesn't save you from hunger.

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 in the prevention of atherosclerosis and, of course, normalizes the digestive tract.

Fat-free kefir mono-diet will be the most effective. The mode of unloading 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 fed up with the order. For taste, you can crumble dill or parsley in it, and for a change, do not drink, but eat with a spoon. If you want to eat between meals (you really want to), 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. "Full" unloading days for weight loss on kefir are perfect for low-willed people and those dictated by certain health conditions.

Apple Unload Day

An apple is a slow-digesting, low-calorie fruit. It is 85% water, and the remaining 15% is a valuable reservoir of vitamins and minerals, it's not called "rejuvenating" for nothing. Apples are affordable and healthy, they increase immunity, contain antioxidants, regulate intestinal microflora and promote fat burning. A one day apple diet is also called a fasting day for losing 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 tract (gastritis, ulcers, hyperacidity, biliary dyskinesia). In these cases, the use of baked apples is allowed.

Let's start by describing the simplest version of unloading apples, which will require a few 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 better to use sour apples, but they can increase appetite.

If it's hard to hold on to apples alone, you can try malolactic evacuation. 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.

Unloading day on buckwheat

Probably, you should not repeat that buckwheat is incredibly healthy, 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 is one of the foods with a low glycemic index, and therefore durably reduces the feeling of hunger.

It is better to prepare the unloading of buckwheat 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 green vegetables as spices. In the morning, the porridge is divided into 4-5 portions. By the way, it is better to use green buckwheat, and not roasted brown. According to experts, all nutrients are preserved in it. If the feeling of hunger has worsened, it is allowed to have a snack with a green apple, but it is better to drink water.

Rice unloading day

One of the most effective is the day of rice fasting. It is good because it has practically no contraindications. The main problem is the likelihood of constipation. Therefore, it is better not to unload on rice for those who suffer from hemorrhoids or irregular stools. After eating, it is advisable to drink teas with a laxative effect, and start the next morning with kefir and fresh vegetables. In the intestines, the grains work as a sorbent, they absorb water and toxins, which are then eliminated from the body.

To prepare the right rice porridge, take 350-400 grams of low-calorie brown rice and 0. 5 liters of water. Beforehand, cereals must be soaked in water for several hours. The grains are boiled until they are 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.

Comparative review of popular fasting days

The table shows a sample 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	100g steamed buckwheat + cucumber or tomato	200 g of rice + a cup of green tea
11-00	To taste	2 cucumbers + green tea or juice	2-3 apples + 100 g of any porridge	200 g of any vegetables	100g steamed buckwheat	200g rice + 50g fish or meat
14-00	Having dinner	2 cucumbers + boiled egg or 100 gr 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	100g buckwheat + 50g meat	200g rice + 1 fresh carrot
17-00	To taste	Cucumber and apple smoothie with lemon juice	2-3 apples + 1 banana	1 glass of kefir + banana	100 g buckwheat + apple or ½ grapefruit	200g rice + glass of juice
20-00	Having dinner	2 cucumbers + a glass of kefir	2-3 apples + 100g cottage cheese	1-2 cups of kefir	100g 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 to organize "coffee dumps" at all. According to nutritionists, 1-2 cups of drink will only benefit. In this case, the coffee cup does not have to be equal to the soup bowl. The recommended volume is 90-120 ml. Of course, the coffee should be natural without sugar or cream, but you can add sweetener or skimmed milk.

Coffee lovers did not want to limit themselves one way or another 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 should be limited. Many reviews write that after such a day they lost up to 3 kg. The only pity is that this "weight loss" is misleading. 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 lost water weight is essentially what the scale indicates. But the big problem is that an already stressful situation for the body is exacerbated by a heavy load on the heart and kidneys.

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

Useful tips

Advice compiled from numerous reviews, but equally suitable for any type of unloading.

• Hunger strike days will be much easier if you spend them on your favorite foods (but not 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, they have a laxative, fat-burning, cleansing, appetite suppressant, diuretic and choleretic effect.
• No need to try to do everything at once and to combine diet and physical activity in one day. But breathing exercises will be just the way.
• If it is difficult to maintain five meals a day, the daily portion can be split into several meals.
• Completely avoid sugar, salt and spices.

Unloading days for weight loss bring different results. In reviews they often write that they lose up to 2 kg of weight per day. Those who are attracted by this figure must understand that it is not 2 kg of body fat that is lost! Excess fluid containing 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. At the strictest water discharge, you can get rid of a maximum of 100-200 grams of fat.