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 a month before summer. They are more suitable for those who need to keep fit without making any special efforts or to get back "on line" after winter. Download days for weight loss do not bring as impressive results as we would like, but if you do them regularly and then do not rush into food, the effect will surely please you.

What are fast 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 been tried, tested and verified for a long time. And it consists of the following:

  • After a short hunger strike, a feeling of lightness appears due to intestinal cleansing;
  • Stress puts the body in tone;
  • Helps overcome the "plateau effect" known to many for pain. In other words, it's plateauing during the diet. The weight drops to a certain point and then stops, not wanting to move. A hunger strike can serve as a mild stress for 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 features of food discharge

Discharge days are conditionally divided into two types:

  • "hungry"
  • "Fed up".

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

The essence and principles of "hungry" days.

The simplest and most rigorous option is a day on the water. Unloading at which easily digestible proteins, fats and carbohydrates are excluded, is also called "purification". In other cases, in addition to liquid, a product is included in the diet. The maximum daily caloric content is 500 calories. Considering that you can eat low-fat kefir, cucumbers, apples, cabbage or citrus - in general, low-calorie foods, it will be easy not to exceed the permissible bar. For example, the caloric 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 still water will be supplemented with green tea or a decoction of herbs.

"Full" download: types and rules.

A more benign option. They allow 2-3 combinable products: meat, vegetables, eggs, legumes, fruits, dairy products. The calorie condition changes slightly, you can't exceed the 800 calorie limit. Depending on the type of products used, "full" fasting days for weight loss are protein and carbohydrates.

  • Protein Flushing is the best option if more restrictive diets cause weakness, dizziness, or are not suitable 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 and greens are successfully combined with protein. Depending on the method of preparation, it is better to give preference to cooking or steaming. During the day, there is no strong feeling of hunger.
  • Carb flush: Sounds tempting, but it has nothing to do with sweets. In this case, we are talking about foods rich in slow carbohydrates. Usually it is buckwheat, rice, dried fruit.

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

Product group name Meat, fish, poultry legumes Vegetable oil cereals Sour semi sweet nuts and sweets Vegetables Dairy products Eggs
Fruit
Meat, fish, poultry / - - - - - - + - -
legumes - / + 0 - - - + - -
Vegetable oil - + / + + 0 0 + - -
cereals 0 - + / - - - + - -
Sour - - + - / + 0 + 0 -
Fruit semi sweet - - 0 - + / + + + -
nuts and sweets - - 0 - 0 + / + + -
Vegetables + + + + + + + / + +
Dairy products - - - - 0 + + + / -
Eggs - - - - - - - + - /

Benefits 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 "watermelon" days, heart and blood vessels - "potato", and for problems with joints - "cucumber". Only without initiative, after consulting a doctor. Without fail, unloading should be carried out by those who constantly follow various fitness diets, are fond of 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 ("full" discharges are shown only after consultation with a gastroenterologist). It is undesirable to arrange discharge during menstruation.

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

5 download rules

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

Rule 1: comply with the conditions

Most fasting days are based on the principle of a monodiet, that is, you can eat one product, but you need to do it as often as possible. Naturally, in small portions. Also, you need to like the selected product, 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 unloading is carried out with low-calorie foods, with a minimum content of fat 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 the protein dump. 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 days off, but to choose Monday. This option is not suitable if the job involves physical labor. Downloading is best arranged weekly on the same day.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner on a fast day

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 low tolerance for alcohol, in 2 or even 3 days. On the list of recommended activities: a visit to the bath or sauna. Sauna procedures calm the body, help to cope with stress, improve pulmonary ventilation and promote the elimination of toxins. Calm walks in the park are also shown.

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

Rule 5: no contrasts

It is very important to go smoothly into the fast day, survive it calmly, and also go smoothly out.

Smooth entry and exit: why is it important?

Any diet, even one day, is a strong stress for the body. At one point, without explaining why, they suddenly stopped feeding him. When will it end, or will it end at all? Just as suddenly, you finally get a portion of high-calorie food and assimilate it to the maximum. That is why, after long diets, the lost weight quickly returns.

How to start a fast 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 download smoothly

Naturally, the next morning you shouldn't start with chips. It is better to drink 200 ml of water on an empty stomach and eat a few stewed vegetables or a tablespoon of rice, and then refrain from eating for 2-3 hours. Cereals, vegetables and fruits will help the body to 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 maximally absorbed.

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 products. Therefore, the best option for you can only be chosen empirically. Judging by the "user" reviews, as well as listening to the opinion of nutritionists, the most remarkable results can be obtained by following the diets described below. You can stop at one type of download or cycle through different ones. So, we present to your attention the most effective fasting days for weight loss.

Dump day on the water

The most difficult and effective ones are called "liquid" shocks, if done correctly. Many begin to "unload" the day after the party or immediately after the holiday, but nutritionists recommend at least a day before "X" day to exclude lactic acid, meat, flour dishes and switch to light foods . Naturally everything is fatty, fried, salted and smoked too. It is better to prepare the water in advance. It can be ordinary still or purified mineral, but not boiled.

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

Advice!It is very difficult, but you have to keep a positive attitude and stick to it until the end. Of course, listening to well-being. If weakness, dizziness or other bad symptoms appear, the experiment should be terminated.

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 some steamed or stewed vegetables. The whole next day you can eat only cereals, vegetables and fruits.

The girl watches strict discharge into the water.

Cucumber Unloading Day

The vegetable, which is 95% water, is loved by nutritionists, and the cucumber fast day for weight loss is so popular that it doesn't need advertising. Cucumbers are a product with a negative caloric content (the body spends more on its digestion than it receives), and it is much easier to ingest them (even for a short time) than water.

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

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

For "green" discharge, 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 prepare a salad of cucumbers with herbs, which is left to fill with a tablespoon 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, it is allowed to supplement the diet with a boiled egg. It is a pity that it does not save you from hunger.

Cucumbers a low calorie vegetable to download

Kefir dump day

Kefir can rival 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 preventing atherosclerosis and, of course, normalizes the digestive tract.

The fat-free kefir monodiet will be the most effective. The discharge mode 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 fed up with 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 definitely do), you can drink a glass of water. And if the sensation of hunger is very strong, a spoonful of wheat bran, a vegetable or fruit without sugar will help to end it.

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

One of the most popular is discharge on kefir.

apple download day

An apple is a low-calorie, slow-digesting fruit. It contains 85% water, and the remaining 15% is a valuable storehouse of vitamins and minerals, it is not called "rejuvenating" for nothing. Apples are affordable and healthy, they increase immunity, contain antioxidants, regulate the intestinal microflora and promote fat burning. A one-day apple diet is also called a fasting day to lose weight in the abdomen. But every medal 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 apple dump, 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 fruits, as well as combine them. It is better to use tart apples, but they can increase the appetite.

If it's hard to get by on apples alone, you can try the malolactic flush. 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.

Excellent form thanks to a day of fasting with apples.

Buckwheat Unloading Day

Probably, I should not say again 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 foods with a low glycemic index and therefore relieves hunger pangs for a long time.

It is better 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 salt-free, 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 the nutrients are preserved. If the feeling of hunger has aggravated, a snack with a green apple is allowed, but it is better to drink water.

Healthy buckwheat, ideal for a fast day

Rice unloading day

One of the most effective is the daily rice fast. It is good because it has practically no contraindications. The main problem is the probability of constipation. Therefore, it is better not to dump on rice for those who suffer from hemorrhoids or irregular stools. After eating, it is advisable to drink infusions with a laxative effect, and start the next morning with kefir and fresh vegetables. In the intestines, grains work as a sorbent, absorbing 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. Previously, the cereal must be soaked in water for several hours. The grains are boiled until half cooked. All porridges (up to 1 kg) are distributed in portions. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, you can water, green tea, herbal decoctions.

The day of unloading on rice has no contraindications.

Popular Fasting Days Comparative Review

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

Unloading day type 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 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 vegetable 100g steamed buckwheat 200 g rice + 50 g fish or meat
14-00 Dinner 2 cucumbers + boiled egg or 100 gr of rice porridge 2 baked apples + fresh cucumber salad with a tablespoon 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 100g 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 cottage cheese 1-2 cups of kefir 100g steamed buckwheat 200 g of rice + 1 glass of kefir

Coffee on fast days

Coffee lovers are probably interested in the question: is it possible to drink coffee these days, or even organize "coffee downloads"? 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 bowl of soup. The recommended volume is 90-120 ml. Naturally, the coffee must be natural without sugar or cream, but a sweetener or skimmed milk can be added.

Coffee lovers did not want to limit themselves in any way and created 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 one such 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. Just the weight of the water lost is basically what the scale shows. But the big problem is that an already stressful situation for the body is aggravated by a huge load on the heart and kidneys.

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

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

Helpful tips

Tips compiled from numerous reviews, but equally suitable for any type of download.

  • Hunger strike days will be much easier if you spend them on your favorite foods (but not cookies and candy).
  • During fasting days, it is recommended to supplement the diet with decoctions of medicinal herbs. You can use herbal teas prepared for weight loss. As a rule, they have a complex effect, they have a laxative, fat-burning, cleansing, appetite-reducing, diuretic and choleretic effect.
  • It is not necessary to try to do everything at once and combine diet with physical activity in the same day. But the breathing exercises will be just the way.
  • If it is difficult to maintain five meals a day, the daily portion can be divided into more meals.
  • Avoid sugar, salt and spices completely.

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 should understand that it is not 2 kg of body fat that is lost. Excess fluid with toxins and "food debris" - semi-digested food that accumulates on the walls of the intestine - goes away. It is impossible to lose weight even by 1 kg per day. With the strictest water discharge, you can get rid of a maximum of 100-200 grams of fat.