Do fasting days promote weight loss and how does it work?

Fasting days a month before summer will not help you lose 10-15 kg. They are more suitable for those who need to keep in shape without special efforts or get back "in order" after the winter. Days of relaxation for weight loss do not bring such impressive results as we would like, but if you do them regularly and then do not overdo it with food, the effect will be really pleasant.

What are fasting days for?

It seems 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 double-checked. And it consists of:

• After a short period of starvation, there is a feeling of lightness due to bowel cleansing;
• Stress brings the body into tone;
• It helps 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 and then stops, unwilling to budge. Starvation can be a function of light 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 characteristics of food unloading

Download days are conditionally divided into two types:

• "hungry"
• "Saturated".

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 "hungry" days

The easiest and toughest option is a day on the water. Deloading, during which proteins, fats and easily digestible carbohydrates are excluded, is also called "cleaning". In other cases, in addition to liquid, one product is included in the diet. The maximum daily calorie content is 500 calories. Given that you can eat low-fat kefir, cucumbers, apples, cabbage or citrus fruits, generally low-calorie foods, it will be easy not to exceed the permissible limit. For example, the caloric content of 100 grams of ordinary cucumber is 15. 5 calories. With this restriction, you can eat 3. 2 kg of fresh green cucumbers per day.

Important!Regardless of the type of food consumed, you should drink 2 or more liters of water. Green tea or herbal decoction will be added to the usual still water.

"Full" discharge: types and rules

A more benign option. They provide 2-3 products that can be combined: meat, vegetables, eggs, legumes, fruits, dairy products. The caloric situation changes a little, you cannot exceed the limit of 800 calories. Depending on the type of products used, "full" fasting days for weight loss are protein and carbohydrates.

• Protein unloading is the best option if a more restrictive diet causes weakness, dizziness or is 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, greens are successfully combined with proteins. Depending on the cooking method, it is better to give preference to stewing or steaming. There is no strong feeling of hunger during the day.
• Carbohydrate unloading - 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 drawing up a "full" fasting day menu, it is important to consider the compatibility of products.

Product group name		Meat, fish, poultry	legumes	Vegetable oil	grain	sour milk	half sweet	Sweet and dried fruits	vegetables	Milk products	eggs
							fruit
Meat, fish, poultry		/	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	-
legumes		-	/	+	0	-	-	-	+	-	-
Vegetable oil		-	+	/	+	+	0	0	+	-	-
grain		0	-	+	/	-	-	-	+	-	-
	sour milk	-	-	+	-	/	+	0	+	0	-
fruit	half sweet	-	-	0	-	+	/	+	+	+	-
	Sweet and dried fruits	-	-	0	-	0	+	/	+	+	-
vegetables		+	+	+	+	+	+	+	/	+	+
Milk products		-	-	-	-	0	+	+	+	/	-
eggs		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	/

Benefits and contraindications

Fasting days will help you fight against excess weight. They will help to get rid of heaviness after busy holidays, help to gently clean the intestines from toxins. It is indicated for certain diseases. So, for example, it is recommended to spend "watermelon" days in case of kidney disease, "potatoes" for heart and blood vessels, and "cucumber" in case of joint problems. Only without initiative, after consulting a doctor. Without fail, unloading should be carried out by those who constantly protect variousFitness diets love protein foods, artificial proteins, and other "heavy foods. "

It is impossible to relieve diabetes patients, pregnant and lactating women. People tired from long illness and suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (only "full" discharge is shown after consultation with a gastroenterologist). It is undesirable to arrange relaxation during menstruation.

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

5 rules of unloading

In order for fasting days to bring expected results, five simple rules should be followed.

Rule 1: Follow the terms

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

Rule 2: Choosing the optimal product

As a rule, 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 cereals with a low glycemic index (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal). Lean meat and lean fish are allowed during protein loading. The most effective are "liquid" fasting days, when the teeth are resting, but only drinking is allowed.

Rule 3: Correct day

Many do not attach importance to this moment, but it is no less important to choose the day. Nutritionists advise not to take legal days off, but to choose Monday. This option is not suitable if the work involves physical labor. Unloading is best done weekly on the same day.

Rule 4: Rest

On the day of relaxation, not only the digestive tract, but also the whole body should rest. It is important to avoid any physical activity, especially exercise. Alcohol is excluded during the day. And for those who have poor tolerance to alcohol, in 2 or even 3 days. In the list of recommended activities: a visit to the bathhouse or sauna. Sauna procedures relax the body, help to cope with stress, improve lung ventilation and help expel toxins. A leisurely walk in the park is also shown.

Plenty of time to sleep. Ideal: at least 9 hours. Don't miss the opportunity to relax instead of having lunch. Prolonged sleep strengthens the body and at the same time will help to overcome the feeling of hunger more easily.

Rule 5: No contrasts

It is very important to enter the fasting days smoothly, survive peacefully and also exit smoothly.

Seamless check-in and check-out: Why is it important?

Any diet, even one day, is a strong stress for the body. At one point, without explaining the reason, they suddenly stopped feeding him. When will it end, if at all? Just as suddenly, he finally gets a portion of high-calorie food and absorbs it as much as possible. Therefore, after a long diet, the lost weight is quickly returned.

How to start a fasting day

Proper body preparation will help you get the maximum effect from relaxation. They refuse heavy food the day before lunch. Dinner is replaced by light salad, fruit, kefir. Before going to bed, it is recommended to make a cleansing climate. You can drink herbal tea, which has a calming effect, but without fanaticism.

How to finish unloading smoothly

Naturally, you should not start the next morning with fried potatoes. It is better to drink 200 ml of water on an empty stomach and eat stewed vegetables or a spoonful of rice, and then refrain from eating for 2-3 hours. Cereals, vegetables and fruits will help the body to transition to stable work. It is better to refuse meat, legumes, eggs or fish. Due to the production of cortisol (stress hormone), appetite increases and food is absorbed as much as possible.

The most effective way to unwind

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

Relaxation day on the water

The most difficult and most effective are called "liquid" unloading, if only they are carried out correctly. Many people start "unloading" the day after the holiday or after the holidays, but nutritionists recommend at least one day before the "X" day to exclude lactic acid, meat, flour dishes and switch to light food. Naturally, everything is fatty, fried, salted and smoked. It is better to prepare the water in advance. It can be non-carbonated mineral or ordinary purified, but not boiled.

Really effective fasting days for weight loss are as "strict" as possible. Completely exclude food. It is necessary to drink every hour, so that you get at least 3 liters a day. Because the stomach is constantly filled with liquid, there should not be a very clear feeling of hunger. The strictest unloadingThe version says that on this day you can not drink tea, coffee or juices, only water.

Advice!It is very difficult, but you have to keep a positive attitude and follow through. Of course, listening to well-being. If weakness, dizziness or other bad symptoms appear, the experiment should 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. The whole next day you can eat only grains, vegetables and fruits.

Relaxation day on cucumber

The vegetable, which contains 95% water, is adored by nutritionists, and the cucumber fasting day for weight loss is so popular that it does not need advertising. Cucumber is a product with a negative calorie content (the body spends more on digesting them than it takes), and it is much easier to take (albeit for a short time) than water.

Those who have not yet come across a cucumber diet should know that this vegetable is a powerful diuretic.

Therefore, it is better to be near the toilet during the day. You will have to postpone an active social life, weakness may appear after dinner, especially in the legs. Some have increased stools. Cucumber one-day unloading is indicated for uric acid diathesis, obesity, hypertension, gout, arthrosis and atherosclerosis.

For "green" relaxation, you will need 1. 5-2 kg of fresh cucumbers. This amount is divided into 5-6 doses. Drinking without restrictions. For a change, you can prepare a cucumber salad with greens, which is allowed with one spoon of vegetable oil. Salt, of course, is not allowed. Cucumber removesToo much water and it will interfere with this process, but you can add lemon juice to the salad. During lunch, it is allowed to supplement the diet with a boiled egg. It's just a pity that it doesn't save you from hunger.

Kefir unloading day

Kefir can compete with cucumber in popularity. A lot has been written about the beneficial properties of the product, most importantly, it is available all year round, helps normalize blood pressure, is effective in the prevention of atherosclerosis and, of course, normalizes the digestive tract.

The most effective will be a low-fat kefir mono diet. The mode of unloading is extremely simple: every 2-3 hours you need to drink 1-2 cups of kefir. In the middle of the day, the product is fed to order. You can put dill or parsley in it for taste, and for a change, don't drink it, but eat it with a spoon. If you want to eat between meals (you definitely want to), you can drink a glass of water. And if the feeling of hunger is very strong, one tablespoon of wheat bran, sugar-free vegetables or fruits will help to kill it.

There are many options for unloading kefir. Kefir is often combined with vegetables, lean meat or honey. "Complete" days of rest for weight loss on kefir are perfect for people with weak willpower and those who are dictated by certain health conditions.

Apple unloading day

Apple is a slow-digesting, low-calorie fruit. It contains 85% water, and the remaining 15% is a valuable storehouse of vitamins and minerals, it is not called "rejuvenation" for nothing. Apple is an affordable and healthy product, it increases immunity, contains antioxidants, regulates the intestinal microflora and promotes fat burning. The one-day apple diet is also called a fasting day for abdominal weight loss. But every medal has two sides. Apples can cause swelling, and a strict apple diet is absolutely contraindicated in diseases of the digestive tract (gastritis, ulcers, hyperacidity, biliary dyskinesia). In this case, it is allowed to use baked apples.

Let's start with the description of the simplest version of unloading apples, which will require several kilograms of apples.

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

You can eat fruits both fresh and baked, as well as combined. It is better to use sour apples, but they can increase appetite.

If it is difficult to endure only apples, you can try malolactic unloading. It is permissible to eat 1. 5 kg of apples and 500 g of low-fat cottage cheese or drink 1. 5 liters of kefir per day.

A day of relaxation on buckwheat

It probably goes without saying 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 cleans the intestines. Like many other grains, buckwheat belongs to foods with a low glycemic index and, therefore, eliminates the feeling of hunger for a long time.

It is better to prepare for unloading buckwheat the day before. Pour a cup of grain (about 250 g) into a small pot, pour boiling water (0. 5 liters), cover and leave overnight. Naturally without salt, but you can add herbs as spices. In the morning, porridge is divided into 4-5 portions. By the way, it is better to use green chickpeas, not fried brown ones. According to experts, all nutrients are preserved in it. If the feeling of hunger worsens, it is allowed to eat a green apple, but it is better to drink water.

A day of relaxation on rice

One of the most effective rice fasting days. It's good because it has practically no contraindications. The main problem is the possibility of constipation. Therefore, it is better not to rely on rice for those who suffer from hemorrhoids or irregular stools. After a meal, it is advisable to drink tea with a laxative effect, and start the next morning with kefir and fresh vegetables. In the intestines, the granules act as a sorbent, they absorb water and toxins, which are then expelled from the body.

To prepare the correct rice porridge, take 350-400 grams of low-calorie brown rice and 0. 5 liters of water. Before that, the grain should be soaked in water for several hours. The grains are boiled until half cooked. All porridge (up to 1 kg) is divided into portions. Make sure you drink a lot of fluids, you can have water, green tea, herbal decoction.

A comparative overview of popular fasting days

The table shows a sample menu for each fasting day described above ("full" option).

Type of discharge 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	food	2 cucumbers + green tea or juice	2-3 apples + 100 g of any porridge	200 g of any vegetable	100 g of steamed buckwheat	200 g of rice + 50 g of fish or meat
14-00	Dinner	2 cucumbers + boiled egg or 100 g of rice porridge	2 baked apples + fresh cucumber salad with a spoonful of sauce. 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	food	Cucumber and apple smoothie with lemon juice	2-3 apples + 1 banana	1 cup of kefir + banana	100 g of buckwheat + apple or ½ grapefruit	200 g of rice + a 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 cup of kefir

Coffee on fasting days

Coffee lovers are probably interested in the question: is it possible to drink coffee these days, or to organize "coffee relaxation" in general. According to nutritionists, 1-2 cups of the drink will only bring benefits. In this case, a cup of coffee should not be equal to a bowl of soup. The recommended volume is 90-120 ml Naturally, coffee should be natural without sugar and cream, but you can add sweetener or skim milk.

Coffee lovers did not want to be limited in any way and came up with their own version of the diet. Fasting day menu for weight loss is very simple - 5-6 cups of coffee at regular intervals. You can also eat fresh fruits and vegetables. The amount of other liquids 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 a lie. Coffee is a diuretic. During the day, instead of the prescribed 2 liters, they drink about a liter and much more is excreted from the body. Only water weight lost is basically what the scale shows. But the big problem is that the already stressful situation for the body is aggravated by the heavy load on the heart and kidney.

The conclusion from this is simple: organizing coffee fasting days will be undesirable and even dangerous, but supplementing relaxation with 1-2 cups of natural coffee will be useful. The main thing is to drink a lot of fluids.

Useful hints

Tips compiled from many reviews, but equally well suited for any type of download.

• Hunger days will be much easier if you spend them on your favorite foods (but not on cookies and candy).
• During fasting days, it is recommended to supplement the diet with decoctions of medicinal herbs. You can use ready-made herbal tea for weight loss. As a rule, they have a complex effect, have an expectorant, fat burning, cleansing, appetite suppressant, diuretic and choleretic effect.
• It is not necessary to do everything at once and combine diet with physical activity in one day. But breathing exercises will be the only 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 altogether.

Fast days for weight loss have 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 fluid is left with toxins and "food waste", half-digested food that accumulates on the walls of the intestine. It is impossible to lose weight even by 1 kg per day. On the most severe water discharge, you can remove a maximum of 100-200 grams of fat.