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

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

What is the fasting day for?

It seems that what can happen after one day of fasting, but this is only at first glance. The benefits of fasting days have long been proven, tested and reviewed. And it consists of the following:

• After a short hunger strike, a sense of lightness appears due to bowel cleansing;
• Stress brings the body into tone;
• It helps to overcome the well-known "plateau effect" of pain. In other words, it is stagnation during the diet. The weight went down to a point, and then stopped, not wanting to budge. A hunger strike can serve as a mild stress for the body and a kind of catalyst for the fat burning process.
• And of course, one cannot fail to mention the "test of strength" and the development of will.

Types and characteristics of food unloading

Unloading days are conditionally divided into two types:

• "hungry"
• "full".

These two options are distinguished by the calorie content of the daily menu and the number of ingredients allowed to be used.

The essence and principles of the "hungry" day.

The easiest and tightest option is a day on the water. Unloading in 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. Since you can eat low-fat kefir, cucumbers, apples, cabbage or citrus fruits, in general, low-calorie foods, it is easy not to exceed the permissible bar. For example, the calorie content of 100 grams of ordinary cucumber is 15. 5 calories. With this restriction, you can eat 3. 2 kg of fresh green cucumbers every day.

Important!Regardless of the type of food taken, you need to drink 2 liters or more of water. Plain non-carbonated water will be added with green tea or herbal decoction.

"Full" unloading: types and rules

A more tame option. They allow 2-3 products that can be combined: meat, vegetables, eggs, legumes, fruits, dairy products. The calorie situation changes a little, you cannot exceed the 800 calorie limit. According to the type of product used, the "full" fasting day for weight loss is protein and carbohydrates.

• Protein loading is the best option if a stricter diet causes weakness, dizziness or is not suitable for health reasons. You can eat: lean meat; shellfish, crustaceans and fish; vegetable protein. If desired, the menu can be diversified with low-calorie vegetables. Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, greens are successfully combined with protein. According to the preparation method, it is better to give preference to cooking or steaming. During the day, there is no strong hunger.
• Carb loading - 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 a "full" fasting day menu, it is important to consider the compatibility of products.

Product group name		Meat, fish, chicken	Beans	Vegetable oil	grain	sour	semi sweet	Sweet and dry fruits	Vegetables	Dairy product	Eggs
							fruits
Meat, fish, chicken		/	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	-
Beans		-	/	+	0	-	-	-	+	-	-
Vegetable oil		-	+	/	+	+	0	0	+	-	-
grain		0	-	+	/	-	-	-	+	-	-
	sour	-	-	+	-	/	+	0	+	0	-
fruits	semi sweet	-	-	0	-	+	/	+	+	+	-
	Sweet and dry fruits	-	-	0	-	0	+	/	+	+	-
Vegetables		+	+	+	+	+	+	+	/	+	+
Dairy product		-	-	-	-	0	+	+	+	/	-
Eggs		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	/

Benefits and contraindications

Fasting days will help in the uneven struggle with excess weight. They will help get rid of heaviness after a busy holiday, contribute to the gentle cleansing of the intestines from toxins. Indicated for certain diseases. So, for example, in case of kidney disease, it is recommended to spend the day "watermelon", heart and blood vessels - "potato", and for problems with joints - "cucumber". Only without initiative, after consulting a doctor. Without fail, unloading should be done by those who constantly follow various fitness diets, are fond of protein foods, artificial proteins and other "heavy foods".

It is impossible to unload patients with diabetes mellitus, pregnant and lactating women. People who are exhausted by a long illness and suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (only "full" relief is shown after consultation with a gastroenterologist). It is undesirable to organize unloading during menstruation.

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

5 unloading rules

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

Rule 1: comply with the conditions

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

Rule 2: choose the optimal product

Usually, unloading is done on low-calorie foods, with a minimum content of fat and carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, kefir). For a carbohydrate diet, you can stop at one type of cereal with a low glycemic index (buckwheat, rice, oats). Lean meat and lean fish are allowed in protein loading. The most effective is a "liquid" fasting day, when the teeth are resting, but you can only drink.

Rule 3: the right day

Many do not pay attention to this time, but choosing a day is no less important. Nutritionists advise not to take your legal holiday, but choose Monday. This option is not suitable if the work involves physical labor. Unloading should be arranged weekly 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 exercise. Alcohol is excluded every day. And for those who have a poor tolerance to alcohol, in 2 or 3 days. In the list of recommended activities: a visit to a bath or sauna. The sauna procedure relaxes the body, helps to cope with stress, improves lung ventilation and promotes the removal of toxins. Also shown is a leisurely walk in the park.

Plenty of time to sleep. Ideally: at least 9 hours. Do not miss the opportunity to rest instead of lunch. Prolonged sleep will strengthen the body, and at the same time it will help transfer hunger more easily.

Rule 5: no contrast

It is very important to smoothly enter the fasting day, stay calm and also smoothly exit.

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, he finally got some of the high-calorie food, and assimilated it to the maximum. That's why after a long diet, lost weight quickly returns.

How to start a fasting day

Proper body preparation will help to get the maximum effect from unloading. In the evening 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 complete the unloading smoothly

Naturally, the next day you should not start with fries. It is better to drink 200 ml of water on an empty stomach and eat some boiled vegetables or a spoonful of rice, and then refrain from eating for 2-3 hours. Grains, vegetables and fruits will help the body transition to stable work. It is better to give up meat, beans, eggs or fish. Due to the production of cortisol (stress hormone), appetite increases, and food is maximally absorbed.

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. Based on the reviews of "users", as well as listening to the opinions of nutritionists, the most significant results can be obtained by adhering to the diet described below. You can stop at one type of loading or switch to a different one. So, we present to your attention the most effective fasting days for weight loss.

Unloading day on the water

The most difficult and most effective is called "liquid" unloading, if only it is carried out correctly. Many start "unloading" the day after the festival 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 snacks. Naturally, everything is fatty, fried, salty and smoked too. It is better to prepare water first. It can be non-carbonated mineral or plain purified, but not boiled.

Fasting days that are really effective for losing weight are as "strict" as possible. Eliminate food completely. It should be drunk every hour, so that at least 3 liters are obtained every day. Due to the fact that the stomach is always filled with liquid, there should not be a very bright feeling of hunger. The strictest version of unloading 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 the end. Of course, listen to well-being. If weakness, dizziness or other adverse symptoms appear, the experiment should be terminated.

You need to be careful when getting out of the water. In the morning after fasting, they drink a glass of water and eat steamed or boiled vegetables. During the next day you can only eat grains, vegetables and fruits.

Unloading day on cucumbers

Vegetables, which are 95% water, are adored by nutritionists, and cucumber fasting days for weight loss are so popular that they do not need advertising. Cucumber is a product with a negative calorie content (the body spends more on their digestion than it receives), and it is easier to get it (even for a short time) than water.

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

So during the day it is better to be close to the toilet. Active social life should be postponed, weakness may appear after dinner, especially in the legs. Some people poop. One-day cucumber unloading is indicated for uric acid diathesis, obesity, hypertension, gout, arthrosis and atherosclerosis.

To unload "green", you 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 cucumber salad with herbs, which is allowed to fill with a spoonful of vegetable oil. Salt, of course, is not allowed. Cucumbers release excess water, and it will interfere with this process, but you can add lemon juice to the salad. At lunchtime, the diet is allowed to be supplemented with boiled eggs. Too bad it won't save you from starvation.

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.

A mono diet on fat-free kefir will be the most effective. The unloading mode is very simple: every 2-3 hours you need to drink 1-2 glasses of kefir. By noon, the product was fed up with orders. For taste, you can crush dill or parsley into it, and for a change, do not drink, but eat with a spoon. If you want to eat between meals (you definitely will), you can drink a glass of water. And if the hunger is very strong, a spoonful of wheat bran, sugar-free vegetables or fruit will help kill it.

There are many options for unloading kefir. Kefir is often combined with vegetables, lean meat, or honey. "Full" unloading days for weight loss on kefir are suitable for people with weak willpower and those determined by certain health conditions.

Apple unloading day

Apple is a fruit that is slow to digest and low in calories. It contains 85% water, and the remaining 15% is a storehouse of valuable vitamins and minerals, it is not for nothing that it is called "rejuvenating". Apples are affordable and healthy, they increase immunity, contain antioxidants, regulate intestinal microflora and promote fat burning. An apple a day diet is also called a fasting day to lose weight in the stomach. 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, the use of baked apples is allowed.

Let's start by explaining the simplest version of unloading apples, which requires several kilograms of apples.

The procedure is as follows: 2 kg of green apples, without sugar divided into 5-6 doses or eaten one after another approximately every hour.

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

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

Unloading day on buckwheat

Probably, you can't say anymore that buckwheat is very 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 function and cleans the intestines. Like many other grains, buckwheat belongs to foods with a low glycemic index, and therefore dulls hunger for a long time.

It is better to prepare to unload buckwheat the day before. A cup of grain (about 250 g) is poured into a small pot, poured with boiling water (0. 5 liters), covered with a lid and left overnight. Naturally without salt, but you can add vegetables as a spice. In the morning, porridge is divided into 4-5 servings. In this way, it is better to use green buckwheat, not roasted brown. In it, according to experts, all nutrients are preserved. If hunger is getting worse, it is allowed to eat a snack with green apples, but it is better to drink water.

Rice unloading day

One of the most effective is the rice fasting day. It is good because it has almost no contraindications. The main problem is the possibility of constipation. Therefore, it is better not to unload rice for those who suffer from hemorrhoids or irregular stools. After eating, it is advised to drink tea with a laxative effect, and start the next day with kefir and fresh vegetables. In the intestines, grains act as sorbents, they absorb water and toxins, which are then removed from the body.

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

Comparative study of popular fasting days

The table shows an exemplary menu for each day of fasting described above (optional ("full").

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 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 + boiled egg or 100 gr rice porridge	2 baked apples + fresh cucumber salad with a spoonful of rast. oil	1-2 cups of kefir + 50 g of lean meat	100 g buckwheat + 50 g meat	200 g 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 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 cottage cheese	1-2 cups kefir	100 g of steamed buckwheat	200 g of rice + 1 glass of kefir

Coffee on fasting days

Coffee lovers may be interested in the question: is it possible to drink coffee today, or even organize a "coffee unloading" at all. According to nutritionists, 1-2 cups of the drink will only be beneficial. In this case, the coffee cup should not be the same as the soup bowl. The recommended amount is 90-120 ml. Naturally, coffee should be natural without sugar or cream, but you can add sweetener or skim milk.

Coffee lovers do not want to limit themselves in some way and come 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 must be limited. Many reviews write that after one day they lost up to 3 kg. The only pity is that this "weight loss" is deceiving. Coffee is a diuretic. During the day, instead of the prescribed 2 liters, about a liter is drunk, and more is removed from the body. Just the weight of water 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 kidneys.

The following conclusion from this is simple: it is undesirable and even dangerous to organize a coffee fasting day, but it will be useful to supplement the unloading with 1-2 cups of real coffee. The main thing is to drink plenty of fluids.

Helpful Hints

The tips are compiled from many reviews, but are equally suitable for any type of loading.

• Hunger strike days will be easier if you spend them on your favorite foods (but not on cookies and sweets).
• During fasting days, it is recommended to supplement the diet with a decoction of medicinal herbs. You can use ready-made herbal tea for weight loss. As a rule, they have a complex effect, they have laxative, fat burning, cleansing, appetite reducing, diuretic and choleretic effects.
• There is no need to try to do everything at once and combine diet with physical activity in one day. But breathing exercises will do the trick.
• 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.

Unloading days for weight loss bring different results. In the reviews, they often write that they lose up to 2 kg of body weight per day. Those who are interested in this figure should understand that it is not 2 kg of body fat that is lost! Excess fluid with toxins and "food debris", half-digested food that accumulates on the intestinal wall, leaves. It is not impossible to lose weight even by 1 kg per day. At the strictest water release, you can get rid of a maximum of 100-200 grams of fat.