Who needs it?

Oddly enough, but associations with the expression «Fasting dayNot everyone agrees, in particular, they differ in men and women. If men perceive it as something either not related to nutrition at all, or as a concept that this very nutrition simply limits, excluding one thing. And if you consider how our men love to eat — hearty and varied — then a fasting day, in fact, will become for them a day of simple healthy eating, which should always be.

As for women, at one mention they immediately see an apple or a glass of fat-free kefir in front of their eyes. And for especially “advanced” people, this is an empty plate and drinking water. For them, it is more like a diet that helps to get slim and maintain the result of losing weight. For men — hmm …, rather, only on the prescription of a doctor or in the event of an ultimatum of the second half.

But in all this there is one «BUT»«. In fact, fasting days are needed by everyone, regardless of gender and age. Since now not everyone observes calendar fasts, which, by the way, were invented for a reason, our body does not rest from food dominance. And now, at the time of delicious recipes, we rarely stick to a healthy table food.

Unloading day makes it possible to arrange without much stress rest for the digestive tract and the whole system, remove the decay products and get rid of excess weight. Not critical, of course, but still. With regular observance, this accustoms the body to stability.

Unloading excess weight

Nutritionists believe that regular fasting days with a low calorie diet can really help. weight lossbut don’t expect a quick result. If you spend fasting days for 3-4 months, at least once a week, then the excess weight will gradually begin to go away until it returns to normal. But there is an important condition here — a moderate and balanced diet of normal nutrition and physical activity. Without these conditions, the weight will constantly fluctuate back and forth. The body gets a shake-up, and this leads to the fact that fats under the skin begin to burn quickly, and excess water leaves. In this way, you can get rid of 500-600 g of excess weight per day. Some, noticing this, are inspired and strive for greater results, stretching the unloading nutrition for several days. This is a disservice, which will turn into even more weight — the body will stock up in case of a “hunger strike”. So you should not take a fasting day as a panacea.

Pros and cons of unloading days

benefit unloading days can be described as follows:

• Fasting days not only help to lose weight, but also give a «rest» to the entire digestive system. This helps to better cleanse the intestines, remove toxins and improve skin condition. It also successfully regulates kidney function and reduces the risk of liver disease.

• You can spend fasting days even during breastfeeding — this does not affect milk production. In addition, there are fasting days, which are called «full» — they are suitable for nursing mothers.

• The opportunity to take a break from household chores, because you do not need to spend a lot of time cooking, buying groceries and washing dishes. This is a great way to take your day off.

But you can’t get away from them shortcomings:

• low mood due to thoughts about food

• decrease in working capacity

• sleep disorders

• headache, etc.

But most of these problems will not arise if you set yourself up in a positive way in advance and be glad that you are doing it for your own good.

Correct execution

A fasting day is, on the one hand, just a day of the week, and on the other hand, a difficult period for your body. And here it is important to do everything right in order to avoid possible problems and not harm. So, on the eve it is better to refuse dinner — you can just drink freshly squeezed juice or kefir. You should not combine fasting days with hard and difficult work — both physical and mental. Rather, you should do what you always wanted to do — to think less about food. And the next day, do not prepare yourself a hearty breakfast, as your body is not ready for such a load. During the fasting day, you need to drink a sufficient amount of liquid: green or herbal tea without sugar, mineral water without gas — this will help burn fat and maintain mineral balance, especially in the hot season. But in any case, it is always better to consult a doctor before embarking on such an activity.

«Hungry» and «Full» fasting days

This conditional division was introduced by nutritionists according to the individual characteristics of a person. For example, it is logical to assume that “hungry” days will be shown to people with excessive body weight, and “full” days will be suitable for nursing mothers and people with a lack of weight.

1.«hungry» days are not such in the truest sense of the word, because you can eat enough, but one thing: fruits or vegetables of the same type, fermented milk products. The most effective days are considered to be on apples and cucumbers (1.5 kg). Buckwheat, kefir gives good results.

2.»Full» unloading is much easier to carry, and can prepare the body for «hungry» options. To do this, you can take several types of products. For example, you can arrange a fasting day with stewed vegetables, mushrooms and seafood. Stewed vegetables can be eaten up to 800 g: cabbage, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet peppers, green beans. Together with vegetables, mushrooms can be stewed, and seafood (up to 500 g) can be boiled or baked. But this food should be without salt and limited to a combination of two types of foods.

In fact, there are many varieties of fasting days. There are even those who sit on the same water. This is an individual moment that can only be decided by trying it on your own experience, after consulting with a nutritionist.