For mind and body: does fasting help you lose weight?

Fasting is a religious tradition. It requires the renunciation of certain foods and drinks. This practice promotes both spiritual and physical cleansing. And today people often start fasting in the hope of losing weight. But not everyone manages to achieve the expected result.

How the process affects the body and why this happens, tell the speakers of the International Festival of Health and Sports SN PRO EXPO FORUM: a doctor of the highest category in the field of laboratory diagnostics, lieutenant colonel of medical service Vladimir Nekrasov and the head of AGreen Altai Agroecological Company Alisa Baltsevich.

How does fasting affect the human body?

For many years, studies have been conducted to assess the impact of fasting on a person and his health in general. Most of the experiments showed positive results. And this is not surprising, since the fasting person is forced to limit himself in his usual diet and refuse most of the “harmful” products present in his diet on a regular basis.

Correction of nutrition, even temporary, positively affects the body. Medics note the following changes that occur with a person during the fasting diet:

• Normalization of the cardiovascular system;
• improving the function of the lumbar spine;
• reduction of acidification processes (acidosis).

Also gastroenterologists insist on fasting in order to prevent and prevent the recurrence of diseases of the digestive tract. This is relevant in food allergies, gout, liver pathologies.

In addition, fasting contributes to strengthening the immune system and improving overall health. Restriction in food and drinks helps to mobilize the body’s forces, resulting in a reduced risk of autoimmune, vascular and endocrine diseases.

Why not everyone loses weight during fasting?

Not everyone manages to get rid of extra pounds during fasting. All to blame for the wrong choice of diet. It is this point that nutritionists emphasize. The menu of a fasting person often includes a large number of grain products and flour products. In fact, they are quite caloric, so their frequent use leads to weight gain, not weight loss.

During fasting, it is required to observe the so-called “dry” and “water” days. The latter are referred to as “hungry” days, as they involve severe dietary restriction. Just in these periods and there is an intensive weight loss.

In what cases, weight goes away on a lean diet?

Achieve a reduction in fat deposits manages to those who are not looking for a caloric substitute for products of animal origin. In addition, the refusal of alcoholic beverages (which is also provided by fasting), has a positive effect on weight loss, because alcohol itself is very caloric.

If you adhere to a soft version of fasting or observe it partially, you should not count on weight loss. Of course, the weight will gradually go away, but in a very small percentage.

What products should be completely abandoned in the fasting to lose weight?

If you aim to lose weight during the Lenten diet, it is worth completely exclude the following products:

• alcoholic beverages of any strength;
• meat and sausage products;
• chocolate;
• flour products;
• fatty products;
• candy, cookies and other sweets;
• dairy products.

It is necessary to emphasize plant foods, namely vegetables and fruits, leafy greens. To compensate for protein deficiency, include legumes and proper (whole-grain) cereals in the diet, and seaweed is suitable for the prevention of iron deficiency.

It is worth preparing in advance a list of interesting recipes from the products allowed during Lent to diversify the Lenten menu. This is one of the easiest ways not to break down because of the monotony of the diet, which is not so rare. And do not forget, fasting is first of all spiritual self-improvement. And weight loss is just a pleasant bonus.