When all known diets have already been tried, but the desired result has not been achieved, you can try on yourself a world-famous method that will help you lose weight and also cleanse the body. This method was proposed by American naturopath Paul Bragg. Fasting is, according to the author, the key to a healthy body and rapid weight loss. Paul Bragg promoted the use of his own technique for health purposes and successfully applied it to himself. His teachings spread throughout the world.
It has long been proven that a person can live without food for about one month, so do not worry - you are not in danger of dying from hunger. Quite a lot has already been written about water fasting (7 days). The reviews and results, it must be said, are impressive. In the same article, the information will be discussed in more detail for those who are ready to fast in order to achieve a slim figure.
What actually happens in a situation of food refusal with the human body? How to fast on water? How long does this diet last? How to get out of it? We will answer your questions.
Water fasting (7 days): reviews, results
Don’t think that a day or two of fasting will immediately relieve you of extra pounds. If you stop eating for a short period of time, you can only lose a little weight. In this case, it will not be fat that will go away, but excess fluid, which is always present in large quantities in the body of obese people.
Two or three days of fasting will not have the same effect as a longer period of fasting (at least a week). Judging by the reviews, the weight comes off faster in the first two days, then the body adapts to the new conditions, and the fat reserve is used more sparingly. The number of kilograms that you will be able to get rid of cannot be determined in advance. Each person is individual, and it all depends on how long you can maintain such a diet. According to the results of people who have tried this method on themselves, it is clear that about one kilogram is lost per day.
Benefits and harms
Any technique can produce both positive and negative results. The latter are usually not associated with the techniques themselves. They occur in people who have no experience of prolonged fasting.
The benefits of hunger are beyond doubt; it helps restore the body and gets rid of extra pounds. Some techniques are used to treat gastrointestinal diseases and others.
It’s not so hard to cause damage by fasting; it’s enough to not follow the schemes thoroughly, give up 1 of the main points or add something of your own. Therefore, when choosing a method for losing weight, carefully read it, read the book, study the pros and cons. Resort to one that does not make you want to change anything, otherwise you will be responsible for the consequences yourself.
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What can you drink besides water?
Nothing. You can only drink clean water, preferably spring water. The consumption of juices, herbal infusions, teas and other liquids is strictly prohibited, as they can interfere with the cleansing processes that occur in the body during fasting.
In hot weather, you can drink cool water, but in the cold season it is better to drink warm or slightly hot water. The thing is that a couple of days after the start of the hunger strike, the body begins to feel cold, and cold water only intensifies the chill.
One day of water fasting
A one-day fast on water practically does not pose any danger to the body. You can practice it at least every week. You just need to choose a specific day that is suitable for you and give your body a break from food.
This practice will relieve the digestive system and contribute to its healing. Is it possible to lose weight with this regimen? Depends on you. If, after a hungry day, you greedily pounce on food, without understanding what is on your plate, then you are unlikely to be able to lose weight. At the same time, observing moderation in diet the day after the fast will gradually lead you to the desired result.
Menu by day of the seven-day water diet
If you want to quickly get rid of 7-10 kg of excess weight in just weeks, then you should stick to the following sample menu. If desired, you can adjust it in accordance with your own wishes. But remember that if your health worsens, a starvation diet
it's worth stopping.
1st day
- breakfast – a boiled egg, a piece of black bread and 70 grams of hard cheese;
- second breakfast – pear and 3 plums;
- lunch - some boiled chicken with a light salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs;
- afternoon snack - peach;
- dinner – 130 grams of boiled veal with 250 grams of stewed vegetables without oil;
- second dinner - 100 grams of cottage cheese with fruit and 1 cup of low-fat yogurt.
2nd day
- breakfast – a cup of low-fat kefir with a slice of black bread;
- second breakfast – 2 nectarines;
- lunch – 150 grams of baked fish with 260 grams of vegetable salad, seasoned with lemon juice;
- afternoon snack – 2 apples;
- dinner – 90 grams of boiled chicken with 250 grams of vegetable salad and rye toast;
- second dinner – 2 soft-boiled eggs with vegetable salad.
3rd day
- breakfast – 100 grams of boiled chicken with rye toast;
- second breakfast – 4 plums;
- lunch – mushroom soup without potatoes with a slice of black bread;
- afternoon snack – 2 pears;
- dinner – 130 grams of baked fish with raw vegetables and rye toast;
- second dinner - 80 grams of cottage cheese with fruit and 1 cup of low-fat yogurt.
4-7 days
The menu is repeated. It can be varied, but taking into account the calorie content of the products.
The last meal should not be after 18:00.
Depending on how many days you want to adhere to the diet, with a seven-day diet, the first day can be made entirely drinking. This will allow you to unload and start eating in accordance with the menu above.
What happens to the human body during a hunger strike
The human body is a smart and perfect system. A week of fasting sets into motion many complex processes that are aimed at cleansing and healing all organ systems.
Already on the second day, when refusing food, the secretion of the gastrointestinal tract changes - gastric juice stops secreting, and the organ itself is filled with proteins and unsaturated fatty acids. They, in turn, activate the neurohormone cholecystokinin, which suppresses the feeling of hunger.
When refusing food, a person may experience headache, weakness, sleep disturbance, nausea and sometimes even vomiting. Fats are broken down, and a week later the so-called acidotic crisis occurs, and the body completely switches to internal nutrition.
After the acidotic crisis has passed, your health improves, your headache and dizziness go away, and you feel a surge of strength. Now daily weight loss is about 500 grams per day. This pace continues until the end of the hunger strike.
Does everyone need to use the fasting technique?
This question interests everyone who has never tried fasting. In fact, if a person feels a loss of strength, apathy and lethargy, sleeps poorly, then perhaps the level of his toxins has reached high levels, and it is therapeutic fasting that will help him become mobile, active and healthy again. People who have undergone a seven-day fast claim that in addition to weight loss, there is lightness throughout the body, a surge of strength and improved mood. The technique actually works, but proper preparation, execution and exit are very important points that should be taken into account.
Normalization of metabolic processes
Nutritionists recommend that all overweight people use the seven-day fasting method every three years. Getting rid of toxins will speed up the metabolism and, having begun to lose weight during the fasting process, a person will continue to improve his shape even after stopping abstinence from food.
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The result of refusing food for seven days will be:
- normalization of metabolic processes;
- improving the functioning of the heart muscle;
- cleansing blood vessels and blood;
- the quality of hair and nails improves;
- the skin becomes healthy, elastic and clear of inflammation and acne;
- activation of the immune system;
- reducing the frequency of colds;
- general health improves.
How to properly prepare for fasting
Fasting on water for 3 days or less does not require any special preparation. The main thing here is willpower, firmness of intention and determination. But longer-term refusal of food needs a serious approach. About a week before the hunger strike, give up heavy fatty foods: meat, hot spices and alcohol. It is best to follow a dairy-vegetable diet.
Before the first day of the hunger strike, you should carry out a bowel cleansing procedure.
Features of water fasting
Throughout the week of the hunger strike, you cannot eat anything else except drink water. You need to drink 2.5-3 liters of cold water per day, 250 ml every hour. The main and unpleasant consequence of fasting on water for 7 days is the appearance, after three days, of a not very pleasant smell from the mouth, due to the modification of cells and the body’s transition to reserve internal nutrition.
Practice a contrast shower every day before going to bed, constantly cleanse your mouth of unpleasant odors. It is advisable to avoid activity and additional physical exertion. The occurrence of undesirable symptoms, such as fever, cramps and abdominal pain, weakness, headaches and apathy, serves as an indicator of a lack of carbohydrates, so you need to add 5 grams of honey and 10 ml of lemon juice to the water - this drink will help further remove toxins and toxins.
At the end of the fast, do not overeat or take medications, as the stomach and intestines will decrease in size. By the end of the hunger strike, the body will begin to perceive the taste of food more clearly, since harmful foods will no longer be supplied. The appearance of appetite and the disappearance of bad breath serves as a signal for the end of the hunger strike.
Breaking out of fasting
A very important point of this diet is that you need to know how to break fast correctly. You should return to the normal regime gradually, for about the same number of days as the hunger strike itself lasted. That is, if you practiced water fasting for 7 days, reviews and results from other people claim that restoring your diet should last exactly a week. The gradual exit from fasting can be described as follows.
- On the first day after the end of the hunger strike, you can only eat natural juice. It is desirable that it be fruit and vegetable, diluted with water in a one to one ratio.
- On the second day, undiluted juice and vegetable and fruit purees in small quantities are allowed.
- On the third day, in addition to pureed fruits and vegetables, you can allow yourself to eat porridge cooked in water, with a small amount of bread, as well as some dried fruits.
- On the fourth day, in addition to all of the above, vegetarian soups using a small amount of vegetable oil are allowed to be consumed.
- On the fifth day, you can already afford some fermented milk products, for example, kefir or fermented baked milk.
- On the sixth day, you can add sour cream, a little cheese and salt to your diet.
- On the seventh day, it is permissible to eat low-fat cottage cheese and eggs.
After a week of recovery, you can gradually begin to eat chicken, fish and other foods.
As you can see, with a diet such as water fasting, the solution turns out to be no less difficult for a person than the process of fasting itself.
Main rules
Preparation
2-3 weeks before the start of water fasting, begin to accustom your body to less food, slightly reduce its volume. It is advisable to replace food with water once a week if possible. This will speed up your metabolism.
Don't increase the volume suddenly
There is no need to immediately rush to drink more than you need. This only stretches the stomach, which increases the feeling of hunger. Also, too much water flushes calcium, sodium, and potassium from the body. Stick to your individual fluid intake norm. This is quite enough for the result.
Add vitamins
Since liquid can wash away beneficial substances from the body, take a course of multivitamins.
Don't forget about restrictions
On this diet you can eat everything, since you won't eat much anyway. But for real cleansing of the body, it is worth limiting the consumption of flour, fatty foods, sweets, and alcohol. The daily amount of calories should be no more than 1200 kcal.
It is useful to play sports and it is very important to get enough sleep - sleep reduces stress, and with any, even minor restrictions, you are very susceptible to it.
Add flavor
The basis of the diet is clean water. You can drink mineral water, most importantly - non-carbonated. If you follow this diet system for a long time, you will quickly get tired of the bland taste, and there is nothing wrong with that. You can add berry juice, lemon, orange, honey to the water.
Avoid health problems
The water diet is quite extreme. You may feel tired and lack energy. If you suddenly feel really bad, feel dizzy, nauseous, then allow yourself to eat something - a fruit, a vegetable, an egg. There is no need to exhaust yourself with hunger.
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Rules of conduct during fasting
If you are completely healthy, you will tolerate fasting quite well. But there are a number of conditions that must be met.
In addition to observing the drinking regime, it is also necessary to do cleansing enemas every day. This procedure helps remove waste products from the rectum. If you refuse to do an enema, toxins will be absorbed into the blood, and this can cause self-poisoning of the body. An equally important point during fasting is taking a shower every day.
When refusing food, it is better to lead an active lifestyle, spend time outside more often, but under no circumstances lie on the sofa in a confined space. And, as already written above, do not forget that during a fast on the water, a person will feel cold, so you should dress a little warmer than usual. Well, as with any other diet, you should avoid stressful situations if you practice water fasting.
Contraindications
Important! Independent fasting at home is recommended to be practiced only by absolutely healthy people, regardless of the reasons for which it was decided to resort to this method: to improve well-being or to lose weight.
Therapeutic fasting is completely contraindicated for people with diseases such as active tuberculosis, severe pathologies of the heart, blood, malignant tumors, type I diabetes mellitus, bronchiectasis, thyrotoxicosis, thrombophlebitis, underweight, in the post-infarction period, during pregnancy and during breastfeeding.
Also, relative contraindications are for people suffering from type II diabetes mellitus, gout, cholelithiasis, hypotension, peptic ulcer disease, chronic venous insufficiency, and are also in childhood or old age.
How the body gets nutrients from food
To better understand how fasting heals and rejuvenates the body, let's understand the principles of intestinal function.
Bowel functions
This body performs a whole range of tasks:
- breakdown of food;
- absorption of nutrients;
- removal of digestive waste.
In addition, the microflora on the mucous membrane maintains the integrity of the epithelium and stimulates the intestinal immune defense, having a neutralizing effect on pathogenic microorganisms.
Intestinal sections
The intestine has two sections - thin and thick, each of which performs its own function:
- Thin section - begins immediately behind the stomach, is responsible for the digestion of food and absorption of nutrients in the form of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates through the intestinal wall. The organ also provides the synthesis of vitamins and hormones, including cholecystokinin (controls appetite, is responsible for the feeling of satiety and mood).
- The thick section goes around the thin section and is separated from it by a valve that prevents the food mass from being thrown back into the small intestine. Absorption of water, electrolytes and vitamins occurs through the wall of the large intestine.
The large intestine is also responsible for removing undigested food from the body.
The condition of the entire body is directly dependent on the cleanliness of the intestinal walls and the health of the intestinal microflora
Negative and positive reviews about fasting
Even in ancient times, people knew about the absolute benefits of fasting on water. Doctors and specialists have studied and continue to study the mechanisms of this method. Considerable experience has been accumulated in using this diet to get rid of certain diseases and to normalize body weight. Judging by the reviews of people who have tried this method, following the instructions for preparing for a change in diet, and knowing how to get out of fasting, they were more than satisfied with the result.
But there are also negative reviews. This is mainly due to the fact that mistakes were made during the diet, and the exit from fasting was carried out incorrectly. So before you try this method on yourself, it’s worth studying the theory better, which will help you do everything right in the future.
Reviews and results for 7 days of water diet
As mentioned earlier, dietary nutrition gives good results. For many, the result was minus 10 kg in 7 days. In addition, there is an improvement in health and mood. To confirm this, here are several reviews.
Julia K.
I decided to just try it, doubting whether I would achieve such a result. But after the full course, I noted not only weight loss, but also feeling great. Taking a small amount of food did not cause any feeling of hunger at all. The only drawback she notes is the frequent urge to go to the toilet in the first days.
Oksana D.
I not only followed a healthy diet, but also combined it with exercise. The result was not long in coming. No breakdowns, bad mood or headaches were noted.
