It is undesirable to arrange fasting days during the period of hormonal surges (during menstruation, pregnancy, etc.), with exacerbation of existing diseases and beriberi, since during these periods the body needs a balanced and complete diet. It is also best to organize a cleansing of the body on weekends so that nothing distracts.

Sample menu for a fasting day

At the heart of a useful fasting day is not starvation, but a mono-diet, when a person eats a certain group of foods all day. The most common "unloading" on kefir and yogurt.

For a sour-milk mono-diet, purchase wheat bran (or fiber), a liter of fresh kefir or yogurt. Divide the drink into 4 equal parts, add 1 tbsp. l. bran and drink every 3.5 hours.

An excellent option for a fasting day can be vegetable and fruit cereals. For example, pumpkin puree (seedless pumpkin pulp crushed in a blender) or spinach porridge: stew 500 g of spinach with water over medium heat for 10 minutes, pour in 200 ml. curdled milk and let it brew for 5 minutes. If you want liquid - cook chicken broth and crumble a couple of carrots and greens there.

Don't forget to drink too. To activate metabolic processes and get rid of toxins, green, ginger, linden or chamomile tea without sugar or still mineral water is suitable.

Is it possible to combine a fasting day with physical activity

Even necessary! But one should not lean on active strength exercises. A walk in the fresh air lasting at least 45 minutes is enough.

Those who want to lose weight and improve their health quite often resort to the so-called fasting days. However, in the pursuit of an ideal body, serious illnesses can be earned. Nutritionist Svetlana Fus correctly told how to get rid of excess fat, STB reports.

1) Fasting

The correct fasting day is a decrease in the calorie content of the daily diet to 1200-1400 kcal, but not a complete rejection of food. This number of calories is the minimum amount of energy needed by the body at rest to support all vital processes - the work of the heart, brain, respiration, and so on. If you are engaged in even minimal physical activity, then your body begins to use its "strategic reserves" - fat. So in fasting days it is necessary to abandon fatty foods, the basis of the diet should be proteins and carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are energy, and proteins are a necessary building material that every second participates in the processes of cell formation of all organs and tissues. It is these substances that give a person the desired feeling of lightness and comfort, so they cannot be excluded from the daily diet.

On the day you need to eat about 400 grams of foods containing proteins. For example, you can eat lean meat (chicken, turkey, rabbit) or lean fish (hake, pollock, carp, perch), as well as low-fat dairy products (cottage cheese, kefir or yogurt).

Foods containing a large amount of carbohydrates on a fasting day should be eaten 700-800 grams. It can be any vegetables and fruits: carrots, cabbage, beets, turnips, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, apples, pears, kiwi, oranges and so on.

The only limitation is citrus fruits, because they contain a lot of acid, so try not to eat more than an orange or a couple of tangerines on a fasting day. And yet you should not eat porridge, because it contains fewer vitamins and minerals than vegetables and fruits and is digested more slowly.

2) Sports

In no case should you combine a fasting day with physical activity. Can do great harm cardiovascular system. The thing is that the body needs to spend a lot of energy on active physical exercises, so it will work for wear and tear. This error can lead to tachycardia, arterial hypo- or hypertension, and even to heart failure.

Just try to avoid intense power loads and avoid feeling tired. Therefore, choose a day for unloading based on your lifestyle: if at work you have to walk a lot or do some kind of physical labor, then it is better to postpone unloading days for the weekend; and if it is false for you to pass by the refrigerator and not eat something from its contents, then it is better to arrange them on weekdays.

3) Frequent fasting days

Fasting days with a decrease in calories to 1200-1400 kcal can be carried out no more than once a week. It is also impossible to reduce calories below 1200, since any unloading for the body is still stress. If you spend fasting days more than once a week, then the body will begin to resist this process and, on the contrary, accumulate fats. This can disrupt metabolism.

The greatest danger is fasting days, which a person appoints himself, completely limiting food. Starvation is fraught with even more weight gain.

4) Sharp transition

If you decide to spend a fasting day, and the next day you already eat cake or fried food, then this is doing great harm to the body. For the body, this is stress, because you first give a frantic load, and then remove it. Also, the principle of "all or nothing" can lead to digestive disorders, indigestion and constipation.

If this rarely happens, for example, you really went over during a feast, where there was a lot of fatty foods and alcohol, then a fasting day is justified. But when you systematically eat up for no reason, and then unload, it can bring down metabolic processes and provoke diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, dyspepsia, and so on.

Unloading should begin with dinner. In the evening, you can eat 100 grams of low-fat cottage cheese and 100 grams of fruit, or 200 grams of yogurt, or 200 grams of vegetable soup, or 100-150 grams of lean meat and fish with vegetables. The next day, eat foods containing protein and carbohydrates, and the next day you eat a light breakfast. On this day, your diet should be moderate, without overeating.

5) Do unloading when you feel unwell

Many continue the fasting day even when they feel weak, drowsy, headache, dizzy, nauseous and experience physical discomfort. The fasting day should be comfortable, if you start to feel bad, you need to return to the previous menu. Such a reaction of the body indicates that it is not yet ready for decisive action.

In this case, you can use gentle unloading. For example, try once a week to refuse a dish or a fatty high-calorie product that you eat every day: replace a butter sandwich with low-fat cottage cheese with fruit. Over time, you will begin to “feel” the products: which ones give energy and a feeling of lightness, and which ones depress and give a feeling of heaviness and discomfort. Thus, if you spend a fasting day correctly, in just a few weeks you yourself will want to give up harmful products on ordinary days.

Who is prohibited fasting days

Fasting days are contraindicated for people who have diabetes mellitus, kidney and liver diseases, diseases of the digestive system (gastritis, hyperacidity). Also, doctors do not recommend unloading during pregnancy and breastfeeding. But in some cases, the doctor may prescribe fasting days.

They are contraindicated in acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, malaise and any diseases during an exacerbation.

Also, fasting days are not recommended in the second half of the menstrual cycle, when PMS sets in. The reason is related to hormones, because the body becomes very vulnerable, swelling increases, irritability occurs, and in some, appetite increases. For these reasons, the fasting day during this period will be difficult for the body to endure. It is better to unload in the first half of the cycle.

If you train day in and day out, week after week, month after month... non-stop, you may notice that you are gradually losing strength, reducing your performance in training. Constant fatigue will prevent the body from exercising effectively, even if your power training will not take place often. This is a mistake that many athletes make, which over time can lead to even more serious consequences -
There comes a time when you need to give a rest to your muscles, and it should not be neglected! A “deload” week is, in a way, part of the training process, thanks to which you will not only rest, but also allow your muscles to fully recover. That is, your body will reach the optimal hormonal level, and the central nervous system will also stabilize. This is an absolutely integral part of strength training, and even, a kind of hardening of the body.
In sports, this type of unloading of the muscles and nervous system is known as tapering (recovery from heavy physical exertion). When athletes go through this period, they strive for a full recovery, which allows them to compete at such a high level.

Who needs a "load"?
For beginners who do fitness up to 2 times a week and learn the basics of squats, lunges and push-ups, such “unloading” stages are not threatened.
Fitness enthusiasts who devote their weekends to classes and only can not worry that fatigue will overtake them, as the body has time to recover in a week.
Conversely, athletes who diligently perform exercises such as squats, lunges, presses, and other multi-joint "base" exercises are required to alternate hard training with "deload" days.

What to do during the "unloading" week?
A "deload" week doesn't mean you have to completely relax, just that you need to lighten up your training days a lot. Over time, you will listen to your body and understand when exactly this moment will come.
There are several ways in which you can create a lightweight training program:

- Reduce the number of sets per exercise
- Use a lighter weight for each exercise
- Reduce the number of repetitions
- Increase rest periods
- Reduce the number training days in Week
- Cut down on strength training

For example, here is a training program with a “wave load”, which looks something like this:
Week 1: Moderately High Intensity Training (Hard Workouts)
Week 2: Medium training intensity (slight recovery from 1 week)
Week 3: High intensity training (stimulus week)
Week 4: Low Intensity Training (Deload Week)
Starting from week 5, the cycle repeats ...

A few tips to help you focus on your deload week

1. Enjoy your workouts. You don't have to train just by following tutorials... sometimes leave your comfort zone to tell something new. For example, learn a few yoga exercises that will allow you to completely “turn off” the brain and relax.

2. Take a day off and instead of working out, do something actively useful: do a general cleaning in the house or clean out the garage. The main thing is that you will also burn calories, just not in a formal setting.

3. Eat right, sleep well and rejuvenate! It is the right diet and sleep that contribute to the achievement of great success in sports! Since training during the "unloading" week is light, use this time to fully restore your body and remove muscle strength. Go for a massage, which allows you to get rid of tension in the muscles and connective tissues, and often give yourself a warm-up during the day. Yoga or stretching is the best way to restore the body.

Do not abuse the "unloading" period!
If you go from extreme to extreme, that is, train 365 days a year, or give yourself “weakness” and turn “unloading” days into weeks and even months, you will never achieve any results! For more or less experienced athletes, a planned “unloading” week is simply necessary for the proper functioning of the body and muscle development. It will help you avoid fatigue and allow you to train at full strength to achieve your goals.

Briefly and clearly why contrast weeks are better than fasting ones.

Light or "deload" weeks today can be found in many strength programs. What are they needed for? Let's turn to the giants: Professor Zatsiorsky in his “Theory of Two Factors” wrote as follows: “The training effect consists of two factors - an increase in the result after exercise (a) and fatigue (b). The combination of positive and negative changes determines the end result.”

In other words, when you train hard all the time, your gains are "masked" a bit by the amount of fatigue you accumulate. When unloading, fatigue is removed, and you are suddenly faced with an increase in results.

Usually fasting weeks are prescribed in the program, for example, every fourth. Personally, I do not like to plan kickbacks, because life itself often gives us unplanned rest due to illness, injury, or other circumstances not related to training.

On the other hand, it is better not to lead to injury or illness, but to slightly reduce the working weight on the schedule, preventing these troubles.
But there is a third way: scheduled contrast weeks.

Load change and specific fatigue

When you are working hard on one program, whether it be strength training or aerobic, and you get tired, then in order to recover, you need to give up exactly what you are most tired of. This can be done in two ways:

1. Refrain from any physical activity
2. Choose another activity

While both will provide adequate rest, I lean towards the second option due to the "specific fatigue" principle. When you train a certain quality, the accumulated fatigue affects it more than anything else. For example, on Monday you did 5 sets of 5 reps of the high-intensity bench press, and on Tuesday you want to train again. Consider which of the following would be the hardest to do:

• Bench press 5x5
• Bench press 2x15
• Incline Dumbbell Press 1x30
• Squat 3x10
• Running 5 km

I have already arranged them according to the complexity of execution: the most fatigue will affect exactly the same bench press, and the least - on running. Of course, any workout will take some energy from you, but still, the 5x5 bench press is performed using the ATP / glycolytic energy system, and the aerobic energy system is responsible for the 5k run.

A contrast week gives you the opportunity to recover by trying something new and still getting out of your comfort zone. You won’t believe it, but you can also relax by increasing the load, if this load is really different. Also keep in mind that no program is perfect and cannot give everything - there is always some kind of compromise. Bodybuilding protocols do not develop maximum strength, and powerlifting circuits may not produce the desired hypertrophy. Both techniques often neglect mobility and other useful qualities. And it is in the week of contrasts that you can work on what is missing in regular workouts.

You can also get comfortable with a new exercise before including it in the main program. For example, you want to add a kettlebell snatch or cleanup, but you're not doing them well enough to load properly. Just in weeks with a change of load, you can practice them, honing your technique.

How to Get the Most Out of Contrast Weeks

So, changing the load restores, but contrast weeks can also solve certain problems.

Cumulative injury

In narrowly focused power types sports (weightlifting, powerlifting, weight-lifting and others) you can earn cumulative injuries by repeating the same movements. In this case, during the week of contrasts, try to reduce the load on problem areas, or even better, completely remove them.

Powerlifters with sore knees are better off skipping squats for a week and focusing on movements that torment the knee joint less, such as hyperextensions and bridges.

For weightlifters with sore wrists, instead of lifting and holding the barbell on the chest, temporarily focus on snatch and jerk pulls. In any case, it should be remembered that it is not at all necessary to reduce the training volume or intensity. The main thing is to change the movements that cause problems.

Delayed post-workout pain

Delayed pain affects many athletes, but most often those who try new exercises and / or abuse negatives at each training session. In this case, to change the load, devote one week to well-known exercises and try to reduce the eccentric phase of the movement. You can, for example, run, ride a bike or push / pull the sled (prowler).

CNS fatigue

Pure security officials are most hindered by congestion in the central nervous system. In contrast, it's better not to give up training entirely, but switch to moderate-intensity bodybuilding protocols or GPPs. It is also useful to turn to such restorative techniques as foam roller massage, not to mention the quality isolation in bed at night.

Hateful monotony

A very important aspect that many ignore: even purposeful athletes have nerves at the limit from the monotonous repetition of one program. Therefore, for a contrast week, remember what you liked and what you haven’t done in your workouts for a long time. After a refreshing active recovery, the appetite for the usual exercises will also wake up.

Psychological stress

High-intensity strength training not only exhausts the muscles, ligaments, and joints, but also elicits a psychological “fight or flight” response. This stress also accumulates, and you are constantly in a state of agitation. In this case, in the contrast week, you need to reduce the load, relax and do light and pleasant things.

Contrast is better than nothing

As you can see, with a variety of problems, a simple change in load will help you recover, preventing you from getting bored from training with warm-up weights or losing shape due to a complete lack of physical activity. And the subsequent return to the main program will bring a new increase in results, so try replacing the fasting weeks with contrast ones.

What should be perfect day out? First of all, it is not harmful to the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract and low in calories. At the same time, it would be best if your brain does not notice that you are “chemizing something” with food and does not “revenge” you by increasing your appetite the next day. This is possible only while maintaining a normal level of fiber, the introduction of a moderate amount of protein in the diet. Well, the second secret of a successful fasting day, which is not accompanied by overeating “for tomorrow” is a decrease in physical activity. If you are systematically engaged in fitness, the maximum that is worth doing on this day is a long cardio lesson of medium or low intensity, plus stretching. Beginners, on the other hand, can lie down with peace of mind all the “unloading” on the couch with a book, this will help reduce stress levels and experience minimal hunger.

Unloading day of Yulia Bordovskikh

The secret of this unloading day- in a full healthy breakfast. As a result, your metabolism will not slow down, and you will be able to experience this day fully and actively. The “plumb” will be the traditional kilogram for such days, and you have a chance to keep half of the result as a constant weight indicator.

Breakfast: 40 g bran bread, 30 g parmesan cheese or 50 g ricotta cheese, a cup of coffee with milk.

Dinner: 200 g steamed non-starchy vegetables (cauliflower or broccoli, green beans, carrots, shiitake mushrooms), 50 g yogurt 2.5%.

Dinner: a glass of kefir 2, 5%

It is allowed to split lunch and dinner in half, and make five meals instead of three. Yulia Bordovskikh recommends repeating this fasting day once a week. It can be useful if you are on a systematic high protein diet, and besides, it does not slow down the metabolism.

Unloading day Madeleine Gesta

This fasting day developed by French nutritionist Madeleine Gesta and is one of the elements of her weight loss diet. Ideally, you should stick to this routine for two days in a row. The unloading day of Madeleine Gesture is stricter than the previous one in two days, you can lose up to 3 kg of weight. Especially such a day is recommended for those who have swelling and overeat in ordinary life salty.

Breakfast:

Right after waking up- a glass of warm water with lemon juice.

After half an hour: a cup of cocoa on the water with two tablespoons of milk 3.2% and two teaspoons of honey.

In one hour: a glass of grapefruit juice or half a grapefruit.

Dinner:

Vegetable soup: leek, broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, celery root. Boil in water, you can grind in a blender. Eat 200 g of the finished product.

Dinner: 100 g of lean fish for a couple, 100 g of vegetables.

Unloading day low-fat diet M. Ginzburg

A low-fat diet from nutritionist M. Ginzburg is not as "hyped" as, for example, the weight loss system of M. Koroleva. However, it is no less effective in practice, and quite easy to use. The essence of M. Ginzburg's fasting day is not only to reduce the calorie content of the diet, but also to limit fats. It is recommended to arrange such a fasting day once a week, as it is quite complete, varied and easily tolerated. The peculiarity of this day is that the main meal is transferred to dinner. This makes it easier to meet the restrictions, and at the same time, the dinner is balanced, and you will not overeat.

Breakfast:

100 fat-free cottage cheese and 50 g of any sweet fruit or Dr. Slim smoothie

Dinner:

100g fish and 200g oil-free tomato and cucumber salad, or two servings of Dr. Slim cocktail

Dinner:

2 baked potatoes, cucumber, 100 g fish (pollock, hake)

You can drink water, tea, coffee during the fasting day. It is not recommended to use vegetable cream, even fat-free, and sweeteners. These substances retain fluid in the body.

Unloading day "from the gym"

This simple unloading is used by those who are forced to eat large portions of protein food most of the time and take protein. The main goal of the day is to “reboot” the gastrointestinal tract a little, remove swelling and shake the body.

Morning:

A glass of warm water with lemon juice.

Breakfast:

100 g oatmeal on the water, 30 g almonds.

Lunch:

2 cucumbers, 50 g yogurt

Dinner:

Vegetable broth and a slice of bread

Second lunch:

8 prunes, a glass of kefir

Dinner:

Green apple, 100 g of cottage cheese.

On this day, the use of protein shakes and bars is prohibited, due to which the cleansing of the body is enhanced. According to some versions, the evening apple should be replaced with 200 g of stalk celery.

So, a good fasting day is not necessarily a mono-diet. The main thing is that your diet consists of healthy, non-canned foods that are easy to digest. If you want to make an unloading yourself, be guided by the fact that you should consume 1000-1200 kcal as a minimum. Higher values ​​are acceptable only for those who are seriously involved in strength training.

And the last thing you should know is that it is better not to arrange unloading with meat products and canned fish. These types of food inhibit digestion and you may not get the desired result from a fasting day. Well, if you just need to strengthen digestion, you can replace dinner with a glass of kefir and eight prunes, and have a snack with green apples a couple of times during the day.