Cascade fasting according to the method of V.P. Laurel: advantages and disadvantages

The Roots of Fasting

Since ancient times, the idea of ​​fasting has settled in the minds of people. Philosophers and scientists practiced abstaining from food to purify the body and spirit.

Among them are such famous personalities as Herodotus, Pythagoras, Plato, Plutarch, Hippocrates. They believed that food is the main source of many diseases, and fasting is the best medicine that prolongs life and improves health.

Hippocrates said:

If the body is not cleansed, then the more you nourish it, the more you will harm it. When the sick person is fed too much, the disease is also fed.

The question of the physiological effect of fasting worries the minds of scientists even now. Proponents of the benefits of fasting focus on the method of carrying out fasting days, trying to find a middle ground in which the effect and safety will be equivalent. Official medicine is still against hunger strikes, but despite this, methods of temporarily refusing food continue to appear. This is due to the fact that in alternative medicine, in some teachings and religions, the issue of fasting has always been relevant and had adherents and propagandists, and also because changes have occurred in the scientific world on this issue.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

In 2021, the Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, who described the process of autophagy - the digestion by cells of their own obsolete parts. This process is activated at the moment when the body experiences stress, for example, during fasting. “Cellular recycling” with controlled food refusal allows you to renew cells and normalize metabolism. At the same time, the body receives energy from accumulated surpluses, which, on the one hand, starts the process of losing weight, on the other hand, with the right approach, it does not harm health in any way; on the contrary, it even helps to cope with some ailments. Dr. Ohsumi's research has revived interest in the topic of therapeutic fasting.

Types of fasting

According to the method of implementation, there is a distinction between “dry” and “classical” fasting. If you are “dry,” you can’t take any food or water. In “classical” fasting, you can drink water. Both types, depending on the methodology, have their own scheme: this concerns the duration, features of each stage (from preparation for fasting to recovery) and some rules (volume of fluid, physical activity, water and cleansing procedures, etc.). During “dry” fasting, drinking is excluded; moreover, with some methods of such fasting, any contact with water is prohibited. “Dry” fasting is considered the most severe and stressful for the body, but at the same time, according to some data, the most effective. The body mobilizes all its resources, due to which the breakdown of fats and the elimination of toxins occurs at an accelerated rate. There are many methods of fasting for weight loss. There are many positive reviews about cascade fasting. It is practiced by women for the purpose of correcting their figure, maintaining a stable weight, unloading after feasts, as well as to cleanse and renew the body.

Preparation period

The central point of proper weight loss is a balanced and healthy diet for the body. Fasting is a serious burden for the body, so it is necessary to pay attention to which foods can and should be consumed, and which should absolutely be excluded.

Since dry fasting according to Lavrova presupposes the absence of liquids during the immediate process of cleansing the body, and weight loss and cleansing are possible, as is known, only then will all our organs function as a single organism, without the failures that lead to slagging as a consequence of poor nutrition, it is necessary First of all, saturate the body with water.

But it is important to remember that you need to exclude coffee, alcohol and all sugary drinks, as this only dehydrates the body. In addition, salt and all salt-containing products, all meat, except poultry and fish, are excluded. Smoking is absolutely prohibited.

It is especially useful during the period of preparation for fasting to consume sprouted grains of various plants, berries, fruits and dried fruits, vegetables, both raw and thermally processed. Various cereals, mushrooms, soaked legumes, seaweed and bran are allowed. It is also important that preparation should begin no later than 14 days before the expected day of fasting, and during the last hour that will precede the period of fasting, you should drink as much water as possible, possibly with the addition of lemon.

Before talking about permitted foods in the days between fasting, I would like to draw attention to the fact that in order for weight loss to be not only effective, but also harmless, you must strictly adhere to all the rules of the health system.

One of these rules states that if fasting began, for example, at 4.0, then it should end exactly at 4.0, not a minute earlier, since our body is a very fine-tuned and perfect structure, which is very easy to disrupt.

Cascade fasting

The cascade fasting technique is a certain cycle when fasting days alternate with days of eating. As a rule, the number of days of abstaining from food in cascade fasting is equal to the number of days of eating. Those. one day fasting - one day eating, two days fasting - two days eating, etc. But there may be other options:

• A simplified scheme: 1 day of fasting - 2 days of eating, 2 days of fasting - 3 days of eating (i.e., one more day of eating).
• Free scheme: the person losing weight chooses the number of days without food.

The essence of the technique is to change the “work activity” of the body. Now he spends energy not on digesting food, but on restoring cells and removing everything unnecessary. The standard alternate-day fasting regimen for weight loss is considered the most optimal and effective, as well as psychologically convenient.

Entry and exit from cascade fasting

One- and two-day fasts do not require special preparation. For a three-day (or more) fast, you need to properly prepare: two weeks in advance you should eat low-calorie foods, vegetables and fruits are ideal.

The way out of fasting should also be careful: under no circumstances should you indulge in junk food, otherwise you can cause irreparable harm to your health. The way out of fasting begins with drinking clean water. After a couple of hours, you can drink kefir or boiled milk, yogurt is also allowed. Fish or chicken broth are suitable alternatives. This will help start the pancreas. After another 2 hours, you can eat your usual food, but carefully and little by little. This scheme is proposed by V.P. Lavrova. Below we will consider the process of fasting that she proposes.

Permitted and prohibited products

Cascade fasting involves alternating “hungry” days and days during which you can eat, but only healthy foods approved by the author of the method. Lavrova suggested including the following products in the diet:

• fish,
• bird,
• dairy products,
• bee products,
• eggs,
• nuts,
• fruits and dried fruits,
• seaweed,
• porridge boiled in water,
• mushrooms,
• vegetables.

It is beneficial to eat sprouted wheat grains. You can drink clean water, mineral water, herbal tea. You can also take a bath and shower.

The list of prohibited products includes:

• meat (pork, beef, lamb),
• canned foods,
• salty food,
• confectionery,
• sugar.

Cascade fasting according to V.P. Lavrova

One of the most famous methods involving the refusal of food is considered to be the method of writer and researcher V.P. Lavrova. Based on reviews of cascade fasting, Lavrova’s scheme is the most effective and convenient. The researcher suggests a systematic approach to five-day fasting days, starting with one- and two-day fasting periods.

1st period. 24 hours – dry fasting, 24 hours – food intake (diet food).

2nd period. Two days - dry fasting, two days - eating (diet food).

3rd period. Three days - dry fasting, three days - eating (plant foods).

4th period. Four days – dry fasting, four days – eating (plant foods).

5th period. Five days – dry fasting, five days – eating (plant foods).

Some researchers who study cyclical fasting do not recommend dry fasting because... this harms the body; on the contrary, on fasting days you need to drink plenty of water in order to cleanse the body as much as possible.

Features of the Lavrova technique

In medicine, fasting without liquid is called absolute. For the purpose of unloading and losing weight, the duration of abstinence is three days. To achieve therapeutic goals and launch the internal restoration processes of the body, refusal of food and water can last up to 5 days.

Five-day fasting and its effect on the body became known after the publication of V.P. Lavrova. Her research in this area showed that after 5 days of complete abstinence, hidden internal reserves and opportunities for natural cleansing are revealed in the body. There is an increase in the protective functions of the immune system. This process, laid down by nature, is correct, healthy, and effective.

Fasting according to the Laurel system is a complete ban on contact with water. You cannot put water in your mouth, rinse your face or hands, or walk in cloudy rainy weather. If contact with water is necessary, protect your skin with rubber gloves.

Between periods of dry fasting and during the preparatory stage, the following nutrition must be observed:

• Avoid completely: salt, alcoholic beverages, sugar-containing products, coffee, refined sugar and any substitutes, smoking, lamb, beef, pork.
• Allowed: mushrooms, dairy products, green legumes, seaweed, fruits, boiled, raw vegetables, honey, porridge, fish, bran, soaked cereal grains, eggs, stevia, poultry, berries. Drinks: tea based on medicinal herbs, pure filtered and mineral water.

During breaks, you are allowed to come into contact with water and take a shower.

Lavrova's therapeutic fasting is indicated for the following pathologies and disorders:

• adenoma in the prostate gland,
• lack of effect from conservative therapy,
• gastrodoudenitis, chronic gastritis,
• bronchial asthma,
• depression, neurosis,
• colitis, enteritis,
• pulmonary sarcoidosis,
• trophic ulcers,
• irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, other functional gastrointestinal diseases,
• skin allergies,
• osteochondrosis, osteoarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis,
• atherosclerosis at the initial stage,
• obesity,
• cardiac ischemia,
• pancreatitis,
• hypertonic disease,
• infertility,
• low-grade schizophrenia,
• dystonia.

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Cycle duration

Duration of alternation according to V.P. Laurel is selected individually. It is best to let the body adapt and stick to a 1:1 fast for a month. Then smoothly move to a 2:2 scheme, etc. Starting with a scheme of 5 days after 5 is harmful to health, but 5 to 5 is considered the most powerful in terms of the depth of cleansing, so those losing weight along the cascade strive for this level. Everyone chooses the duration of periods individually, depending on their well-being and goals. The five-day system is, for the most part, necessary for those who want to get rid of diseases. For those who want to lose excess weight, one- and two-day cycles are usually enough.

According to reviews of cascading dry fasting, every other day, from 5 to 10 kg are lost in a month. An important rule for fasting days: do not have any contact with water (again, according to Lavrova), try to exercise in the fresh air to minimize thoughts about food, and reconfigure your thoughts in a positive way. When you have achieved the desired result, you should adhere to the principles of a healthy diet and moderate portions. If you eat junk food after a hunger strike, then, as reviews of cascade fasting show, the kilograms will come back again and even double, because the body, after experiencing stress, will decide to put everything in reserve.

Exit

How long does it last? According to the duration of the fasting period. It is believed that during a cascade, the next days are the way out. For example, 1/1, where the fasting day will be before the exit day.

But in addition to the schedule itself, there is a recovery period necessary to consolidate and increase (possible) results. If there was a dry fast, the solution always starts with a glass of plain, boiled water. Further, the power supply diagram will be simplified for some time. Why do people complain that we are losing weight, but then we gain weight again? It is not clear why the result did not remain. The exit (for the cascade – the recovery period) was not carried out.

By the way, there are cases when people who survived fasting rethought their diet. Moreover, they did it on a large scale, not for a competent exit or restoration. Someone became a convinced vegetarian, cutting out meat, someone thought about a raw food diet. But thoughts about improper, unhealthy nutrition appear in 80% of those who have experienced fasting.

Cascade is contraindicated

Cascade weight loss is a radical measure of figure correction, which has a number of contraindications:

• pregnancy and lactation;
• disruption of the endocrine system;
• acute and chronic diseases of the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract;
• diabetes;
• disorders of the cardiovascular system;
• inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system;
• poor blood clotting;
• tuberculosis;
• hepatitis;
• thrombosis;
• tumors and malignant formations;
• underweight.

In any case, if you decide to go on a hunger strike, it is better to consult a doctor so that in pursuit of beauty you do not end up with a bunch of diseases.

Nutrition “Every other day”: contraindications

“Every other day” nutrition
Of course, like every diet or treatment, the “Every other day” diet has contraindications:

• Pregnancy
• Lactation
• Gastrointestinal diseases
• Diseases of the heart and blood vessels
• Children under 18 years old
• Hypoglycemia - low blood sugar
• Chronic stress
• Cortisol dysregulation

It is important to consult your doctor before starting this type of diet. He will prescribe tests for you and, based on their results, will tell you whether or not you can use this diet for weight loss.

Cascade fasting: reviews and results

Many people, when choosing a method of fasting, choose the cascade. Its scheme is quite simple, understandable and accessible to everyone. Below are the results of cascade fasting (pictured) and reviews of this method.

Practitioners of cascade fasting note the following advantages of this method:

• rapid weight loss;
• the most gentle of all types of fasting;
• the likelihood of breakdowns is reduced;
• the risk of harm to health is minimized;
• there is a change in values ​​and eating habits (the attitude towards food changes);
• the general condition of the body is normalized: mood improves, lightness is felt, strength appears, irritability and anxiety go away, thought processes are activated, etc.

However, judging by some results and reviews of cascade fasting for weight loss, if you exit the cycle incorrectly and start eating high-calorie foods, you will quickly gain excess weight. Therefore, if the goal of cascade fasting is solely to lose weight, then it is best to consider other options: reducing calories, mono-diets, etc. Fasting is still designed to improve the health of the body, cleanse it and remove toxins, and for body correction it is not suitable for everyone. Of course, if there are no contraindications, you can try and decide for yourself whether the game is worth the candle. Some consider this method the most optimal and use it regularly.

What to choose: dry cascade fasting or cascade fasting on water?

Opinions about whether or not you can drink water during cascade fasting are controversial. Judging by the reviews and results of cascade dry fasting, this type of cascade is difficult for some to tolerate, while others, on the contrary, say that during fasting it is easier not to eat or drink at all. As for expert opinions, experts note that due to the lack of water, the body becomes dehydrated, and this leads to the loss of some areas of metabolism, which negatively affects the body. Therefore, not everyone decides to undertake long-term experiments “without water”. The “liquid” analogue is much more reliable and safe. Together with water, toxins are removed from the body, metabolism and blood circulation are normalized. And psychologically it is much easier to endure such fasting. As reviews and results of cascade fasting on water show, weight is lost at the same rate as during dry fasting, only the body does not find itself in conditions of extreme survival.

Effect of fasting and recommendations

Dry fasting, in addition to bringing the desired effect in the form of a reduction in fat mass, allows the body to completely cleanse and rejuvenate, revealing its enormous potential for self-healing and cleansing, improves immunity, and helps get rid of various diseases, even in a chronic form. Improves complexion and hair.

Of course, before you start cascade fasting according to Lavrova, you need to familiarize yourself with the contraindications, of which there are not so many. In addition, the author says that many contraindications are very individual; what is not possible for one person may be possible for another with an identical disease.

It is important to just take care of yourself, write a diary of how you feel and remember that if the unpleasant sensations associated with cleansing the body, such as dizziness or headaches, weakness and other painful manifestations, do not go away for a long time, then it is better to end the fast and try another, more a gentle way to lose weight.

Conclusion

Fasting is a radical way to lose extra pounds, so when choosing this method, the main tenet will be to do no harm. With the right approach, you can achieve good results and at the same time cleanse the body. For weight loss, fasting every other day will be enough. Those. One day is a hunger strike, the second day is a dietary (preferably plant-based) diet. Practice shows that cascade fasting can help you lose up to 10 kg in a month. In this case, no unpleasant consequences for the body are observed; on the contrary, lightness comes and an emotional uplift is felt. After the cascade cycle, it is important to switch to a healthy diet and limit your portions, otherwise, judging by the reviews of cascade fasting, there is a risk of regaining your previous weight, and in the worst case, increasing it.