Fasting days are necessary after long holidays, weekends or vacations. First of all, in order to give rest to the digestive organs: stomach, liver, pancreas. They are also useful for losing weight. However, it is important to know: to lose weight, you need to practice them regularly. One fasting day every six months will not give results.
In addition, unloading should not be considered the only way to lose weight. One fasting day a week is not a sufficient period of time to start the mechanisms of breaking down fat deposits. To do this, you need to monitor your calorie intake on other days.
It is important to solve the problem comprehensively. Ideal - proper nutrition + exercise. It is advisable to carry out fasting days regularly, systematically. For example, 2 times a month.
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One of the best foods for a fasting day is chicken breast . Unloading on breast meat is much easier to bear than on kefir and apples, because a person does not feel hungry. White chicken meat contains a lot of protein and a minimum of fat.
Essence and principles
Based on chicken, you can do not only fasting days, but also adhere to a full-fledged mono-diet. Poultry is an important part of the menu for most methods for losing weight and gaining muscle mass. This is due to the fact that chicken is low in calories. And breast contains a large amount of protein, which allows you to lose weight without damaging muscle fibers.
A fasting day on chicken breast can significantly speed up your metabolism. Athletes do it 2 times a week when gaining muscle mass. Thus, a monotonous diet continues to bring results even over a long period of time.
Principles:
- During a fasting day, you can eat up to 1 kilogram of chicken meat.
- Remove skin from chicken before cooking. It contains a large amount of fat.
- Acceptable methods of heat treatment are boiling, steaming and baking. It is advisable to cook meat without adding salt, pepper and vegetable oil.
- To avoid feeling hungry, divide your daily diet into 6 meals.
- Drink at least two liters of clean water per day.
- In order to diversify the taste of prepared dishes, you can use natural spices and fresh herbs.
- You cannot overeat 2 days before fasting. You must reduce your daily calorie intake.
Operating principle
The mechanism of weight loss is not much different from the action of any protein diet. The absence of fats and carbohydrates in the diet for a full 24 hours has a corresponding effect not only on digestion, but also on the functioning of other organs and systems. Launched processes ultimately lead to weight loss:
- the body has to spend a lot of energy digesting protein - to do this, it first actively uses up excess fluid that has stagnated in the tissues (so you have to run to the toilet in the first half of the day), then pulls glucose from the muscle fibers (this happens sometime after lunch, you you will feel tired and decreased performance), and only lastly does it reach fat reserves in problem areas;
- chicken protein in the process of such weight loss prevents the breakdown of muscle tissue;
- vitamins and microelements contained in meat relieve the body from exhaustion;
- The nutritional value of the diet can temporarily block the feeling of hunger.
So, chicken fasting days a couple of times a month are very useful for losing weight - especially for those who play sports, but from time to time accumulate a couple of unnecessary kilograms. To lose them and at the same time maintain muscle mass (which the body loves to break down during a hunger strike), a protein mini-diet will come in handy. And in general, it’s difficult for all men to lose excess weight without meat, but here it’s the only thing they’re allowed to eat!
As for the results, they depend on various factors. Allow yourself to make some concessions - it will turn out to be minus 300 grams. On average, you can lose up to 1 kg in weight.
Advantages and disadvantages
Fasting days, like the chicken diet, have strengths and weaknesses.
Advantages:
- Muscle fibers are preserved and strengthened. You can continue playing sports as before.
- Metabolism improves.
- Toxins and waste are removed from the body.
- Chicken dishes are hearty. They quickly satisfy hunger and satiate the body for a long time.
- Blood glucose levels are normalized.
- Low calorie content and high protein content make chicken meat the best choice among other types of meat products.
- It is possible to create your own diet. Prepare various dishes with the addition of fresh herbs and vegetables.
- Strengthening the immune system.
Flaws:
- Large amounts of protein disrupt the functioning of the kidneys and liver. When it comes to a chicken fillet diet, it has a strict limitation on the duration of the course. To prevent fasting days from bringing undesirable results, you cannot perform them more than 3 times a week.
- If you managed to lose weight using fasting days on chicken, the lost kilograms will quickly return.
- Due to increased protein intake, constipation and bloating may occur.
- Due to the small amount of carbohydrates, a person will feel weak and will not be able to concentrate on important things.
Recommendations for creating an individual diet
The plan is made taking into account your preferences and health status. The most gentle options are mixed classics and vegetable.
The number of fasting days is determined by the desired result and initial weight.
If you are obese, the diet can be followed every week for 1 to 3 days (alternate with a healthy diet). With excess and normal weight, it is enough to unload 1-3 days a month.
Menu and varieties
Fasting days on chicken have several popular variations. The essence remains the same - you need to eat up to 1 kilogram of chicken meat per day, and other components of the diet can be changed. Variations:
- Fasting day based on water and chicken breast. Throughout the day you need to eat 800 grams of poultry meat and drink 2 liters of clean water. The daily diet should be divided into 6 meals.
- Poultry and cucumbers. The principles of this technique are exactly the same as the previous one. The only difference is the presence of cucumbers, which must be consumed at every meal. You can eat half a kilogram of fresh vegetables and 800 grams of chicken per day.
- Bouillon. Chicken broth is very useful both for sports and for various diseases. It gives the body strength, sets tone, improves the general condition of the body, and eliminates hunger. During the day, you should drink 5 servings of chicken broth, 200 grams each. Also don't forget about clean water.
- Grapefruit and chicken. An approximate menu for this method option:
| Day | Eating | Menu |
| Day 1 | Breakfast | Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice – 200 ml |
| Lunch | Boiled chicken breast – 50 grams | |
| Dinner | 1 grapefruit | |
| Afternoon snack | Half a grapefruit | |
| Dinner | Boiled chicken fillet – 200 grams | |
| Before bedtime | Half a grapefruit. |
Since citrus fruits are powerful allergens, you should consult your doctor before starting unloading.
- Kefir and chicken. Another option that reduces the harmful effects of large amounts of protein on the gastric microflora. The risk of constipation, diarrhea, flatulence and bloating is reduced. For each meal, you must not only eat chicken breast, but also drink 200 ml of kefir.
- Eggs. You can add three eggs to your daily diet and reduce the amount of chicken you eat to 500 grams.
Rules for a fasting day on chicken breast
On a fasting day, you can eat either only meat or add other foods, but chicken is considered the main food. On this day you should give up sugar, salt, and fats.
A fasting day can be carried out 1-2 days during the week. A prerequisite is a sufficient amount of liquid to remove decay products. It is better to drink water without gases, as well as herbal teas. If you want natural juice, it is diluted with water.
Before and after the fasting day, reduce the number of daily calories.
Do's and Don'ts
The list of permitted products to be consumed will depend on the chosen variation of the technique. Generally speaking, you are allowed to eat the following foods:
- dietary meat products;
- vegetables (exception – potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn);
- fruits (with the exception of grapes and bananas);
- fresh herbs;
- low-fat dairy products;
- natural spices;
- eggs;
- fresh juices.
Recipes
Even a fasting day can be made varied by preparing non-standard dishes.
Chicken with kefir
To prepare juicy poultry meat, you will need 1 liter of low-fat kefir, green onions, parsley, dill, thyme, rosemary, basil, 700 grams of chicken fillet, a tablespoon of vegetable oil, 4 cloves of garlic.
Actions:
- Rinse the meat under cold water, cut off all the skins, and remove any fatty layers.
- In a blender container, combine all the rosemary, basil, thyme, kefir and garlic cloves. Grind until you obtain a homogeneous liquid.
- Cut the fillet into small pieces, pour kefir with spices and leave in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Place baking foil on a baking sheet and grease it with vegetable oil. Place the chicken, sprinkle with chopped parsley, dill and rosemary.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 200 degrees.
Salad
To prepare this dish you will need 500 grams of chicken fillet, 2 bell peppers, 3 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, parsley, dill, 100 ml of low-fat kefir.
Actions:
- Rinse the meat under cold water. Peel off the skin. Boil it in unsalted water.
- Peel the peppers from seeds, cut the peel from the cucumbers. Cut the vegetables into small cubes.
- Cut the cooked chicken into small pieces.
- Mix all ingredients in a deep plate, season with low-fat kefir.
Bouillon
To prepare a hearty broth you will need 400 grams of chicken breast, 1 carrot, 1 onion, dill, parsley, dried basil.
Actions:
- Place the chicken to simmer in clean water over low heat.
- Grind the carrots on a coarse grater, finely chop the onion, chop the greens.
- Add vegetables and herbs to the pan. Cook until fully cooked. Before eating, remove the chicken and drink only the broth.
How to cook?
Broth prepared with chicken parts with bones is considered not very healthy, as it contains a large amount of cholesterol and harmful substances released during cooking. If you spend a fasting day on chicken, it is important to cook soups from it correctly: be sure to drain the primary broth, pour cold water over the meat again and continue cooking.
By consuming just 100 ml of chicken vegetable soup daily, you will forever forget about problems with your heart rate, the production of gastric juice will be activated, and your digestion will improve. Vegetables added to the broth during cooking will add their own benefits to the finished soup: vitamins and fiber. Carrots, leeks, and broccoli will give the broth a pleasant, unobtrusive taste, and the use of a small amount of spices will make the taste richer.
On such fasting days, your skin and nails will be in good condition, and your immunity to viral and colds will increase. To prevent strokes and coronary heart disease, many doctors recommend eating lean chicken. The collagen contained in chicken breast makes it ideal as the basis of the diet for people suffering from obesity or various stomach diseases.
Be sure to read: How to properly include snacks in the menu on a healthy diet?
