Fasting Days: Instructions For Use

The 5: 2 diet was developed by British dietitian Michael Moseley and journalist Mimi Spencer. The bottom line is that five days a week you eat whatever you want, and two days you are malnourished, and quite radically. Women 5: 2 on fasting days are allowed to consume no more than 500 calories, men - 600. Preference should be given to low-fat foods rich in protein and fiber, carbohydrates are prohibited, with the exception of a small amount of vegetables and fruits. Alcohol on these two days is also prohibited. Michael Moseley does not advise dieting two days in a row - it is best to arrange fasting days on Mondays and Thursdays. Many of those who have tried all diets in the world consider 5: 2 to be a panacea.

500 calories a day is enough

In fact, 500 calories is not so little. For example, a vegetable puree soup with a small amount of olive oil contains only 100–150 calories, fish or chicken with vegetables - no more than 250 calories, grilled vegetables with feta cheese - about 200 calories. And most importantly, many experts believe that the 5: 2 diet is one of the few that really suits us from an evolutionary point of view. “Today our refrigerators are bursting with food, but historically, the era of such abundance came quite recently and the human body did not have time to adapt to this,” explains Dr. Walter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. - The ancient people ate extremely irregularly: then they starved, then, when the hunters brought prey, they overeat for the future. Therefore, fasting days a couple of times a week should spur metabolism to more active work. If you barely eat, your body switches to survival mode and starts burning fat stores. You are losing weight. " One more news - we are used to thinking that it is necessary to eat a balanced diet every day. This, as most modern nutritionists are convinced, is not entirely true. The human body is a piggy bank. Therefore, if you usually eat more or less balanced, and sit on rice and water a couple of days a week, the body does not suffer much: it has reserves of vitamins. This is a great diet, especially if you keep yourself in control on five non-fasting days.that you need to eat a balanced diet every day. This, as most modern nutritionists are convinced, is not entirely true. The human body is a piggy bank. Therefore, if you usually eat more or less balanced, and sit on rice and water a couple of days a week, the body does not suffer much: it has reserves of vitamins. This is a great diet, especially if you keep yourself in control on five non-fasting days.that you need to eat a balanced diet every day. This, as most modern nutritionists are convinced, is not entirely true. The human body is a piggy bank. Therefore, if you usually eat more or less balanced, and sit on rice and water a couple of days a week, the body does not suffer much: it has reserves of vitamins. This is a great diet, especially if you keep yourself in control on five non-fasting days.

The result should appear after the first week - you will lose at least a pound of weight

Long breaks between meals are good for you

It is believed that not having dinner is harmful; it is better to eat often and little by little. However, scientists at the University of Illinois who study nutritional issues think differently. They recently conducted a study of women who ate no more than 500 calories two days a week and did not eat dinner. It turned out that on the day following the fasting day, they ate only 10% more. As a result, most of those who participated in the experiment lost 5 to 15 kilograms in two months without much difficulty. The reason is in the changed hormonal metabolism. The body is able to quickly get used to food restrictions: if you sit on a strict diet for just one day, the next satiety will come faster. Plus, an increasing number of experts are coming to the conclusion that taking long breaks in meals gives you a chance to get rid of fat faster. “When we eat food,containing carbohydrates, - explains Professor Christa Varadi, one of the leading American nutritionists who conducted this study, - glucose enters the blood in the first place. When we skip lunch or dinner, the body starts using glucose, which is stored in the muscles and liver, as an energy source. And when these reserves are depleted (usually this happens after 8-12 hours, depending on the rate of our metabolism), we begin to burn fat until we sit down again. This, in fact, is the essence of many new diets - to endure as long as possible and allow the body to get to fat. But in the case of 5: 2, you limit yourself to heavy food for 36 hours, especially if you have an early dinner before the fasting day.- glucose enters the blood first. When we skip lunch or dinner, the body starts using glucose, which is stored in the muscles and liver, as an energy source. And when these reserves are depleted (usually this happens after 8-12 hours, depending on the rate of our metabolism), we begin to burn fat until we sit down again. This, in fact, is the essence of many new diets - to endure as long as possible and allow the body to get to fat. But in the case of 5: 2, you limit yourself to heavy food for 36 hours, especially if you have an early dinner before the fasting day.- glucose enters the blood first. When we skip lunch or dinner, the body starts using glucose, which is stored in the muscles and liver, as an energy source. And when these reserves are depleted (usually this happens after 8-12 hours, depending on the rate of our metabolism), we begin to burn fat until we sit down again. This, in fact, is the essence of many new diets - to endure as long as possible and allow the body to get to fat. But in the case of 5: 2, you limit yourself to heavy food for 36 hours, especially if you have an early dinner before the fasting day. And when these reserves are depleted (usually this happens after 8-12 hours, depending on the rate of our metabolism), we begin to burn fat until we sit down again. This, in fact, is the essence of many new diets - to endure as long as possible and allow the body to get to fat. But in the case of 5: 2, you limit yourself to heavy food for 36 hours, especially if you have an early dinner before the fasting day. And when these reserves are depleted (usually this happens after 8-12 hours, depending on the rate of our metabolism), we begin to burn fat until we sit down again. This, in fact, is the essence of many new diets - to endure as long as possible and allow the body to get to fat. But in the case of 5: 2, you limit yourself to heavy food for 36 hours, especially if you have an early dinner before the fasting day.

There is a tougher version, it is called The Other Day Diet. Not long ago, after many years of research, Professor Christa Varadi decided to share it with humanity. One day you eat without restrictions (but within reason), the next day you eat four times less, and the main meal should be at lunch. The next day - normal food again. The fourth is diet. Yes, 5: 2 is more humane, but even her doctors advise starting small. For example, a couple of times a week not to have lunch (but it is much better not to have dinner) to get a 12-hour break between breakfast and dinner. It will take four hours to digest breakfast, the next eight will be needed by the liver to detox, which is beneficial in itself. Then the breaks can be increased to 16-18 hours and after a while you can switch to a 24-hour fast (the time when you sleep is also considered). Drink plenty of fluids on days when you skip meals. Attention! Coffee and tea are allowed, but water with a few drops of lemon or apple cider vinegar is much healthier, as the detox effect will increase with it.

How to get used to fasting?

“If you have never played sports and were forced to run five kilometers without a break, you will not like it. But this does not mean that running is harmful. So with fasting - you just have to get used to it,”says Professor Mark Mattson, director of the neurolab at the Baltimore National Institute of Aging. Professor Mattson is a prominent scientist who recently also decided to evaluate the effectiveness of the 5: 2 diet. The results pleased him. Some participants in the experiment complained that at first on fasting days they had a headache, it was difficult to concentrate and the world as a whole was not happy. But after two weeks everything vanished as if by hand. “Our bodies really love abstinence,” Mattson continues. - In addition, when fat burning begins, the brain secretes special proteins and acids that protect cells,stimulate additional sources of energy and improve mood. " This is also justified by evolution: during periods of hunger, brain activity should just increase: you need to somehow look for food! Therefore, relatively short (for example, within a day) periods without food create the same beneficial stress for the brain as regular physical activity does for the muscles. And if fasting a couple of days a week becomes a habit, this, as scientists at the National Institute of Aging have found, can also help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Because abstinence from food for six hours or more triggers healing processes in the body - cells are cleansed, aging processes slow down, inflammatory processes subside, the immune system is strengthened, and new neurons are formed in the brain that stimulate its work. This is also justified by evolution: during periods of hunger, brain activity should just increase: you need to somehow look for food! Therefore, relatively short (for example, within a day) periods without food create the same beneficial stress for the brain as regular physical activity does for the muscles. And if fasting a couple of days a week becomes a habit, this, as scientists at the National Institute of Aging have found, can also help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Because abstinence from food for six hours or more triggers healing processes in the body - cells are cleansed, aging processes slow down, inflammatory processes subside, the immune system is strengthened, and new neurons are formed in the brain that stimulate its work. This is also justified by evolution: during periods of hunger, brain activity should just increase: you need to somehow look for food! Therefore, relatively short (for example, within a day) periods without food create the same beneficial stress for the brain as regular physical activity does for the muscles. And if fasting a couple of days a week becomes a habit, this, as scientists at the National Institute of Aging have found, can also help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Because abstinence from food for six hours or more triggers healing processes in the body - cells are cleansed, aging processes slow down, inflammatory processes subside, the immune system is strengthened, and new neurons are formed in the brain that stimulate its work. Therefore, relatively short (for example, within a day) periods without food create the same beneficial stress for the brain as regular physical activity does for the muscles. And if fasting a couple of days a week becomes a habit, this, as scientists at the National Institute of Aging have found, can also help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Because abstinence from food for six hours or more triggers healing processes in the body - cells are cleansed, aging processes slow down, inflammatory processes subside, the immune system is strengthened, and new neurons are formed in the brain that stimulate its work. Therefore, relatively short (for example, within a day) periods without food create the same beneficial stress for the brain as regular physical activity does for the muscles. And if fasting a couple of days a week becomes a habit, this, as scientists at the National Institute of Aging have found, can also help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Because abstinence from food for six hours or more triggers healing processes in the body - cells are cleansed, aging processes slow down, inflammatory processes subside, the immune system is strengthened, and new neurons are formed in the brain that stimulate its work.as scientists at the National Institute of Aging have found, it can also be a prevention of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Because abstinence from food for six hours or more triggers healing processes in the body - cells are cleansed, aging processes slow down, inflammatory processes subside, the immune system is strengthened, and new neurons are formed in the brain that stimulate its work.as scientists at the National Institute of Aging have found, it can also be a prevention of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Because abstinence from food for six hours or more triggers healing processes in the body - cells are cleansed, aging processes slow down, inflammatory processes subside, the immune system is strengthened, and new neurons are formed in the brain that stimulate its work.

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