HOW TO FAST WITHOUT GAINING EXCESS WEIGHT?

Many people during a long fast notice that they begin to gain weight. Why is this happening, and what lean foods add extra weight?

Lean foods sometimes contain more calories than meat or milk.

For example, nuts and vegetable oil are lean but more high-calorie than butter. If you lean on them without limiting the number of carbohydrates and high-calorie foods or neglect physical activity without burning calories, excess weight will be predictable.

FOR REFERENCE

During a strict fast, animal products are completely excluded: meat, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, and butter. In fasting, they usually eat plant foods: fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, dried fruits, soy products, and cereals. This is porridge and all flour – pasta, bread. On some days you can eat seafood, fish and vegetable oil.

In addition, remember that you should make up for the lack of animal proteins with foods rich in vegetable protein. Protein is the only plastic material for building all the human body’s cells. Animal protein deficiency causes a decrease in hemoglobin synthesis, the production of hormones, membranes, and even antibodies. The lack of amino acids causes a compensatory stimulation of appetite for allowed fats and carbohydrates. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, you need to add soy or products enriched with amino acids to plant-based alternatives to meat and fish, albeit artificially.

For the body to not feel the lack of animal protein, use a plant replacement daily. 

WHERE TO LOOK FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO ANIMAL PROTEIN?

• Nuts. One of the main suppliers of protein in fasting. The leader in protein content is walnut, and the minimum protein is in almonds. In addition to protein, nuts contain minerals and vitamins A and E. But you should not get carried away with nuts – 4-5 pieces (or a small handful) are enough daily.
• Mushrooms. In second place after nuts in the supply of vegetable protein to the body. At the same time, mushrooms can be consumed in any form: boiled, fried, or pickled. Because this product is difficult to digest, it is better to use it at most once every 5-7 days.
• Legumes. Another healthy alternative to animal proteins. These are beans, soybeans, lentils, rank, chickpeas, peas, and more. Most protein in soy – 30%. On average, the rest of the legumes contain protein in the region of 20%. At the same time, the body absorbs almost all of it by 75–80%.

Legumes can be eaten daily, but it is better to alternate each type. For example, today is beans; tomorrow, it is lentils; and the day after tomorrow, it is chickpeas.

• Cereals. Yes, they can also be put in several foods rich in protein. This is especially true for buckwheat – it contains 12-14% protein. In addition, there are also iron, trace elements, and vitamins. Remember oatmeal, pearl barley, and rice in the post – they will supplement your protein supply.
• Sunflower seeds. In addition to protein, they still have a lot of useful things: amino acids, vitamins of groups B, C, and E, carotene, and fats. But just because of the latter, you should stay focused on them: using at most 100 grams in two days is better.

It is important to properly distribute the diet throughout the week to avoid disruption of protein synthesis. When these products are allowed, keep going with seafood, fish, and caviar. Squid, oysters, shrimp, octopus, etc., will help fill the lack of protein.

CAN YOU STOCK UP ON PROTEIN?

No. There is no depot or reserve of vitamins, proteins, and microelements in the body; therefore, before fasting, you do not need to eat meat and pancakes in kilograms. During fasting, fish in huge quantities create a supply of nutrients. It still will not be assimilated, and a maximum of new fat deposits will appear.

Only a certain amount of each component from a certain product type is absorbed. Therefore, one should not think that if a person eats 200 grams of meat or fish instead of 100, this will create a certain reserve. No.

If the energy that enters the body with a food rich in carbohydrates is not consumed, it goes to fat synthesis, and weight gain begins. 

Eating during fasting is important to be varied and balanced. Since the synthesis of all protein substances suffers, in addition to nuts, dried apricots, and honey, it is necessary to introduce multivitamins and trace elements, freshly squeezed juices (especially pomegranate) into the diet, and use raisins and grapes to prevent electrolyte deficiency.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT FATS

Ignoring fat in fasting is dangerous. After all, they give us thermal energy and allow us to conduct labor, mental, physical, and other activities. In addition, even if vitamins A, D, K, and E have entered the body, their presence without fatty acids does not make sense – they cannot be absorbed.

For the body to function competently, it needs to consume 20-25% of fats from the daily calorie intake. Moreover, this number should include omega-3 fatty acids (flax seeds, fish oil) and animal fats. It is optimal if 40% of the fats consumed are animal fats (dairy products, meat, etc.).

Without animal fat (saturated fatty acids), the body will have a hard time because animal fat contains lecithin and vitamins A and D, but, most importantly, cholesterol, which is part of all cells and tissues of the body and synthesizes vitamin D.

Therefore, during fasting, eat foods rich in healthy fats: cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, olive, linseed, corn oils, and avocados. Yes, they will have significantly less saturated fat than animal products, but little is better than nothing. At the same time, I repeat, do not abuse vegetable oil.

WE CHANGE VEGETABLE OIL FOR CITRUS JUICE AND SOY SAUCE

When vegetable oil can be added to food, consume no more than 1-2 tablespoons daily since its calorie content is higher than butter.

To reduce vegetable oil consumption, I recommend dressing salads with freshly squeezed citrus juice (for example, lemon) and vegetable stew with soy sauce or tomatoes.

CHOOSING CARBOHYDRATES WITH A LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX

Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are involved in energy production, so they cannot be ignored. Ideally, 50% of the daily calorie intake will come from carbohydrates. But when eating carbohydrates, you need to pay attention to the product’s glycemic index (GI). This indicator indicates the product’s absorption rate and the increase in blood sugar after it.

To prevent weight gain, do not abuse white flour baking. 

For example, in white bread, the GI is very high, it is 100; in boiled potatoes – 85; in white rice and sugar – 70; while in buckwheat and long-grain rice, it is already 60; in quinoa – from 35 to 53 in bulgur – 47, and in vegetables and berries – from 5 to 25. Of course, choosing foods with a low glycemic index is generally better. 

FRUITS IN THE MORNING, VEGETABLES IN THE AFTERNOON

If you want to improve your health during fasting, then eat fruits and vegetables. Fruits are best eaten in the first half of the day, and vegetables, raw or steamed (with a low glycemic index), in the second.

PUMPKIN AND TURNIP INSTEAD OF POTATOES, BEETS, AND CARROTS

Keep in mind that vegetables are different vegetables. Potatoes, which are most often eaten during fasting, contain a lot of starch. And starch activates fat synthesis.

Many people eat boiled beets and carrots in large quantities, forgetting that they have the same glycemic index as potatoes when cooked.

Potato activates fat synthesis. Replace it with zucchini and cabbage. 

I recommend replacing potatoes with turnips, zucchini, and pumpkin. Cut beets and carrots, but add cabbage. You can unlimitedly use all types of cabbage.

FASTING WITHOUT ALLERGIES

Some, during fasting, abuse exotic fruits. This can provoke an allergy. Sometimes it’s healthier to eat sauerkraut or an apple than mango, papaya, or kiwi, often unripe.

COFFEE WITH MILK? CAN!

Lovers of cappuccino or other types of coffee with milk often indulge in such pleasure in fasting. They switch to plant-based products – for example, the most popular types of milk are almond, coconut, or soy. Such milk can add the missing elements to the body and, at the same time, get rid of milk sugar – lactose. Coconut milk is the healthiest. It contains 24 amino acids at once, omega-3, -6, -9 acids, vitamins of groups B, A, C, PP, K, E, mono- and disaccharides, copper, sodium, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc, manganese, essential oils and more.

Not far gone are almonds, containing calcium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, copper, potassium, and magnesium, as well as vitamins A, E, C, and B1-B9. Soy milk is poorer; it contains only potassium, magnesium, calcium, proteins, and fatty acids.

ATTENTION!

Fasting is meant to make people healthy, not sick. Avoid religious fanaticism, which can be harmful to health. Even the most correct Lenten menu is contraindicated for debilitated patients, the elderly, pregnant women, children, and people with gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes, and blood diseases.

For example, people with pre-ulcerative conditions, colitis, or gastritis need fermented milk products. In high-grade protein food (meat, eggs), children and pregnant women. It is advisable to refrain from fast for pilots, air traffic controllers, doctors, and bus drivers – all those on whom people’s lives depend. People in these professions require increased concentration during work, and low-protein foods can weaken it. A person who is going too fast should first consult their doctor.