Therapeutic fasting, or How to lose weight by 7 kg in 2 weeks

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Boris Zak conquers Lifehacker again and again with his guest posts. This time we will talk about the hungry. Rather, about losing weight and cleansing the body by fasting - not simple, but therapeutic.

Therapeutic fasting refers to the temporary refusal of food. Many people think that fasting is another way to lose a couple of extra pounds. In fact, the main purpose of fasting is to cleanse the body. Metabolism is activated, on the third or fourth day of fasting, a surge of energy appears, the immune system is strengthened, self-healing mechanisms are triggered, even such chronic diseases as allergies or arthrosis, if they do not go away completely, can take on a milder form.

This is theory, but what does it look like in practice?

About seven years ago, my better half and I decided to go to a sanatorium to rest. The choice was simple: not far from home, well, and a reasonable price. The choice fell on a clinic that specializes in curative fasting and homeopathy. Swimming pool, sauna, water procedures … We were not going to starve, this is a voluntary matter, and we chose just diet food.

At that time I was 33 years old. Due to sedentary work, not entirely healthy diet and the almost complete absence of sports, my weight reached 87 kilograms with an increase of 171 centimeters. This, of course, is not a disaster yet, but discomfort has begun to appear. Before that, my body gave me a couple of signals that can be expressed in a catch phrase:

Boris, you're wrong!

Once, having gone for a ride on bicycles with children, I almost fainted after another climb; then, undergoing examination by a doctor, I still fainted after an EKG with a load. Diagnoses rained down on me: circulatory problems, high cholesterol, weak lungs plus an asthmatic component, weakening of connective tissue, they found an allergy to dust, birch and a couple more blooms. Nice bouquet, right? And besides, at 33 years old.

So, the clinic, the first conversation with the doctor. The head physician of the clinic, a student of Buchinger himself, of course, an adherent of fasting, having made a lot of effort, persuades me to try to starve - they say, it's better to try once than hear a hundred times. In addition, fasting can be interrupted at any time.

Hungry menus

Breakfast: a glass of tomato or other vegetable juice. (Vitamins.)

Dinner: vegetable broth. Vegetables are boiled for three hours and filtered. Serve fresh, without salt, pepper and other spices. You can give some kind of taste only with the help of fresh herbs: parsley, dill and so on, but not all together, but, like Zhvanetsky, one thing. (Minerals.)

Dinner: herbal tea and 20 grams of honey.

You can drink water and herbal teas all day as you like.

Schedule

Cardio workout

We spin the bike for 20 minutes at a given pulse.

The formula is very simple - 180 minus age. For me at that time it was tantamount to murder. After that, I departed for about an hour. The blood pounds in the temples, dizziness, and the legs seem to be poured with lead.

Water procedures

Contrast baths for hands, feet, pelvis, and at the end of the week a full bath.

I went through this with pleasure.

Colonotherapy

At first, I was disposed, to put it mildly, negatively, but when I saw that it had nothing to do with an enema, I changed my opinion to a neutral one.

In the afternoon, after dinner, I had to lie down with a bag of warm boiled potatoes, putting it on my right side. This should help cleanse the liver.

In addition, there is an opportunity to attend different courses: aqua gymnastics, Pilates, yoga and so on.

My feelings during fasting

The first day

Taking a glass of tomato juice on my chest, I went to my morning gymnastics. Something like what we did in physical education classes at school. To my surprise, there was no hunger.

Then an exercise bike - as I said, it's hard. After resting, almost crawling went to the water procedures. Contrast calf bath: keep your feet in warm water for 5 minutes, then in cold water for 20 seconds, again in warm water for 5 minutes, and finally 20 seconds in cold water.

After that, it became easier, but most of all I was surprised by the complete absence of a feeling of hunger!

So lunch is zucchini broth. To be honest, I could not imagine such a thing in a nightmare.

Having covered the broth with parsley, he drank this case in one gulp.

A bag of chopped boiled potatoes was already waiting for me in the room … Can you imagine the smell? Half a day without food.

They say some hungry people eat up from these bags. Here the appetite came in. Having made incredible efforts, I resisted the temptation to feast on potatoes in my uniform, and my imagination draws a smoked mackerel from the delivery, a sweet onion cut into rings, and all this is poured with butter … I think, dear reader, you understand my condition.

Since the obligatory program was finished before lunchtime, I decided to just relax on the balcony with a book.

After licking 20 grams of honey at dinner, talking with neighbors at the table, I decided to reward myself for my services to myself by visiting the sauna.

Second and subsequent days

The second and third days were not very pleasant. The bike was exhausting, the water procedures were not enjoyable. Weakness appeared, I even began to think about giving up fasting.

Waking up on the fourth day, I was surprised to feel a surge of strength from nowhere! There was no hunger, and even a bag of potatoes did not cause hungry hallucinations. From that day on, a turning point has come in the fasting process. I began to attend all kinds of events and gymnastics. The bike stopped annoying, and it became easier and easier to turn it every day. Yes, I almost forgot about losing weight. Every day it took from 300 to 800 grams.

On the seventh day, I decided to take part in a forest walk - as much as 14 kilometers! Today, after I walked 100 kilometers twice, and the average distance of my training is 20 kilometers, it causes a grin, but at that time it was a feat for me. Let me remind you that my diet was about 300 kilocalories per day. I was struck by the energy - it appeared literally out of nowhere.

The planned 10 days of fasting passed and I began the program of transition to normal food.

Outcome

In two weeks I lost 7 kilograms. Forgot what an allergy is. I bought an exercise bike home and began to exercise on it regularly. Completely changed the diet, and, frankly, this rearrangement without fasting would hardly have happened. 10 days of drinking the tasteless liquid completely changed my taste experience. Within a year after fasting, I lost up to 72 kilograms and since then I have kept my weight within limits.

My wife and I became regular clients of this clinic and went on hunger strike there four more times.

In the following articles I will tell you in detail about fasting itself.