Do You Need Unloading Days?

We found out what evidence-based medicine thinks about quickly getting rid of toxins and extra pounds.

We found out what evidence-based medicine thinks about quickly getting rid of toxins and extra pounds.

Spent a day on kefir, apples, bananas or water - lost a couple of extra kilograms, cleansed the body of toxins and generally felt healthier.

Sounds delicious. Only completely unscientific.

What are unloading days

It is customary to call a significant restriction of calories per day as unloading days. Someone achieves this by eating only apples, someone allows themselves only kefir, someone focuses on buckwheat, the most desperate and completely sit down on one water...

But in general, no difference. Whatever product you choose, the effect will be zero. More precisely, negative in the long term.

There are many ways to make your body healthier, but weight loss days are not one of them.

Only a couple of nuances change things a little, but more on them later.

Are unloading days necessary at all?

To answer this question, you need to understand why they are held. Spread, so to speak, detox on the shelves. And then analyze whether the expected result is achieved.

There are usually only three goals.

1. Cleanse the body (intestines) of impurities

Result: negative.

At the word "slags", the doctors begin to smile sympathetically and somewhat mischievously. Because the existence of some toxins in the body is rather a myth.

Some scientists even consider "detoxification" to be an exclusively commercial project aimed at extracting money from gullible patients.

In any case, there are no authoritative studies to date that prove the benefits of a detox diet.

Separately, it should be said that the human body has a whole set of natural "cleansing" systems. This includes the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and even the skin. If these organs are healthy and work normally, they do an excellent job of removing all excess and harmful substances from the body. It is not worth giving them additional stress by denying them food.

If we are talking about any violations, then you can't experiment with unloading days. Any dietary restrictions should be introduced only on the recommendation of your doctor.

2. Quickly bend the weight

Result: controversial.

If your goal is to lose a couple of kilograms, then after a day of unloading, the scales will really please you. True, not for long. With a huge probability, very soon you will get the same kilograms back. And maybe with "friends".

The fact is that weight loss after an unloading day is most often associated with fluid loss. As soon as you return to your usual diet, the amount of moisture in your body and, as a result, your body weight increases again.

The second factor is the slowing down of metabolism. Frightened by sudden restrictions, the body first begins to spend as little energy as possible, and then, as soon as nutrition is restored, it begins to actively store fat for the future. And can overdo it.

3. Feel lightness, become more energetic

Result: controversial.

Typical side effects of unloading days are:

• drop in blood sugar;
• dizziness;
• weakness;
• fast fatigue;
• headaches and muscle pains.

Some people, however, report feeling better during and immediately after deloading days. Experts from the American Mayo Clinic explain this by the fact that foods with a high content of sugar and solid fats are excluded from the diet. However, the same effect can be achieved without starving yourself. It is quite simple to view your daily menu.

Does this mean that unloading days are useless

Not at all. There are two cases in which food restrictions are really justified.

1. Medical recommendations

A number of diseases — for example, disorders of the digestive system, cardiovascular system, diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions — require a special approach to nutrition. Your doctor may recommend a low-sugar diet. Or, for example, only from products that have been ground into a pulp to give rest to the inflamed intestines.

But such diets cannot be called unloading days. As a rule, they last quite a long time, and in some cases they have to be followed until the end of life.

2. Interval fasting

In order for unloading days to really bring benefits, they should be held regularly, not whenever you want. That is, with a certain frequency. In this case, unloading days become an element of the so-called interval fasting, which improves health - and this is scientifically proven.

There is an important aspect here. Unlike fasting days, which involve calorie restriction, intermittent fasting is an alternation of "full" periods with completely hungry periods. If you don't eat, then you don't eat at all, limiting yourself to water or diluted vegetable juices. Only in this case will dietary restrictions bring obvious benefits.

But let's note again: any food experiments should be agreed with your therapist. This is the best way to avoid harming yourself.