Training on a fasting day. Carbohydrate unloading is the loading of an athlete. Who are prohibited from fasting days?
Imagine, you couldn’t resist and ate something tasty that was prohibited by the diet, or had a blast at the holiday table. Most women in this case arrange a fasting day. But this strategy is not without its drawbacks. Fasting, even one day, can trigger the mechanism of overeating, and you simply cannot resist high-calorie food the next day. Training may help you instead. fasting day.
How to choose your activity
Let's say you don't do fitness regularly. In this case, it is necessary to put a significant load on the body with an eye on physical fitness. Your activities are fast walking, dancing, swimming, sport games like table tennis, badminton or Frisbee. The main condition is that the load must be intense enough for you to sweat.
Are you new to fitness and working out about 200 minutes a week for a month or two? Opt for tap dancing, jumping dances such as house dancing, or light jogging on a treadmill or elliptical machine.
Well, experienced fitnessists should spend calories on Tabata training, interval cardio strength training or high intensity strength training. Classic cardio is too easy a choice for you. Naturally, any exercise helps burn calories, but you need not only and not so much the creation of an energy deficit, but rather a powerful metabolic response. And this result can only be achieved with the help of high-intensity interval regimens.
Mode
The first mistake that all beginners make in using training to eliminate the consequences of overeating is exercising early in the morning on an empty stomach. If yesterday you actively participated in a banquet, and your body may simply not be ready for sports load. However, you shouldn’t delay your training either - you can “wait it out” important point and the extra calories will be absorbed. It would be ideal if you start exercising 10-16 hours after a heavy meal.
Immediately after waking up, eat a light protein breakfast, for example 4-5 egg whites with any greens, or 160 grams of low-fat cottage cheese with coffee. This will help fill and calm your stomach and stabilize your blood sugar levels. In addition, eating breakfast will help your body draw energy from glycogen stores, reserves created after overeating. Wait about an hour after breakfast and you can start exercising.
During training, monitor your heart rate and try to keep it below the lower limit of the fat burning zone. You should not eat immediately after class. It will be great if you visit an infrared sauna or steam room instead. Thermal procedures will help remove excess liquid from the body, and you will not gain weight even for a while. Additionally, on this day in the evening after dinner, walk for 40-50 minutes at a relaxed pace, and you can be sure there are no excesses in problem areas will not be delayed. Good luck!
What should it be perfect fasting day? First of all, it is not harmful to the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract and low in calories. In this case, it will be best if your brain does not notice that you are “doing something wrong” with your diet and does not “revenge” you by increasing your appetite the next day. This is only possible by maintaining normal fiber levels and introducing a moderate amount of protein into the diet. Well, the second secret to a successful fasting day, which is not accompanied by overeating “for tomorrow,” is a decrease in physical activity. If you regularly engage in fitness, the maximum you should do on this day is a long cardio lesson of medium or low intensity, plus stretching. Beginners can, with peace of mind, spend the entire “unloading” on the sofa with a book, this will help reduce stress levels and minimize the feeling of hunger.
Fasting day for Yulia Bordovskikh
The secret of this fasting day– in a full healthy breakfast. As a result, your metabolism will not slow down, and you will be able to survive this day fully and actively. The “plumb line” will be a kilogram, traditional for such days, and you have a chance to keep half the result as a constant weight indicator.
Breakfast: 40 g bran bread, 30 g parmesan cheese or 50 g ricotta cheese, a cup of coffee with milk.
Dinner: 200 g steamed non-starchy vegetables (cauliflower or broccoli, green beans, carrots, shiitake mushrooms), 50 g 2.5% yoghurt.
Dinner: glass of kefir 2.5%
It is allowed to split lunch and dinner in half and make five meals instead of three. Yulia Bordovskikh recommends repeating this fasting day once a week. It can be useful if you regularly follow a diet with high protein content, and in addition, it does not slow down your metabolism.
Fasting day Madeleine Gesta
This fasting day developed by French nutritionist Madeleine Gesta and is one of the elements of her weight loss diet. Ideally, you should stick to this regimen for two days in a row. The fasting day of Madeleine Gesta is stricter than the previous one in two days you can lose up to 3 kg of weight. This day is especially recommended for those who have swelling and overeat salty foods in everyday life.
Breakfast:
Immediately after waking up– a glass of warm water with lemon juice.
After half an hour: a cup of cocoa in water with two tablespoons of milk 3.2% and two teaspoons of honey.
In one hour: a glass of grapefruit juice or half a grapefruit.
Dinner:
Vegetable soup: leeks, broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, celery root. Boil in water, you can grind in a blender. Eat 200 g of the finished product.
Dinner: 100 g lean steamed fish, 100 g vegetables.
Fasting day of M. Ginzburg's low-fat diet
The low-fat diet from nutritionist M. Ginzburg is not as “promoted” as, for example, M. Koroleva’s weight loss system. However, it is no less effective in practice, and is quite easy to use. The essence of M. Ginzburg's fasting day is not only to reduce calorie intake, but also to limit fat. It is recommended to arrange such a fasting day once a week, as it is quite complete, varied and easily tolerated. The peculiarity of this day is that the main meal is transferred to dinner. This makes it easier to maintain restrictions, and at the same time, dinner is balanced and you won’t overeat.
Breakfast:
100 low-fat cottage cheese and 50 g of any sweet fruit or Doctor Slim cocktail
Dinner:
100 g of fish and 200 g of salad without oil from tomatoes and cucumbers, or two servings of the Doctor Slim cocktail
Dinner:
2 baked potatoes, cucumber, 100 g fish (pollock, hake)
During the fasting day you can drink water, tea, coffee. It is not recommended to use vegetable cream, even low-fat, and sweeteners. These substances retain fluid in the body.
Fasting day “from the gym”
This simple fasting is used by those who are forced to eat large portions of protein foods most of the time and take protein. The main goal of the day is to slightly “reset” the gastrointestinal tract, remove swelling and shake up the body.
Morning:
A glass of warm water with lemon juice.
Breakfast:
100 g oatmeal in water, 30 g almonds.
Lunch:
2 cucumbers, 50 g yogurt
Dinner:
Vegetable broth and a slice of bread
Second lunch:
8 prunes, a glass of kefir
Dinner:
Green apple, 100 g cottage cheese.
On this day consumption is prohibited protein shakes and bars, which enhances the cleansing of the body. According to some versions, the evening apple should be replaced with 200 g of stem celery.
So, a good fasting day is not necessarily a mono-diet. The main thing is that your diet consists of healthy, non-canned foods that are easy to digest. If you want to create an unloading yourself, be guided by the fact that the minimum you should consume is 1000-1200 kcal. Large values are only acceptable for those who are seriously involved in strength training.
And the last thing you should know is that it is better not to unload meat products and canned fish. These types of foods slow down digestion and you may not get desired result from the fasting day. Well, if you just need to enhance digestion, you can replace dinner with a glass of kefir and eight prunes, and snack on green apples a couple of times during the day.
If you train day after day, week after week, month after month... without stopping, you may notice that you are gradually losing strength, reducing your performance in training. Constant fatigue, will prevent your body from training effectively, even if your strength training is infrequent. This is a mistake that many athletes make, which over time can lead to even more serious consequences -
There comes a time when you need to give your muscles a rest, and you shouldn’t neglect it! A week of “unloading”, of a kind, is part of training process, thanks to which you will not only rest, but also allow your muscles to fully recover. That is, your body will reach optimal hormonal levels, and the central nervous system will also stabilize. This is an absolutely integral part strength training, and even, a kind of body hardening.
In sports, this type of muscle unloading and nervous system known as tapering (recovery from heavy physical activity). When athletes go through this period, they strive for full recovery, which is what allows them to compete at such a high level.
Who needs “unloading”?
Beginners who engage in fitness up to 2 times a week and learn the basics of squats, lunges and push-ups will not face such “unloading” stages.
Fitness enthusiasts who devote their weekends to exercise and nothing else, do not have to worry about fatigue overtaking them, since the body has time to recover within a week.
In contrast, athletes who diligently perform exercises such as squats, lunges, presses and other multi-joint “core” exercises are required to alternate hard training with “fast” days.
What to do during the fasting week?
A “fast” week doesn’t mean you have to relax completely, just make your training days much easier. Over time, you will listen to your body and understand when exactly this moment comes.
There are several ways you can create a lightweight training program:
— Reduce the number of approaches for each exercise
— Use more a light weight for each exercise
- Reduce the number of repetitions
— Increase rest intervals
— Reduce the number training days in Week
— Reduce the time of strength training
For example, here is a training program with “wave load”, which looks something like this:
Week 1: Moderately high intensity training (hard training)
Week 2: Medium training intensity (slight recovery from 1 week)
Week 3: High Intensity Training (Challenge Week)
Week 4: low intensity training ( fasting week)
Starting from week 5 the cycle repeats...
Some tips to help you focus on your fast week
1. Enjoy your workouts. There is no need to train, only guided by training programs... sometimes leave a certain comfort zone in order to tell something new. For example, learn a few yoga exercises that will allow you to completely “turn off” your brain and relax.
2. Take a day off and instead of working out, do something actively useful: do a general cleaning of the house or clean out the garage. The main thing is that you will also burn calories, just not in a formal setting.
3. Eat right, get enough sleep and regain your strength! Exactly proper diet nutrition and sleep contribute to achieving great success in sports! Since training during the fasting week is lighter, use this time to fully restore your body and remove muscle soreness. Go for a massage, which allows you to get rid of tension in your muscles and connective tissues, and warm up often throughout the day. Yoga or stretching is the best option for restoring the body.
Do not abuse the “unloading” period!
If you go from one extreme to another, that is, train 365 days a year or give yourself “slack” and turn “fasting” days into weeks and even months, you will never achieve any results! For more or less experienced athletes a planned “fasting” week is simply necessary for the proper functioning of the body and muscle development. It will help you avoid fatigue and allow you to train at your full potential to achieve your goals.
It is not advisable to arrange fasting days during periods of hormonal surges (during menstruation, pregnancy, etc.), with exacerbation of existing diseases and vitamin deficiencies, since during these periods the body needs a balanced and nutritious diet. It is also best to organize cleansing of the body on weekends, so that there are no distractions.
Sample fasting day menu
A healthy fasting day is based not on fasting, but on a mono-diet, when a person eats a certain group of foods all day. The most common “unloading” is kefir and yogurt.
For a fermented milk mono-diet, purchase wheat bran (or fiber), a liter of fresh kefir or yogurt. Divide the drink into 4 equal parts, add 1 tbsp. l. bran and drink every 3.5 hours.
Vegetable and fruit porridges can be an excellent option for a fasting day. For example, pumpkin puree (seedless pumpkin pulp crushed in a blender) or spinach porridge: simmer 500 g of spinach with water over medium heat for 10 minutes, pour in 200 ml. curdled milk and let it brew for 5 minutes. If you want liquid, cook chicken broth and chop a couple of carrots and herbs into it.
Don't forget about drinking. To activate metabolic processes To get rid of toxins, green, ginger, linden or chamomile tea without sugar or still mineral water are suitable.
Is it possible to combine a fasting day with physical activity?
Even necessary! But you should not lean on active strength exercises. A walk is enough fresh air lasting at least 45 minutes.
All professional athletes know what carbohydrate unloading and carbohydrate loading are. IN last years It has become popular to use carbohydrate unloading and loading therapy before important competitions and during heavier base loads.
Even if you are not a professional athlete, but regularly engage in fitness or sports, then it can also be very useful information about how to properly carry out carbohydrate loading and unloading.
So, first things first...
Why is carbohydrate unloading necessary?
Athletes practice carbohydrate unloading in three cases:
1. When preparing for competitions and want to improve body contour by reducing body fat
Everyone knows that fat mass body and weight increase mainly due to an excess of carbohydrates. Excessive consumption of carbohydrates leads to excess weight. And if you reduce your carbohydrate intake, the body will draw energy from the breakdown of lipids, thus reducing body fat.
To make muscles more visible, athletes get rid of excess fat precisely through carbohydrate unloading.
2. When they want to increase the intensity of gluconeogenesis in the body 
Gluconeogenesis is the body’s ability to independently synthesize glucose when its reserves are depleted, and if it is not sufficiently supplied to the body (not supplied at all).
The development of physical endurance in an athlete directly depends on the intensity of gluconeogenesis. During carbohydrate unloading, a person deliberately creates a sharp deficit of glucose in the blood, which stimulates the development of gluconeogenesis.
Professional athletes achieve a high intensity of gluconeogenesis, which is immediately noticeable in their endurance and athletic achievements.
3. When they want to increase the efficiency of carbohydrate loading
Alternating unloading and loading days gives much best effect than just carbohydrate unloading and loading separately. During carbohydrate unloading, the body gradually weanes itself from the entry of glucose into the blood from food and begins to synthesize glucose on its own.
Further, during carbohydrate loading, the body for some time, by inertia, continues to synthesize glucose in addition to what begins to enter the body along with carbohydrates. As a result, glycogen reserves increase, which means the athlete’s endurance and strength will increase.
How to carry out carbohydrate unloading
During carbohydrate unloading, all simple and complex carbohydrates are excluded from the menu. If you have never practiced a carbohydrate-free diet before, then it is better to enter the fasting phase gradually, gradually reducing the amount of carbohydrate intake until they are completely eliminated.
Athletes accustomed to a carbohydrate-free diet can immediately eliminate all carbohydrates from the menu. This is the so-called “drying” (however, during “drying” water consumption is also sharply limited).
Simple carbohydrates include all sweets, sugar, flour products, bread made from premium flour, pasta refined porridges made from the same flour. Complex carbohydrates include all vegetables and fruits, whole grain cereals and flour (bread) products made from wholemeal flour, dried fruits. Mushrooms also contain a certain amount of carbohydrates, so they are also excluded.
The daily calorie intake during carbohydrate unloading must be met through proteins and the right fats. So, during carbohydrate unloading you are allowed to eat:
– Egg whites (animal protein standard); 
– Dairy and fermented milk products with low fat content;
– Fish and seafood (a source of protein and valuable fatty acids from the Omega series);
– Lean meat (chicken fillet, turkey, rabbit, nutria);
– By-products;
– Low-fat rennet cheeses;
– Cold pressed vegetable oil.
Increasing the amount of protein will speed up the process of fat burning, which will affect body weight and the appearance of relief (protein helps increase muscle mass, since it is building material for muscle fibers).
Untrained people should practice carbohydrate fasting for no more than 2 weeks, and trained people should practice carbohydrate fasting for no more than a month.
What is carbohydrate loading for?
Athletes carry out carbohydrate loading in the following cases:
1. When you need to get out of carbohydrate fasting and reintroduce carbohydrates into your diet
After all, carbohydrates are the main source of our energy. Glucose, obtained from the breakdown of carbohydrates, is extremely necessary for the functioning of the brain, because the brain does not work on fats and proteins.
Of course, our body can synthesize glucose itself during gluconeogenesis, but this process cannot and should not continue indefinitely.
Therefore, the best way out of carbohydrate unloading is a gradual and smooth carbohydrate loading, in which carbohydrates are introduced into the diet slowly until the usual carbohydrate norm is reached (depending on individual needs and daily norm calories).
2. When it is necessary to gain body weight before competitions 
It is known that fat mass weighs more than muscle mass, and it is best to gain it on carbohydrates. Before the competition, to be in the right state weight category, athletes can specifically gain body weight. Due to the growth of muscle mass, this is not easy and takes a long time, but a high-carbohydrate diet allows you to quickly close the issue.
3. When you need to replenish the body's glycogen reserves
When physical activity begins, the body takes energy for training from glycogen. When glycogen stores run out, energy is taken from fat stores. This mechanism is used when it is necessary to burn fat and correct weight in the direction of reducing it.
On average, glycogen reserves are consumed in 30-40 minutes, and then fat breakdown begins. But if glycogen reserves are larger, the workout can last longer. The amount of glycogen affects the endurance and strength of an athlete.
When energy is synthesized from glycogen, a person is at the peak of his capabilities, fatigue hardly appears, and intensity, speed and strength indicators training is at a high level.
When energy is taken from the breakdown of fats, fatigue sets in faster, endurance decreases, and so does strength.
U professional athletes Glycogen stores are higher than beginners, which is why they can train longer, with better intensity and endurance.
Glycogen reserves can be increased by alternating carbohydrate unloading and loading. This alternation also promotes faster and more intense growth of muscle mass.
How to Carbohydrate Load?
Proper carbohydrate loading involves gradually increasing the amount of carbohydrates to the usual norm. To determine your carbohydrate quota, you must first calculate yours, and then, based on the result obtained, calculate your daily carbohydrate quota (read how to calculate).
Now you know how many carbohydrates you should consume if you want to maintain your weight within the limits that you have. Next, divide this weight by the number of days of carbohydrate loading you plan to do. Remember that the number of days of carbohydrate unloading and loading should be approximately the same. 
The amount of carbohydrates received is your so-called carbohydrate “step”, which you must do day after day until the end of the carbohydrate loading period. On the first day of loading, you consume carbohydrates in the amount of one “step”, on the second day – in the amount of two steps, and so on until the amount of carbohydrates consumed is brought to normal.
It is not recommended to abruptly resume carbohydrate consumption within the normal range. Firstly, your body is weaned from carbohydrates and receiving glucose from them. Secondly, carbohydrate unloading was a shock to your body, so there is no need to make carbohydrate loading a shock.
And finally, during the unloading period, the body began to independently synthesize glucose and glycogen, so a sudden intake of a large amount of glucose from carbohydrate foods will lead to a large jump in blood sugar and an equally large release of insulin.
Don’t forget the fact that carbohydrates perfectly bind water molecules, so their excess (during the withdrawal period during unloading) can lead to edema, increased blood pressure, and kidney problems.
To neutralize this phenomenon, you can initially replace fruits with dried fruits. They contain almost no water, so the balance of fluid entering the body will not be disturbed.
There is also such a thing as pre-workout carbohydrate loading. It consists in the fact that the athlete consumes carbohydrates an hour or two before training to replenish his glycogen reserves. This will increase training productivity, endurance and strength.
For carbohydrate loading, it is better to use complex carbohydrates, which are slowly digested and result in a slow and gradual release of glucose. When consumed complex carbohydrates There are no sudden spikes in blood sugar and longer satiety is achieved.
What do athletes experience during carbohydrate loading and unloading?
In the first days of carbohydrate unloading, athletes feel an incredible craving for sweets, flour products and all other foods containing large amounts of carbohydrates. This is explained by the fact that the body has stopped receiving glucose from the outside and is resisting it. 
The brain, which feeds on glucose, does everything it can to tempt you to carbohydrate products: increases appetite, increases hunger, worsens sleep so that you cannot sleep for a long time and block its signals.
Those who can withstand such pressure (it lasts no more than 7-10 days) will move into the next phase - pacification and decreased activity. During this phase, the appetite is no longer tormented, you almost don’t want sweets, but you want to sleep and reduce physical activity. This is the adaptation period of the body, depleted by glucose deficiency.
After this period, the third phase begins - a sharp jump in energy and increased physical activity. During the third phase, the body understands that glucose will no longer be supplied from foods and begins to synthesize it on its own. New glycogen https://site/sutochnaya-norma-kalorij-raschet/ new reserves are quickly created, the body works at full strength.
As a result it grows physical activity, endurance and strength indicators. The person sleeps as usual, is alert, has a moderate appetite, and apathy goes away.
It is undesirable to stay in the third phase for a long time, despite all its delights, since the body itself should not produce glucose for a long time. Following the third phase, a period of carbohydrate loading should begin - gradual and systematic.
In the first days of carbohydrate loading, an even greater increase in strength occurs: glycogen reserves increase due to the intake of glucose from food and the continuation of gluconeogenesis. Next comes a period of adaptation, during which the body stops producing glucose itself and takes it only from incoming carbohydrates.
But as glycogen stores have expanded, glycogen stores also increase. This is reflected in an increase in endurance and strength indicators.
After completing the carbohydrate loading, the athlete smoothly switches to the usual mode of carbohydrate consumption. The body's condition is stabilizing.
It is believed that no more than 3-4 unloading and loading stages can be carried out per year, each lasting no more than a month. For untrained athletes, such experiments can be carried out no more than twice a year. 
A regular carbohydrate load before a workout can be done at least every day, since it does not affect the total amount of carbohydrates consumed and is not preceded by a shocking carbohydrate unloading for the body.
Be smart about everything you do to improve your athletic performance and figure. Good luck with your training!
Did you find this article helpful? Then like us and write in the comments, do you carry out carbohydrate unloading/loading and how often?
