Grapefruit Fasting Day: How to Lose an Extra Kilo Without Harming Your Health

• Principle of action
• Contraindications
• Recommendations
• Sample menu
• Variations

There are many legends about this unusual citrus fruit. Some people don’t stand its tart, overly specific taste. Others dislike peeling it (or they just don’t know how to do it correctly). And only a few can appreciate its useful properties. We suggest that you spend a fasting day with grapefruit — a hybrid fruit that is considered the leader among fruits for fat burning. Nutritionists highly esteem it.

Principle of action

A correctly spent grapefruit fasting day triggers processes in the body, each of which is directed at weight loss:

• metabolic processes are being stimulated;
• fat is being burnt, especially when combined with protein foods (eggs, kefir, milk, cottage cheese, protein cocktails);
• low calorie content (only 32 kcal) doesn’t allow fats to be stored for later, since there are none of them in the diet;
• PPP (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) is transformed into energy;
• toxins are withdrawn;
• functioning of endocrine, nervous and cardiovascular systems normalizes, which allows you to endure the hunger strike stably and without side effects;
• gastric function improves.

Despite such an infinite flow of processes triggered in the body by grapefruit, results can be rather modest. As practice shows, they rarely reach beyond 1 kg. Usually, losses constitute only 500–700 g. It seems too little to some. However, scientifically, everything is quite explainable.

The main goal of an ordinary fasting day is purification of the body from extra fluid. For this, diuretic or laxative products are used. Weight loss is achieved due to these substances that are withdrawn. Grapefruit works differently, since it is an active fat burner. Its task is to reduce the waistline, hips and other problem areas of the body. However, this is a rather long process. That is why a fasting day based on it is a sort of a starting point for subsequent effective diets with a purpose of long-term and sustainable weight loss.

This is interesting. Many people think that grapefruit is a “relative” of lemon and orange. In reality, it is a result of experimental crossing of lemon and pomelo.

Contraindications

A great amount of organic acids and other biologically active substances contained in grapefruit can have a negative impact on the condition of some organs. Especially if they don’t function properly to begin with. That is why nutritionists warn about contraindications for such weight loss:

• allergy to citrus fruits;
• pregnancy;
• gastritis, ulcer and other gastrointestinal tract problems;
• hepatitis and other liver diseases;
• lactation period;
• pyelonephritis and other kidney diseases;
• old age;
• taking medications.

Among the frequent side effects after consuming a large amount of grapefruits are not only the worsening of the above-mentioned diseases, but also unpleasant eructation, heartburn, and discomfort in the stomach.

Be careful. Consumption of grapefruit juice and simultaneous administration of hypotensive and heart medications can be dangerous health-wise, since it often causes serious complications.

Recommendations

To achieve results and get maximum benefit from the grapefruit fasting day, you need to organize the diet properly and plan the menu wisely. Follow the recommendations of nutritionists to avoid mistakes.

1. Prepare in advance. A week before, start including this citrus fruit in your diet and increase the size of its portions daily. But start gradually eliminating harmful products from your menu.
2. Daily intake — 5 grapefruits, although you’re unlikely to eat all of them during the day. Bitterness, once on your tongue, sends a signal to the parts of the brain responsible for danger (is it poison?). This is how appetite is blocked.
3. The second variant is to drink a liter of grapefruit juice during the day, dividing it into several portions (for example, one glass 5 times).
4. It is also necessary to additionally drink around 2 liters of clean water for normal metabolism (for example, one glass every hour).
5. Physical activity is encouraged, but the strain must be moderate and must not cause exhaustion. In other words, an evening walk is welcomed, but an exhausting workout in the gym is not.
6. If side effects and deterioration of well-being appear, it is recommended to drink hot tea with honey and, in half an hour, have a full-fledged meal (something low-fat but nutritious) — this will be the end of the fasting day. Another product should be chosen for mono-starvation.
7. The exit should be smooth. Continue eating half of the citrus fruit for breakfast and drink a glass of kefir to support the started fat burning processes. Other meals should be full-fledged, but without “harmful” products such as fast food, carbonated drinks and alcohol.

The planned menu will be of great importance. In combination with other products, the fruit will burn fats even more actively, but other products can block its beneficial properties. So study in advance what it is best combined with. Optimal options:

• Grapefruit and protein

This is the ideal combination for weight loss, which allows for burning fat intensively and without harm to muscle mass, so feel free to add chicken breast, low-fat dairy products, and fish to the menu.

• Grapefruit and eggs

They won’t be as effective because egg yolk doesn’t contain substances that would accelerate started processes, although this variant is nutritious enough.

• Grapefruit and green tea

This is an excellent solution for those who feel a decline in strength during starvation: both products work on fat burning, and the drink also invigorates, increasing working capacity.

Depending on the selected supplementary product, there are different variations of grapefruit fasting days.

Note. Red (pink) fruit contains much more ascorbic acid than yellow fruit. Since this particular vitamin actively participates in fat burning processes, draw conclusions about which grapefruit is better to choose for the fasting day.

Sample menu

Use sample templates to plan your own menu. They focus on the number of meals (you can increase it up to 8–10 times, but not decrease) and the size of portions (the smaller they are, the better results you will achieve). As for supplementary products, choose them yourself. Just keep in mind that they all must be low-calorie and perfectly combined with this particular citrus fruit.

Monodeit

Mixed menu

When deciding on a monofasting, be careful: such a large amount of naringin (this is exactly the substance that grants bitterness to the fruit) which has irritating properties, can harm the stomach.

Curious fact. The aroma of grapefruit banishes fatigue and irritability, improves the mood and is considered an aphrodisiac.

Variations

When selecting a supplementary product for the grapefruit fasting day, find out how much of it you can eat in order not to exceed the daily calorie intake (and it should not exceed 1,200 kcal).

• With eggs

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