- Mechanism of weight loss
- Benefits and harms
- Contraindications
- How to choose?
- Recommendations
- Options
Many are surprised that a chocolate fasting day is offered in dietetics for quick and tasty weight loss. Can such a high-calorie and sweet product reduce weight? It turns out that there are such miracles, and we still do not know much about our body. If you are afraid of bland starvation, this option is a real find for you.
Mechanism of weight loss
A chocolate fasting day has long been developed by nutritionists. The impact of it on the body is well studied. Weight loss becomes possible, thanks to cocoa beans, which:
- prevent the development of insulin resistance (it is the most common cause of obesity) and improve the regulation of glucose consumption;
- support healthy intestinal microflora, due to which food is digested faster;
- eliminate foci of inflammation in the body, which can provoke a set of excess weight;
- reduce depression, therefore there is no need to “seize” stress anymore;
- accelerate metabolism;
- effectively break down fats, removing them from the body (however, this is a rather lengthy process that cannot be completed within one day, but at least you will start it).
It turns out that chocolate, despite its high calorie content (more than 500 kcal per 100 g) is as useful for weight loss as many other dietary products. And the proof of this is the results of such fasting days. If you do everything wisely, you can lose up to 1.5 kg.
Origin of the name. The word “chocolate” goes back to the Mayan language, where “xocolatl” meant “bitter water”.
Benefits and harms
Choosing to lose weight with the help of this sweet, you need to know what benefits it can bring and where to expect a catch.
Benefits:
- prevents cardiovascular diseases;
- reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks, preventing thrombus formation;
- is the prevention of diabetes, as it controls the process of glucose absorption by the body;
- normalizes blood pressure;
- contributes to the elasticity of blood vessels;
- facilitates the course of autoimmune diseases;
- stimulates intellectual activity, improves memory, and activates thought processes;
- antioxidant substances prevent the formation of tumors;
- polyunsaturated acids remove harmful cholesterol.
Harm:
- destroys tooth enamel;
- causes food addiction;
- high calorie content;
- the minimum daily portion makes you experience hunger – it can be very difficult to endure;
- monotony of the diet;
- among the side effects are nausea and dizziness;
- fainting is possible;
- often provokes gastrointestinal disorders;
- contributes to rashes on the skin.
Obvious harm from such fasting days can be felt only in extreme cases: when contraindications were ignored or the recommended dosage was increased.
Additional Information. Chocolate improves heart function, strengthens and cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol plaques.
Contraindications
You should not take into account chocolate fasting days if you have the following contraindications:
- allergy to cocoa beans;
- pregnancy;
- diabetes;
- obesity;
- hypotension;
- gout;
- urolithiasis disease;
- joint diseases;
- insomnia;
- disturbed metabolism.
Of course, 100 g of chocolate eaten per day will not provoke an exacerbation of gout or osteochondrosis, but unpleasant side effects are quite possible.
Did you know that… chocolate contains “theobromine” – a substance that makes this product poisonous to animals?
How to choose?
The assortment of chocolate today is so diverse that the problem of choice involuntarily arises. Porous, dessert, vegan, diabetic, powdered, liquid… Which grade will contribute to the maximum weight loss within the fasting day? After all, it is worth making a mistake in this matter – and instead of losing excess weight, you can, on the contrary, gain.
- Black / dark / bitter
The most optimal option recommended by nutritionists is to lose weight on dark chocolate. In it, the percentage of cocoa beans responsible for weight loss is the highest: above 55%. It is better to choose indicators starting from 75% – there will be more benefits. It is this product that is marked “bitter”. If the numbers are smaller, “dark” or “black” will be indicated on the packaging.
- Milk
Undoubtedly, it is much more pleasant to lose weight on milk chocolate, as it tastes very soft and tender, literally melts in your mouth. However, the content of cocoa beans in it is minimal, which means that all the hardships of a fasting day can remain completely unnoticed. Moreover, dry milk or cream with a fat content of 2.5% in their composition are far from dietary products, and there is practically no benefit from them. So nutritionists do not recommend this type.
- White
You can find everything on the Internet. Even such a paradox as the menu of a fasting day on white chocolate. Although there is not a single gram of cocoa beans in this delicacy, which start all the processes in the body, leading to weight loss. So nothing more useless in the fight against extra pounds can be found.
Other varieties also have no value in losing weight, so you can decisively bypass them.
This is interesting. The most expensive chocolate is “Chocopologie by Knipschildt”. 453 grams of goodies are worth $ 2,600.
Recommendations
To achieve the result, learn how to properly spend a fasting day and get out of it without harm to your health.
Preparation
Chocolate hunger strike is a real stress for the body, to which it may react completely differently as you would like. Therefore, it is so important to prepare him for this event in advance. To do this, take the following steps 2-3 days before it.
- Start drinking plenty of water.
- Gradually exclude alcohol, carbonated drinks, fried foods, pickled, smoked, fatty, salty foods, and fast foods from the diet.
- Switch to a five-time meal.
- Eat 20-30 g of bitter chocolate daily.
- Get enough sleep.
- Play sports.
- On the eve of starvation, dinner should be as light as possible, and before bedtime it is better to drink a glass of fat-free kefir.
Hunger strike
- The recommended daily volume is 100 g of dark chocolate.
- Scheme of use: divide into 5 equal portions, which you need to eat with equal intervals in time.
- It is allowed to drink treats with drinks such as green tea (you can with various fat-burning additives in the form of cinnamon or lemon) and herbal teas. Kefir and milk do not quite fit into the scheme, but for the sake of an exception, if they are fat-free, they are also allowed. All of the above should be unsweetened.
- It is imperative to observe the drinking regime – at least 2 liters of clean water.
- Physical activity on this day is contraindicated. Only a short walk and a 10-minute morning exercise are possible.
