- Fat-burning mechanism
- Benefits and risks
- Contraindications
- How to choose?
- Recommendations
- Options
Many are surprised that nutritionists offer a chocolate fasting day for quick and enjoyable weight loss. Can such a high-calorie and sweet product actually help you lose weight? It turns out that this is possible, and our body still knows a lot of things we don’t. If the prospect of lean fasting days frightens you, then this option is a real find.
Fat-burning mechanism
Chocolate fasting day was developed by nutritionists for a long time. Its effect on the body has been studied quite well. You manage to lose weight because cocoa beans:
- prevent insulin resistance (which is the most common cause of obesity) and establish glucose metabolism;
- support healthy intestinal microflora, thanks to which food is digested faster;
- eliminate inflammation in the body, which can provoke a set of excess weight;
- reduce depression, which means that there is no need to “seize” your stress;
- accelerate metabolism;
- effectively break down and remove fat from the body (although this is a rather long process, which cannot be completed in one day, but at least you will start it).
So it turns out that chocolate, despite its high calorie content (more than 500 kcal per 100 grams), is as useful for losing weight as many other dietary products. And the results of such fasting days are proof of this. If you do everything right, then you can lose up to 1.5 kg.
Origin. The word “chocolate” came to us from the Mayan language, where “xocolatl” meant “bitter water”.
Benefits and risks
When choosing this sweet delicacy for weight loss, it is worth understanding what benefits you can get, and where you can stumble.
Benefits:
- prevention of cardiovascular diseases;
- reduced risk of strokes and heart attacks by preventing the formation of blood clots;
- prevention of diabetes, as it regulates the process of glucose absorption by the body;
- normalization of blood pressure;
- improvement of vascular elasticity;
- assistance in the course of autoimmune diseases;
- stimulation of intellectual activity, improvement of memory, activation of thought processes;
- containing antioxidants that prevent the formation of tumors;
- containing polyunsaturated acids that remove harmful cholesterol.
Risks:
- destruction of tooth enamel;
- addiction;
- high calorie content;
- feeling of hunger from the minimum portion for the day — it is hard to endure;
- monotonous diet;
- side effects in the form of nausea and dizziness;
- possible fainting;
- frequent occurrence of gastrointestinal upset;
- promotion of skin rashes.
Obvious harm from such fasting days can only be obtained in extreme cases: if you ignored contraindications or exceeded the recommended dosage.
Interesting fact. Chocolate improves heart function, strengthens blood vessels, and removes cholesterol plaques.
Contraindications
You should refrain from chocolate fasting days if you have the following contraindications:
- allergy to cocoa beans;
- pregnancy;
- diabetes mellitus;
- obesity;
- hypotension;
- gout;
- urolithiasis;
- joint disease;
- insomnia;
- metabolic disorders.
Of course, a daily 100-gram chocolate bar will not provoke an exacerbation of gout or osteochondrosis, but unpleasant side effects are quite possible.
Did you know that… theobromine is present in the composition of chocolate — a substance that makes this product poisonous to animals?
How to choose?
Today’s chocolate assortment is so diverse that the problem of choice involuntarily arises. Porous, dessert, vegan, diabetic, powdered, liquid… Which variety will contribute to maximum weight loss within the framework of the fasting day? After all, if you make a mistake in this matter, you can gain weight instead of losing it.
- Black / dark / bitter
Nutritionists call dark chocolate the most optimal option for losing weight. It has the highest percentage of cocoa beans, which is responsible for weight loss: more than 55%. It is better to choose indicators from 75% — there will be more benefits. This product is classified as “bitter”. If the numbers are lower, the packaging will say “dark” or “black”.
- Milk
Of course, losing weight on milk chocolate is much more pleasant, its taste is very soft and delicate, it literally melts in your mouth. However, the content of cocoa beans in it is minimal, which means that all the hardships of the fasting day may go completely unnoticed. Moreover, dry milk or cream with a fat content of 2.5% included in its 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 anything on the Internet. Even such a paradox as a fasting day menu on white chocolate. Although this delicacy does not contain a single gram of cocoa beans, from which all processes start in the body, leading to weight loss. So there is nothing more useless for fighting extra pounds.
Other varieties also have no value in losing weight, so you can safely ignore them.
Interesting fact. The most expensive chocolate in the world is “Chocopologie by Knipschildt”. 453 grams of treats cost $2,600.
Recommendations
In order to achieve results, learn how to properly spend a fasting day and get out of it without harm to health.
Preparation
A chocolate hunger strike is a real stress for the body, which may react not at all the way you want. Therefore, it is so important to prepare it in advance for this event. To do this, 2-3 days before it, take the following measures.
- Start drinking plenty of water.
- Gradually exclude alcohol, carbonated drinks, fried foods, pickled, smoked, fatty, salty products, fast foods from the diet.
- Switch to five meals a day.
- Eat 20-30 grams of bitter tile daily.
- Get enough sleep.
- Go in for sports.
- On the eve of the hunger strike, dinner should be as light as possible, and before going to bed, it is better to drink a glass of fat-free kefir.
Fasting
- The recommended daily volume is 100 grams of dark chocolate.
- Scheme of use: divide into 5 equal portions, which must be eaten with equal time intervals.
- It is allowed to drink treats with drinks such as green tea (it is possible 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 exclusion, if they are fat-free, then they are also allowed. All of the above should be unsweetened.
- It is imperative to observe the drinking regime — at least 2 liters of pure water.
- On the day of fasting, you can eat low-fat cottage cheese in the morning and before going to bed. Its quantity should not exceed 150 grams.
- Do not replace chocolate with chocolate drinks — it will not be effective.
- At the last meal, eat half of the chocolate bar, put the other half in the refrigerator
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