Nutrition during fasting: how not to gain weight. Nutrition during fasting: how not to gain weight Is it possible to gain weight during fasting

Meals during Lent

great post is an important and difficult time for Christians. Diet restrictions are not for everyone. The list of products allowed during this period is limited, which causes difficulties when planning the menu. It would seem: vegetables, fruits, cereals - it is impossible to get fat on these products, but this is not so. Fasting people often gain extra pounds. What is the reason for this and how not to get better in the post? Let's try to answer these questions together.

Nutrition during Lent involves several modes.

  • Hot food without oil
  • Xerophagy
  • Food with added vegetable oil

According to church canons, you need to eat only once a day. But not everyone follows this rule. We work, get tired, go in for sports, family, business. This rule is hard to follow. Thus, we eat more often, consuming more and more calories and gaining extra kilos. This can be avoided if you properly plan your meals.

The basis of nutrition in fasting is bread and cereals. Undoubtedly, these are wonderful products that cause a feeling of satiety for a long time. However, they are quite high in calories. But do not rush to give them up, just reduce their number in the diet and consume them better in the morning.

Fruit is a great product, but it's also important not to overdo it. Many people eat fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nutrition must be balanced. Fruit time is breakfast and afternoon tea. You should not just constantly eat bananas, raisins and grapes, these are the sweetest fruits. Of course, they are very useful, but do not overdo it: one banana, a handful of raisins up to 30-40 grams and a bunch of grapes - this amount of fruits and dried fruits is enough for one day.

Nuts are not a very dietary product, high-calorie and fatty, but healthy. Ten nuts is good, but a kilogram will bring you indigestion and a couple of extra centimeters at the waist.

Honey, chocolate and jam are carbohydrates that can cheer you up and give you energy, especially after the first, most rigorous day of fasting. You should not completely abandon them, they are simply necessary for normal operation brain, but consume them in the morning.

Potatoes and pasta are carbohydrates again! It would seem that they are of little use, but they are not. Potatoes contain vitamins B6 and C, potassium, copper, durum wheat pasta - fiber. Try not to combine these products, but combine them with fresh vegetables. In this case, they will be better absorbed, will not harm the figure and will bring a feeling of satiety for a long time.

Vegetables are the basis of the fasting diet. And it is better to opt for seasonal products: cabbage, beets, carrots and onions. So that the food is not monotonous, stock up on frozen vegetables: broccoli, beans, various mixtures. Add them to stewed cabbage dishes, vinaigrettes and soups.

Protein is the main component of our muscles and an integral part of our diet. It is difficult to get enough protein in fasting, because it is primarily found in animal products. In order for the body to get enough protein in fasting, eat peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, mung beans. These foods can be added to cereals, soups, salads.

Remember, despite Lent, your diet should be varied and contain all the necessary components: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Eat legumes and cereals, vegetables and fruits, nuts and a small amount of simple carbohydrates, then your body will definitely thank you and “will not give” a few extra kilos. Watch your calories. Be sure to consult a doctor and a priest. For the elderly, sick and infirm, there is fasting with indulgence, pregnant women, children and people suffering from serious illnesses cannot fast! Be healthy!

According to nutritionists, fasting is very useful. Adhering to it, you can cleanse the body of toxins and toxins. But, often, some are also interested in how to eat right in fasting in order to lose weight.

Sample menu in post

An approximate daily menu in fasting: breakfast - a serving of lean millet porridge with pumpkin and apples, as well as a cup of tea. Lunch - lean borsch with a minimum amount of potatoes, a salad of fresh cabbage, onions and carrots. Snack - a portion of potatoes with mushrooms, as well as dried fruit compote without added sugar. Dinner - stewed turnips with carrots and onions, a handful of cranberries and tea.

Fasting food rules

Fasting involves the absolute exclusion from the diet of all types of meat, poultry, milk and dairy products, fish, eggs and animal fats. This is how you need to eat in fasting so as not to get better, but, as a rule, the weight lost is more than returned in the very first two weeks after the end of eating lean food. This can be avoided by not abruptly returning to heavy fatty foods.

When wondering how to eat during fasting to lose weight, it is important to understand that proper nutrition should become a habit. Keeping a figure will allow the rejection of fried and smoked foods, limiting salt and sugar, as well as compliance - at least 6 times a day and in small portions.

While fasting, it is also necessary to carefully monitor the calorie content of dishes: it is better to supplement boiled and raw vegetables with cereals that are rich in healthy carbohydrates that are well absorbed by the body. Since during Lent they are almost completely excluded from the menu animal proteins, you can compensate for their deficiency by enriching the diet with soy and other legumes. Soy protein has an amino acid composition very similar to the protein found in animal products. In addition, during fasting it is recommended to relax more and walk in the fresh air. Thanks to this, the body will more easily endure the lack of protein foods.

By the way, for those who are interested in how to eat in fasting to lose weight, it is worth noting that proper nutrition will not only help you get rid of extra pounds, but will help normalize blood pressure, improve liver and gallbladder function.

People believe that fasting helps to lose weight. This is partly the reason for such a large number of people wishing to observe Great Lent. After all, summer is coming, short skirts and the beach. However, many fasting people are surprised to notice that they not only do not lose weight, but begin to gain it rapidly. Why this happens and how to avoid it, Roskachestvo was told by the doctor of medical sciences Mariyat Mukhina. Amic publishes nutritionist tips to help you eat well during Lent and keep your weight in check.

Why do people get fat while fasting instead of losing weight?

In fact, there is nothing unusual about this. Excluding animal proteins from their diet, fasting people replace them with carbohydrates: potatoes and pasta. Accordingly, the weight begins to grow. In addition, many people sincerely believe that lean food is a priori dietary and begin to absorb it in excessive quantities.

But lean foods sometimes contain more calories than meat or milk.

For example, nuts and even vegetable oil, although they are lean foods, are more high-calorie than the same butter.

Why are animal proteins so important for humans and how to replace them during fasting?

The fact is that protein is the only plastic material for building all cells. human body. Animal protein deficiency causes a decrease in hemoglobin synthesis, the production of hormones, membranes, and even antibodies.

Foods rich in vegetable protein:

    Nuts. The leader in protein content is Walnut, the least amount of protein in almonds. In addition, nuts contain minerals and vitamins A and E. However, you should not get carried away with nuts - they are very high in calories. 4-5 pieces (or a small handful) are enough per day.

    Mushrooms. They can be consumed in any form: boiled, fried or pickled. But mushrooms are difficult to digest, so you should not overdo it either. It is better to eat them no more than once a week.

    Legumes: beans, soybeans, lentils, chickpeas, chickpeas, peas, etc. At the same time, almost the entire protein of these plants is absorbed by the body. Soy contains the most protein.

    Cereals. Especially a lot of protein in buckwheat. And besides it, buckwheat also contains iron, trace elements and vitamins.

Also, do not give up seafood and fish on fasting days, when these products are allowed.

Is it possible to create a supply of protein in the body?

Unfortunately no. And therefore, do not stand before fasting or on fasting days, when it is allowed, to eat meat and fish in kilograms, “in reserve”. The body will not create any "protein reserve", but the fat deposits on your body may well increase.

If the energy that enters the body along with food rich in carbohydrates is not consumed, then it goes to fat synthesis, weight gain begins.

And if you completely abandon fat during fasting?

This is not only unnecessary, but also very dangerous. After all, it is fats that give the body thermal energy and allow you to conduct labor, mental, physical and other activities. In addition, vitamins A, D, K, E are absorbed by our body only thanks to fatty acids.

The human body needs to consume 20-25% of fats from the daily calorie intake. Moreover, this number should include fatty acid Omega-3 (flax seeds, fish oil), and animal fats. It is optimal if 40% of the consumed fats are animal fats (dairy products, meat, etc.).

What if you cut out carbs while fasting?

This is also dangerous. The fact is that carbohydrates, like proteins and fats, are involved in energy production. It is good when 50% of the daily calorie intake comes from carbohydrates.

But at the same time, you need to choose foods with a low glycemic index (GI). This indicator indicates the rate of absorption of the product and the increase in blood sugar after it.

So, in white bread, the GI is very high and is 100, in boiled potatoes - 85, in white rice and sugar - 70.

In buckwheat and long-grain rice, the GI is already 60, and in vegetables and berries - from 5 to 25.

What vegetables contribute to weight gain

Yes, there are vegetables that activate fat synthesis. The leader is everyone's favorite potato. It is most often eaten during fasting, forgetting that it contains a lot of starch, which just activates fat synthesis.

Boiled beets and carrots are equal to potatoes in terms of the glycemic index.

If you want to lose weight, replace these vegetables with zucchini and cabbage. They can be eaten in unlimited quantities. Harmless to the waist are also turnips and pumpkins.

The traditional Orthodox fast is a time when the diet of believers changes dramatically. Products of animal origin disappear from the usual diet, some relaxation (in the form of fish days) is allowed only on special, holidays. It - good opportunity unload the digestive system, improve the body, start the fight against obesity. However, some, despite strict prohibitions, manage to gain weight.

The trouble is that a vegetarian diet devoid of animal products can be an energy bomb, because food sources of carbohydrates, especially refined ones, sometimes contain a large amount of calories. In addition, the lack of animal proteins and saturated fats in the diet can cause a "brutal" appetite, which provokes obesity.

The popular medical portal MedAboutMe will tell you how to organize proper nutrition during the Great and other Orthodox posts in order to fully experience positive changes in health and not increase body weight.


The body tries to compensate for the lack of animal products by increasing the consumption of allowed food during fasting. Without receiving animal proteins, a person often experiences an obsessive, almost indestructible hunger, which makes him overeat and gain excess weight.

To avoid the imbalance that the diet of believers sometimes “sins” during a long fast, it is necessary to include more vegetable sources of healthy proteins in the menu:

  • legumes;
  • whole grains;
  • seeds.

They are a source of plant fiber and are classified as "slow" carbohydrates that help curb your appetite, give you satiety for a long time and avoid the use of "fast", refined carbohydrates.

The right portion will help to avoid obesity

During fasting, many “lean” on whole grain cereals, considering them to be absolutely safe products for the figure. However, this is a delusion. Despite the fact that cereals, especially whole grains, are much healthier than refined foods, they are food sources of carbohydrates and are very high in calories.

Even the healthiest grains can cause excess weight if a person consumes them in unlimited quantities. For example, a ⅓ teacup serving of healthy whole grains like quinoa and brown rice is equivalent in carbohydrates to one slice of wheat bread. But a typical serving for many people, especially during fasting, is about 2 cups of a cereal side dish, which is the equivalent of 6 slices of bread in terms of carbohydrate content.

If a person is already obese or does not want to gain excess weight during fasting, we recommend that you do not get carried away with a whole grain side dish.


Lenten dishes are decorated with plant products that have bright flavor notes, such as nuts, olives, etc. But for the sake of taste, people often increase the calorie content of food at times.

Delicious supplements can turn a meal into a real calorie bomb. For example:

  • a quarter cup of nuts can increase the energy value of a dish by 200 calories;
  • just six olives add an extra 45 calories and 5 grams of fat.

We recommend choosing low-calorie additions to cereal side dishes, boiled potatoes, etc. To pamper your taste buds, accompany them with homemade pickles. At the same time, it is necessary to refuse salt when preparing lean dishes. Sauerkraut, cucumbers, pickled apples, pickled onions are great for any vegetarian food.

The sauce can be dangerous for the figure

Many do not sit down at the table without a variety of sauces, especially during fasting, when you want to add a pleasant sourness or piquancy to a slightly monotonous, plant-based food. Exercise restraint when it comes to your favorite nut cream sauces, ready-made ketchup, barbecue sauce, etc. They are sources of additional calories.

Fat-free salad dressings tend to contain hidden sugar and starch to make up for the lack of fat, and end up having as many calories as animal fat dressings.

  • Prepare your own sauces based on fresh citrus fruits, tomato juice, apple cider vinegar, adding unrefined vegetable oils, leafy greens, garlic, aromatic spices.
  • An excellent option, which will also help maintain immunity during spring beriberi, will be a sauce made from chopped tomatoes with a blender, with the addition of horseradish, sweet and hot peppers, garlic, apples.


Many believe that refined sugar, candied nuts, jam, sweet compotes can brighten up food during fasting, especially such a long one as Great. In addition to obviously sweet foods, sugar can lurk in prepared sauces, such as ketchup, barbecue sauce, etc.

Carefully read the inscriptions on the labels of finished products, but rather discard them, at least for the duration of the post. Cook without the addition of refined sugar and its artificial substitutes.

Fruits can give a sweet taste to the dish. For example, baked apple puree or fresh apple slices can replace refined sugar in a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. A pair of prunes will be a healthy alternative to marmalade or marshmallows for tea.

However, here too, moderation should be observed. After all, excessive consumption of dried fruits is another common "trap" on the path of healthy lifestyle adherents who are fighting obesity, and those who observe traditional fasting. Just two tablespoons of dried fruit, such as raisins or dried cranberries, is equivalent in sugar and carbohydrates to a full cup of regular fruit. It is easy to calculate how many frozen or fresh fruits and berries a cup of dried apricots, prunes, cherries and dates will replace.

To correct this common fasting mistake, opt for fresh or frozen fruit.

More and more people are making the decision to fast. However, everyone's motivation is different. Someone perceives fasting as an opportunity for spiritual purification and rapprochement with God, while someone treats fasting as excellent opportunity get rid of extra pounds accumulated over the winter. Whatever the motive, every year the number of people observing Great Lent is growing. Of course, from the point of view of the church, fasting for a believer should consist of sincere prayers, good deeds and abstinence in everything, including food, i.e. physical and spiritual fasting are inextricably linked, and without a spiritual component, food restriction should be perceived as one of the many diets.

Although fasting and weight loss are absolutely incomparable concepts, many believers are interested in the question of how to lose weight in fasting. After all, it has long been known that fasting is approved by many nutritionists who believe that in addition to healing the soul, fasting can help to correct and physical health. However, during fasting, many are faced with the opposite problem - a set of extra pounds. Why is this happening? We limit ourselves in our favorite delicacies, refuse many products and instead of losing weight, we find extra centimeters at the waist! There can be many reasons for weight gain, so before returning to the topic of how to lose weight in a post, it is worth paying attention to some of them.

1. Unbalanced diet. During fasting, the main thing for our body is variety, you should not focus all your attention on potatoes and mushrooms, so you definitely won’t lose weight. Making the right diet, making it balanced is a rather difficult task, so you should at least try to make your lenten menu as varied as possible, make it a rule to eat more vegetables and fruits so that the body does not lack vitamins and nutrients. Then health will be in order, and the question of how to lose weight in fasting will not be so acute.

2. Risk of overeating. Few people begin to prepare for fasting in advance, more often we find ourselves face to face with an unusual diet. Many are simply lost, not knowing what can be cooked from vegetables alone without the addition of eggs, meat and dairy products. It seems that there is simply nothing to eat, and after a couple of fresh cucumbers in the stomach, it starts to rumble after a couple of hours, and we again reach for the refrigerator or begin to actively snack on nuts, candied fruits or dried fruits. By the way, constantly eating fruits during the day is also not recommended, you can significantly stretch the stomach, and then, you just have to return to normal mode nutrition, as extra pounds will not keep you waiting long.

3. Deceleration of metabolism. Some believers, especially those who fast for the first time, decide to strictly follow the canon and the strictest rules, according to which food is allowed only once a day, and if it is not a holiday or a day off, then you will have to do without oil. . If you strictly adhere to the canon, then the question of how to lose weight in fasting can not be asked. Such a restriction leads to a slowdown in metabolism, which means that you will gain excess weight just by looking at an extra carrot or apple.

4. A sharp increase in the amount of carbohydrates. If we cut out meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, what will be left? Vegetables, fruits, lean bread, durum wheat pasta and cereals. In his quest to make meatless dishes more satisfying, many begin to bake pies from lean dough, eat pasta, eat everything with dryers, halvah, nuts and dried fruits. All this leads to an excess of carbohydrates, and our thrifty body will not miss the opportunity to turn them into fat and carefully store them on our stomachs, sides and hips.

5. Lack of protein. Everyone who loses weight has long known that the less protein in the diet, the higher the likelihood of getting better. Protein food is simply necessary for our body to speed up the process of burning calories. Of course, many may argue that by limiting ourselves to animal protein, we compensate for its lack of vegetable protein. But here it is worth remembering the point about balanced nutrition. Even experienced nutritionists find it difficult to balance the diet and calculate the required amount, for example, legumes, in order to compensate for the lack of animal protein with their help. Therefore, in order to get rid of thoughts about how to lose weight in fasting, it is worth reviewing your diet and increasing the amount of protein foods.

6. Restriction of mobility. The introduction of food restrictions inevitably leads to a decrease in our activity, and in some cases to a breakdown. And here motivation plays an important role, if fasting for a person is a means of spiritual self-improvement, then it will be much easier to cope with such a state, but if fasting is perceived solely as a diet, then get ready for increased irritability, lethargy, and, as a result, for a decrease in activity and an increase in fat reserves.

With so many opportunities to gain weight, how to lose weight in fasting? Despite everything, losing weight in the post is quite real. If we take into account all of the above, it turns out that fasting is quite natural way put yourself in order and part with the hated folds on the stomach and sides. With the right approach, fasting can become a kind of respite for the body, a time for unloading and cleansing. So, in order to lose weight during fasting, it is important to follow a few simple rules. And lean recipes will help you with this.

1. Diverse menu. Vegetables are not limited to potatoes, cabbage, beets and carrots, and fruits are not limited to apples. On the pages of Culinary Eden you will find many meatless recipes from a variety of vegetables, fruits, cereals and mushrooms. Every day, cook something new, this will help not only diversify your diet, but also cheer you up.

2. If possible, exclude "fast" carbohydrates, which quickly create the illusion of satiety, supply the body with a whole load of extra calories, and after 1-2 hours we already feel pretty hungry again. To lose weight in fasting, it is enough to include “slow” carbohydrates in your menu, which will keep you feeling full for a long time and will not overload your body with extra calories. Do not be lazy to cook porridge, prepare dishes from vegetables and legumes, and limit the consumption of sweets.

3. Don't overeat. The call to eat more vegetables and fruits should not be taken literally. This does not mean at all that you can uncontrollably eat them in any form and quantity at any time of the day or night. It is unlikely that your body will withstand this test. Vegetables and fruits must be present in the diet, it is they that saturate the body with vitamins and microelements, so you should consume them in limited quantities fresh and not subjected to heat treatment.

4. Try to eat more protein. Focus on legumes, they perfectly satisfy hunger and help the body process the calories received, which will undoubtedly help you lose weight in fasting.

5. Cut down on snacking. Adjusting to a new diet can be very difficult. By excluding animal products and switching to vegetable food, many people begin to pursue the feeling of hunger. As a result, we constantly eat something, whether it be nuts, candied fruits, dried fruits, or other seemingly healthy, but very high-calorie foods. It is better to add them to the main dish and make it more satisfying and nutritious than to make a huge number of snacks during the day.

6. Move more. So that carbohydrates, which form the basis of our diet during fasting, do not have time to turn into fat and firmly settle on our hips, they need to be converted into energy and spent. It is not necessary to go to the gym, walking for at least an hour a day is enough. Then the question of how to lose weight in fasting will be solved by itself, and you will get a charge of vivacity and good mood.

In addition to the basic rules, when answering the question of how to lose weight in fasting, you can give a few more tips. If you are determined to lose weight, you will have to switch to homemade food, it is not only tastier and healthier, but this way you can control the composition and monitor the balance of your diet. Do not give up soups, they do not require much time to prepare and at the same time combine an impressive list of vegetables and herbs. A salad during fasting can be not only tasty, but also very satisfying, you just need to add rice, legumes, mushrooms or nuts to it. Cooking homemade food takes time and patience, however, it is homemade food that is our best assistant in the fight against extra pounds. And in the lenten table section, you will find many articles that will help you prepare delicious lean meals quickly and easily.

It can be difficult for many to start a fast, especially if there was no preparation, and there was a sharp change in diet, however, it will be much more difficult to complete it. Along with fasting, the need for food restrictions will also end, and it will be very difficult for many to resist and not try all possible treats on the very first day. In order to maintain the result achieved in fasting, and not to gain on the very first day everything that was dropped with such difficulty, you should not eat everything at once, it is better to gradually introduce new foods into the diet. If you decide to lose weight in a post, do it tasty, healthy and right. Let your menu for a week remain varied and full of vitamins, and good health and good mood do not leave you!