Fasting is a widespread practice that entails refraining from or limiting food consumption. It has been done for religious and health purposes for thousands of years.
Fasting has been a popular way to reduce weight in recent years.
An egg fast is a short-term diet that consists primarily of eggs, cheese, and butter.
It’s popular among individuals looking to break through weight reduction plateaus, particularly those following ketogenic diets.
This article defines an egg fast and its regulations, rewards, and hazards.
What is an egg fast?
An egg fast is a short-term eating regimen created in 2010 by blogger Jimmy Moore.
It’s a limited ketogenic diet, rich in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates.
Ketogenic diets assist your body in entering the metabolic state of ketosis, during which it begins to use ketones as a source of energy rather than glucose (1).
An egg fast is intended to help you break through weight reduction plateaus. There are depressing times in a weight reduction strategy when fat loss stops.
Some people use it before starting a ketogenic diet to assist their bodies in entering ketosis.
There are several regulations in the plan, including:
- The primary source of fat and protein is whole eggs (yolks and whites).
- One tablespoon (15 grams) of butter or healthy fat must be consumed for each egg ingested.
- You must drink an entire egg within 30 minutes of waking up.
- Every three to five hours, you must finish an egg-based meal.
- Even if you are not hungry, you must have a meal.
- You can have up to 1 ounce (28 grams) of full-fat cheese for each egg.
- Every day, you must consume at least six whole eggs.
- Local, pastured eggs should be used whenever feasible.
- Eat at most three hours before going to bed.
- You can consume up to three cans of diet Coke daily, but try limiting yourself to one.
These are the most prevalent regulations. However, individuals frequently modify them.
A standard egg fast lasts three to five days, enough to break through a weight reduction plateau.
Following it for an extended period is not advised since it may result in health hazards such as dietary shortages and constipation.
The egg fast is not recommended for persons who have diabetes, eating problems, cholesterol hyper-responders, or do not have a gallbladder.
It’s also improper for those who can’t consume eggs, such as vegans, people who are allergic to eggs, or people who avoid eggs for religious reasons.
How does it work?
An egg works fast by producing ketosis in the body.
Ketosis happens when your body’s primary fuel source, glucose, is in short supply. To compensate, your body produces ketone bodies from fat and utilizes them as fuel (1).
Those who eat 50 grams of carbohydrates or fewer days are more likely to achieve ketosis. The remainder of their calories come from a high-fat, moderate-protein diet.
A ketogenic diet can help you lose weight by improving feelings of fullness, limiting your meal selections, increasing protein consumption, and perhaps lowering fat accumulation (2, 3, 4).
Furthermore, some research suggests that ketogenic diets may induce more weight reduction than traditional low-fat, low-calorie diets (5, 6).
Nevertheless, because an egg fast only lasts three to five days, it may not be long enough for someone to achieve ketosis. In certain circumstances, it may take a week or more to reach this stage.
Since it restricts the number of food items you may eat, the diet plan is more restricted than traditional ketogenic diets. This limitation might help you lose weight by reducing your calorie consumption.
While an egg fast will help you lose weight, your overall outcomes will be determined by your beginning weight, height, age, gender, and total food consumption.
For example, someone starting at a more significant weight should anticipate shedding more fat than someone starting at a lower weight.
Most folks claim to shed 5-10 pounds (1.4-2.7 kg) in 3-5 days.
Benefits of an egg fast
The egg fast has yet to be formally explored so far.
The following are some of the advantages of adopting a short-term, limited ketogenic diet that stimulates the consumption of eggs.
Remember that an egg fast only lasts three to five days so you may experience only some of the benefits of a traditional ketogenic diet.
These are some advantages you may anticipate:
May reduce appetite
An egg fast stimulates the consumption of eggs, which are quite filling (7).
Some studies have found that eating eggs might help you feel satisfied for longer. This can lead to fewer calories daily, almost certainly encouraging weight reduction (8, 9, 10).
Because eggs are high in protein, they are filling.
According to research, eating a lot of protein may help increase levels of hormones that induce fullness, such as peptide YY (PYY), GLP-1, and CCK, while decreasing levels of the hunger-promoting hormone ghrelin (11, 12).
Besides being high in protein, an egg fast is a ketogenic diet, which some studies have found to be more satisfying than typical low-fat, low-calorie diets (2).
It can help you lose weight
An egg fast is a minimal, short-term diet severely restricting your meal selections.
According to research, restricting the amount and variety of allowed meals organically decreases your daily calorie consumption (13).
The food plan is also based on ketogenic principles, which may aid in promoting ketosis.
According to research, ketogenic diets can help you lose weight, retain muscle mass, regulate your appetite, and reduce disease indicators, including elevated blood sugar, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels (2, 14, 15, 16).
On the other hand, an egg fast only lasts three to five days, which may not be enough time to get you into ketosis. Achieving this stage may take a week or more in certain circumstances.
It may promote belly fat loss
Visceral fat, or belly fat, is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
Ketogenic diets like egg fast may burn more belly fat than low-fat diets.
In one research, those on a ketogenic diet shed more overall fat and belly fat than those on a low-fat diet, despite ingesting 300 more calories daily (6).
Women who followed a ketogenic diet lost an average of 21.2% of visceral fat in a 12-week research, compared to a 4.6% loss in women who followed a high-fiber, low-fat diet (17).
Yet, because an egg fast lasts only a few days, how much belly fat you’d shed is uncertain.
It may reduce insulin resistance
Insulin resistance occurs when your body’s response to insulin, a blood sugar control hormone, is impaired.
Numerous studies suggest that ketogenic diets may lower insulin resistance, improving your body’s capacity to control blood sugar levels.
Those with type 2 diabetes who followed a ketogenic diet lowered their insulin resistance by 75% in a modest 2-week trial (18).
In other trials, persons with type 2 diabetes who followed a ketogenic diet could reduce or discontinue their diabetic medication (19, 20).
Whereas an egg fast may temporarily lower insulin resistance, long-term modifications are required to produce long-term outcomes. If you have type 1 or 2 diabetes, consult your doctor before attempting an egg fast since it might be harmful.
Potential risks and side effects
A healthy adult may experience a few adverse effects from an egg fast.
If you’re new to ketogenic diets, you may experience the keto flu, caused by your body learning to use ketones instead of glucose as a source of energy (21).
Common symptoms are increased appetite, irritability, low energy, sleep problems, nausea, impaired mental performance, weakness, headaches, and foul breath (21).
Most of these symptoms are transient and should go away after a few days of fasting. Consider a low-carb diet before starting an egg fast to lower your chances of getting the keto flu.
Constipation is another potential side effect, as the diet limits high-fiber foods such as vegetables and fruits (22).
Drink as much water as possible to lessen this risk.
An egg fast is a short-term diet lasting no more than three to five days. This is because it limits numerous essential food types required for good health.
Following this diet for an extended period may raise your risk of nutrient deficit. Consider taking a multivitamin if you frequently fast to help you satisfy your nutritional needs.
While an egg fast might result in rapid weight reduction, you will almost certainly regain the weight once you return to your usual diet unless you employ long-term weight control measures.
Unless overseen by a medical expert, an egg fast is inappropriate for persons with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, cholesterol hyper-responders, eating problems, or those without a gallbladder.
Moreover, like other forms of fasting, egg fasts are unsuitable for pregnant or lactating women.
Before beginning any fast, consult your healthcare professional if you have any medical issues.
Sample menu
The following menu illustrates what an egg fast looks like.
Day 1
- Breakfast: an egg-cheese omelet cooked with 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 grams) of butter or another healthy oil, such as olive oil.
- One string cheese stick as a snack
- 1-2 deviled eggs for lunch
- Snack: 2 ounces (57 grams) of your favorite cheese
- Dinner: an egg crepe made with only 2-3 eggs and fried in 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 grams) of butter or another healthy oil like olive oil.
Day 2
- Breakfast: Cream cheese pancakes — 2-3 eggs and 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 grams) cream cheese combined until creamy, baked on a skillet or griddle with three tablespoons (45 grams) butter
- Snack: 1 ounce (28 grams) of your favorite cheese
- Two eggs and two tablespoons (30 grams) of mayonnaise for lunch
- Snack: 1 ounce (28 grams) of your favorite cheese
- Dinner: a two-egg crustless cheese quiche
Day 3
- Two eggs cooked in 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of butter with a cup of tea or black coffee for breakfast
- Snack: 2 string cheese sticks
- Lunch: left-over crustless cheese quiche
- Snack: 1 ounce (28 grams) of your favorite cheese
- 2-3 deviled eggs for dinner
Day 4
- Breakfast: 2-3 egg and cheese omelets cooked in 2-3 teaspoons (30-45 grams) butter
- Snack: 1 ounce (28 grams) of your favorite cheese
- Two hard-boiled eggs for lunch
- Snack: 2 string cheese sticks
- Two egg waffles — 2-3 eggs fried in a waffle machine with butter for dinner
Day 5
- Three scrambled eggs with a cup of tea or black coffee for breakfast
- One string cheese stick as a snack
- Two eggs and two tablespoons (30 grams) of mayonnaise for lunch
- Snack: 1 ounce (28 grams) of your favorite cheese
- Dinner: The supper will be a crustless cheese quiche
The bottom line
An egg fast is a short-term, stringent ketogenic diet mainly consisting of eggs, cheese, and butter or another source of fat.
It lasts three to five days and may help with weight loss in the short term. However, it may pose concerns such as nutritional inadequacies if used for a more extended period than recommended.
An egg fast may help you break through a weight reduction plateau, but it is not a long-term solution. For long-term effects, try eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet.
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