WHY DO YOU NEED TO DO AN EGG FAST?

For anyone having trouble transitioning into ketosis, a five-day egg fast can help your body to burn fat from food and fat stored in your body, rather than burning glycogen from carbs.

An egg fast can also help kick start weight loss for those who have plateaued in their weight loss journey.

The egg fast can help your body get back to burning fat and back to losing weight.

It can reduce your carb intake significantly and get you back on track.

WHAT IS A KETO EGG FAST?

This is when a dieter almost exclusively eats eggs for the duration of the fast, this is typically 3 or 5 days.

The dieter will not eat any other food apart from the small amount of healthy fats but will predominately stick to eggs for meals and snacks,

On the egg fast you have the freedom to eat and enjoy eggs in whatever way you like Poached, fried, scrambled or even an omelette.

Your goal is to consume 6 eggs a day along with 1oz of cheese with every egg and a teaspoon of healthy fat.

WHY EGGS?

The keto diet focuses of high fat, moderate protein and low carbs.

Nothing fits this brief more then the trusty egg. Not only does it fit in with your macros but eggs are jam packed full of nutrients.

The egg white contains protein, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin B12, D and B6

The egg yolk is where the fat is found along with vitamin A,D,E, and K.

The best eggs to consume on the keto diet are omega 3, organic and pastured this will ensure that you are eating the most nutritious eggs available.

WHY DOES THE EGG FAST WORK?

The egg fast works by getting your body into the metabolic state of ketosis where your body uses ketones as a source of fuel.

Although an egg fast will help you lose weight there are a number of factors that can affect how much weight you will lose.

This will be based on factors such as your starting weight, gender, height, how close you are to your goal weight and how much food you consume.

For example someone who has a great deal of weight to lose can expect to lose a lot more then someone who doesn’t have much to lose.

Many people report losses of around 5 – 10lbs in 3-5 days.

SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF A 5-DAY KETO EGG FAST INCLUDE:

*Weight loss *Loss of appetite *Flat tummy *Reduction of insulin resistance

Many people suffer from keto flu, which is when your body adapts to ketones as a source of energy instead of glucose.

It is not a very nice feeling at all and can include increase in appetite, headaches, nausea, sleep disturbances, bad breath and weakness. Taking your electrolytes regularly can help overcome the keto flu.  This is why it is recommended that you are on the keto diet before you try the egg fast.

Constipation is another side effect as this diet contains no fibre, which most of us need to keep regular.

Again, staying on top of your electrolytes and keeping well hydrated should help.

THE KETO EGG FAST IS NOT SUITABLE FOR:

*Diabetics *Those without a gallbladder *Those who have an eating disorder *Pregnant women *Cholesterol hyper responders *Breastfeeding Women

THE KETO EGG FAST RULES

1. Eat at least six eggs per day This is not a calorie-restricted diet so eat to fullness.

2. Buy the best quality eggs you can Free range eggs may contain more omega 3 fats and vitamin D.

3. Eat one tablespoon of butter per egg Coconut oil, olive oiland mayo may also be used.

4. You may add up to one ounce of cheese per egg if desired Make sure your cheese is low carb and full fat

5. Drink as much water as you can: at least 2-4 litres MINIMUM Black or bulletproof coffee, black tea, green tea and herbal tea can be added if required.

6. Add salt and keep taking your electrolytes Consider extra magnesium and potassium to prevent cramps. If you suffer from constipation then flaxseed may help.

7. Exercise daily Even a short walk will help maintain lean muscle mass.

8. Eat three meals a day; if not hungry eat one egg Your appetite will be reduced but keep eating to preserve lean muscle mass.

9. Follow the egg fast for three days; five days may give better results You will be sick of eggs by the third day.

10. Transition back to your normal diet E.g. the day after eat two egg meals and one normal meal (whatever you usually eat), the day after that eat one egg meal and two normal meals.

Consider keeping on eating at least two eggs a day to maintain the effects of the fast.

THE DOS WHEN YOU ARE ON THE KETO EGG FAST

*Within half and hour of waking consume 1 egg

*Eat both the whites and yolks

*Have between 3-5 meals of 2 or more eggs per day.

*Eat every 3-5 hrs even if you don’t feel hungry

*Have an egg at least 3 hours before you go to bed

*Sauces and condiments are allowed but they need to be keto approved and low in carbs.

*Herbs and spices are allowed

*Butter, coconut and olive oil can be used as good fats

*Stay hydrated

*Tea and coffee are permitted on the egg fast

THE DONT’S WHEN YOU ARE ON THE KETO EGG FAST

*No meat is allowed for the duration of the fast

*No fruit is allowed while you are on the diet

*No vegetables are allowed

*No nuts are allowed

*Refrain from artificial sweeteners and diet sodas

*No alcohol

*No heavy whipping cream

IS THE KETO EGG FAST HEALTHY?

Ultimately the goal of an egg fast is to jolt your body into ketosis.

The egg fast is supposed to be a short sharp kick to your metabolism to get things moving in the right direction. It is supposed to be used as part of your normal keto diet to break through a plateau.

If you do decide to continue your egg fast past the recommended 3-5 days you may begin to find that your body is missing out on vital nutrients that aren’t found in eggs such as fibre, something everyone’s body needs to promote healthy digestion.

MY RESULTS ON THE KETO EGG FAST DIET

By the time I tried the egg fast I was well into my keto journey.

I had lost a fair amount of weight but at 5 months in had hit a wall. My scale hadn’t moved in over a week and I really couldn’t workout what was going on.

I must mention that I was getting close to my goal weight so that may have had an impact on the stall and the weight loss slowing down,

I decided to give the egg fast diet a shot as I had plateaued and couldn’t get my weight to budge, even though I was adhering strictly to my recalculated macros.

Initially, I intended to do 3 days but was willing to do 5 if I possibly could.

DAY 1

BREAKFAST

2 boiled eggs mashed with Boursin cheese

Cup of black coffee

LUNCH

2 egg cheese omelettes

Large glass of water

DINNER

Poached eggs with cream cheese

DAY 2

BREAKFAST

Egg mayo and cup of herbal tea

LUNCH

Cream cheese pancakes

DINNER

Cheese omelette

DAY 3

BREAKFAST

Scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with a large cup of black coffee

LUNCH

3 devilled eggs and water

DINNER

Crustless cheese quiche

So by day 3 I’m absolutely sick of eggs but I want to keep going as I can feel my belly feels flatter and my trousers are feeling slightly looser.

DAY 4

BREAKFAST

2 fried eggs with black coffee

LUNCH

Leftover crustless cheese quiche

DINNER

Cheese omelette

DAY 5

BREAKFAST

2 poached eggs with black tea

LUNCH

Egg mayo large glass of water

DINNER

Cheese omelette

Yes, by the end of day 5 I never ever want to see another egg as long as I live

MY RESULTS ON THE KETO EGG FAST

So, after completing the fast I had in fact lost 5 lbs of weight which is amazing!

I’m really glad I kept on going as the results really were fantastic. On day 6 and 7 I added 1 keto meal back in and on days 8 and 9 another and by day 10 I was back to my 3 keto meals. I gained 1 lb back overall but I believe that’s because I slowly added the meals back in.

Overall weight loss was 4 lbs which aren’t bad at all for 5 days.

The egg fast really gave my body the jolt it needed and the weight continued to drop off until I reached my goal.