You’ve probably heard about doing a liquid fast for weight loss. It can really help if need to drop a few pounds for a weekend getaway or to get unstuck from a frustrating weight loss plateau.
Let’s go over exactly how to do a clear liquid fast safely and effectively. We’ll also show you how to maintain your weight loss so you don’t gain it all back again.
First: How do You do the Fast?
You can have any clear liquid beverage that you can see through, and that has zero calories during a 24-48 hour period.
So, beverages like water, sparkling water, zero-calorie flavored water, water with Crystal Light are great candidates.
Coffee, espresso, iced coffee, flavored coffee, tea, green tea, herbal tea can also be consumed as long as there are no creamers or caloric sweeteners in them.
One of our favorite things to sip on is broth. It’s the perfect flavor for when you might be craving a meal, and you will find it soothing to drink.
Tip: drink your non-caloric beverages throughout the day and whenever you feel hungry or get a little craving. The liquids will keep you feeling full.
When You Should Do a 24-Hour Liquid Fast
If the thought of going without food scares you, then commit to just doing a 24-hour fast.
24-hours is not that long! Really! And besides, you will be asleep for almost half of that time. A 24-hour fast is super easy to fit into your busy schedule, too.
The best timing for a 24-hour liquid fast is to go from breakfast to breakfast. Start your fast with a healthy breakfast. A great strategy is eat eggs and breakfast meats for this meal– the combination of fat and protein will keep you feeling full for a long time.
By the time you might start to feel hungry, you’ll be catching some zzzzz’s. And when you wake up, it’s breakfast time!
The Surprising Thing About a 24-Hour Fast
When you give 24 hours a shot, you will learn that fasting isn’t that bad, after all. All those dreadful things you imagined like passing out from hunger, not being able to concentrate, or having no energy didn’t happen!
In fact, aside from a little bit of hunger, you will probably feel pretty normal, or maybe even invigorated.
The reason is that your liver has about 24 hours worth of glucose stored in it. When you are fasting, your body can draw upon this reserve to keep blood glucose at normal levels.
A 24-hour liquid fast is a quick way to jump-start your system before starting one of our meal plans. It works by giving your body a rest.
If you feel good after 24-hours, consider extending your fast to 48-hours.
It’s totally worth it!
The Gold-Standard for Guaranteed Fat Loss
A 48-hour fast is where the gold is at if you are serious about burning fat. 48-hours is what it takes for your body to shift into high gear.
If you can do 24, you can definitely do 48.
Like the 24-hour liquid fast, starting with eating a healthy breakfast is the easiest strategy.
And here’s what happens in those magic hours…
Growth hormone is important to regulating fat and your metabolism. And it’s AWESOME at burning fat. Some people pay big bucks to supplement growth hormone illegally. But you can increase it naturally (safely, and legally) in your own body.
When you eat excess sugars (simple carbs), your production of growth hormone is suppressed. That’s one of the reasons over-eating makes you feel lethargic.
When you fast, you deprive the body of sugars. But remember, your liver has 24 hours of sugar that it needs to use up. So you have to make it past 24 hours (about 32 hours to be exact) to start releasing growth hormone.
Now you can really start burning fat from your body! And, you will also notice your energy spiking, you can think clearly, and that you feel AMAZING.
It’s pretty cool that one sign of losing fat is that you feel on top of the world, isn’t it?
But Wait! There’s MORE!
Practically speaking, a two-day fast also includes two night periods. This is really important because growth hormone is released at night.
A full two-day liquid fast increases growth hormone production by 5X1.
Another reason to keep the fast going past 24 hours is to give your body a chance to burn all the free fatty acids released by your body in the first 24 hours. If you start eating at 24 hours, the free fatty acids that were just starting to be released are more likely be stored as fat again.
The release of the free fatty acids peaks after about two days, and ketone production starts to increase. In non-diabetic people, the production of ketones is a natural, normal sign of a system that is primed to burn fat instead of sugar for energy.
Get Ready, Get Set– You Are Now in the Fat Burn Zone!
Whether you do 24 or 48 hours, you’ve primed your system to get the best results possible.
The food you consume will now be used more efficiently, and fat can be released from your body.
As long as you continue to eat the right foods, your body will stay in this fat-burning state.
If you have questions about this article, we’d be happy to help! Drop a comment below and we’ll follow up with you.
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The Science
- press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jcem.74.4.1548337
About the Writer: 100 pounds ago, Jan knew what it is like to be obese, unhappy, and stuck. She has spent the last 17 years as a fitness writer, trainer, yoga teacher, and Weight Loss Coach. Today, she’s proud to be a part of the Personal Trainer Food team so she can continue her goal to help others live their fullest lives possible. Email [email protected] if you have any questions!
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This is a great article! It’s quite succinct and informative while being gimmick-free and fad-free, a wonderful combination. Thank you!
How many times a month can the 48 hour liquid fast be safely done?
Hi Kathy!
I’d say that a 48-hour fast is great to do once a month.