If you’ve been doing keto or trying to find ways to lose weight fast, perhaps you may have heard of an egg fast. But what egg-sactly is it? Is it bad for you? And more importantly, does it actually work?
In this beginner’s guide to egg fasting, we’re gonna get down to the nitty-gritty and figure out if it’s really worth it!
Sometimes known as the boiled egg diet, egg fasts have been touted to drop weight, extremely fast. Many people claim to lose about 5-10 pounds during the 3-5 day diet.
In short, this is a VERY restrictive keto diet, and not all of the weight loss is fat loss. Much of the weight loss will be water, especially so if you have been eating a traditional high carb diet.
In addition to rapid weight loss, egg fasting has been touted by many in the keto community to help with weight loss stalls! That can be extremely desirable for so many people… (including me)!
Just remember everybody’s BODY is different, and everyone will have different results and experiences. Don’t take my experience as the end-all!
*This information is for entertainment purposes only. Please see our disclaimer for more information. I am not a health care professional. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to diet and/or lifestyle.
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The Rules to Egg Fasting
There are a good amount of rules for a keto egg-fast. (Rules, ugh!) The more you go digging though, you’ll find those rules vary.
Here are some of the variations I found: Some people say it’s okay to intermittent fast, others say eat within 30-minutes of waking up. Some people say you have to eat even when you are not hungry, others say to only eat when you feel hungry.
It is far better you do what feels good for you, after all, stress hinders weight loss. Here are the rules that are important follow, and were consistent among fellow egg-fasters:
Egg-Fasting Meal Plan
This is the meal plan that I followed while doing the egg-fast. I didn’t always eat a snack, only when I felt hungry. I also intermittent fasted, because that is what I enjoy doing.
Adjust this meal plan to fit your own preferences.
In addition, your current weight will dictate your caloric needs, so you will need to adjust the meal plan accordingly. No need to overthink it, make sure you eat until you are full! You should still be listening to your body.
I personally did not follow this meal plan very well at all. Partly because that’s just the kind of person I am.
I plan, plan, plan. Then I almost never follow the plan perfectly. (I still followed the rules, you guys!)
- Here is the super caffeinated drink (with electrolytes!) I like to have instead of black coffee.
- Here is the egg-fast quiche recipe I was going to use. The recipe is from Low Carb Yum.
- This is the egg cooker I could not live without. I use it all the time, not just during egg-fasting. BUT it was a forking lifesaver for the egg-fast, especially during a heatwave!
- I also used an egg slicer to get those perfect cuts for my egg salad. I am all about presentation. The saying, “You eat with your eyes,” is SO TRUE. They have varying quality and prices, depending upon what you want to spend.
But Wait… Is It Actually Good For You?
While I am not an expert, I highly doubt a certified nutritionist is going to be recommending this diet to their clients. Is it okay for you to do it for a few days? Maybe. Simply put, this egg-fast does NOT meet all of your nutritional needs. Taking a multivitamin and electrolytes can help with vitamin and mineral deficiency. But if you do this diet longer than the 3-5 days, you could have negative consequences.
Check out this article by Healthline if you want a more in-depth look at the potential risks and benefits. Be sure to talk with your health care provider before trying this diet, it is especially important if you have any underlying health conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Egg-Fast Results
Did I lose the 5-10 lbs I hear everyone talking about? No.
But this could be due to a number of reasons. Just hear me out…
- Overall I lost 3.4 lbs while doing the 3-day egg-fast. If I did the fast for 5 days, I may have lost 5 lbs.
- Also, I am under 20 lb away from my goal weight. The less weight you have to lose, the harder it will be for the pounds to come off.
- Lastly, if you aren’t already in a deep state of ketosis, you will lose more water weight. This means there is the possibility that other people’s results appeared better than they actually were.
Also, just FYI- the before and after picture doesn’t really mean anything. If it looks like there is a difference, it’s probably because I’m not good at taking pictures of myself.
Admittedly, I have tried buttloads of fad diets that claim to “lose 10+ lbs in 5-days.” So, I have a lot of comparison points… This is the one “crazy fad diet” I would actually consider doing again. Because as much as I didn’t want to eat another forking egg ever again…
I actually felt FULL and SATIATED, during the entire egg-fast. Unlike most of the crazy weight-loss fad diets, this one is high in fat. You get to feel full! Hurrah!
Egg-fasting is not for everyone. Especially if you have any sort of underlying health conditions. (Talk to your doctor! Please and thank you!) But also, you need to think about more than just the potential health side-effects. Weight loss is more than just eating good and working out. There is a HUGE psychological component to it as well.
If you are thinking about trying this fast, you need to think about the consequences it will have on you both during and after the fast.
Are you going to feel refreshed and have a new-found appreciation for the other keto foods? OR, are you going to feel the need to self-sabotage with a huge, “you did it!” meal, and possibly fall off the bandwagon?
You know yourself better than anyone else. YOU have to decide if this could be good or bad for you.
