Have you heard people talking about this approach and have been wondering what is keto egg fast? All over the web, you will find slightly different information about what is egg fast. That is mainly because it is a very short-term dietary approach, usually used to drop a couple of pounds quickly that hasn’t been scientifically evaluated.
A lot of people, especially those on low-carb and keto, do 5 Days of Egg Fast to break their weight loss stall. Surprisingly, it works for a majority of them if we are to believe what they report on social networks and forums. I haven't been able to find any real scientific explanation to why it works but have my thoughts (that might change in the future if I get more clues).
What's an Egg Fast?
Basically, on an Egg Fast, you only eat eggs, healthy fats, and full-fat cheese for 3 to 5 days in a row. You are supposed to eat at least 6 eggs a day, and 1 tablespoon of fat for each egg consumed. The number of ounces of cheese eaten should not exceed the number of eggs eaten on each day.
If you follow these simple guidelines, you get macronutrients nicely balanced out at the end of the day: Extremely low carb, high fat, and moderate protein. That's what the keto is all about, except that on Egg Fast, there's practically no fiber intake (no greens, seeds, nuts, etc.). Because of this, in my personal opinion, the diet should be kept short-term. Additionally, I think magnesium, potassium, and vitamin supplements should be taken daily. And plenty of water drunk (10 cups a day, at least). But I am no doctor, so take my advice as an opinion.
So, why does the fast work? I think, most of all, one gets rid of plenty of water on Egg Fast. But people keep reporting successful weight loss or weight maintenance for a prolonged period, following the fast. So, it is possible there's some hormonal stuff going on in the background, which influences the body's metabolism. Or the other way around. Anyhow, I'll be quite glad once I get to read some research on this (if ever).
What can you expect?
Keto egg fast is not about restricting calories but rather about the nutritional profile: Very high fat, low to moderate protein, and virtually zero carbs. If you do this for five days straight, you will most probably see some water loss and maybe some fat loss if you have been watching your food choices closely and have exercised regularly. Every individual will have a slightly different experience and see different results, depending on the starting weight, muscle mass, exercise frequency, etc.
Egg Fast rules
In case you haven't been familiar with Egg Fast, I'm listing the rules that one should supposedly follow on the regime if they want to break their stall:
- One has to eat eggs as the main source of fat and protein.
- Per each egg consumed, one should eat 1 tablespoon of healthy fat.
- An egg should be eaten no later than 30 min after waking.
- Meals should be eaten every 3 hours, but no later than every 5 hours.
- One should eat on the schedule, at least one egg, even if not hungry.
- One can eat 1 ounce of cheese (full fat) per egg consumed.
- At least 6 eggs a day should be consumed.
- One should have the last egg at least 3 hours before bedtime.
- Diet soda is permitted up to 3 cans a day.
- Spices and hot sauces are permitted but should be kept at a minimum. Sauces should be low carb.
- Low carb sweeteners are allowed.
I have no idea, who's come up with the rules. Moreover, every source has them listed a tiny bit differently, but the basics are staying the same. Anyways, they do make sense in a way if you consider the macronutrient outcome at the end of the day. Maybe you are dairy intolerant or hate cheese. Well, choose something else with similar nutritional value: high fat, protein, and almost no carbs. Or eat more eggs if that acceptable to you.
Is Egg Fast Healthy?
First of all, egg fast goes on for max 5 days and it shouldn't do harm to a healthy person as long as they get enough energy to go through the day. Second, eggs are a very nutritious food so I wouldn't worry about getting in wrong micronutrients in those 5 days. Last but not totally least, you might want to consider the freshness of the eggs you buy and keep in the fridge. If nothing else, just to avoid any unpleasant consequence of a rotten egg that has been sitting around for too long.
I wouldn’t suggest using this approach too often though. Maybe once every six months. While it might be fun, its long-term benefits are questionable.
My 5-day experiment
I've decided to try the Egg Fast myself. One of the reasons being that I like little food challenges. 😉 The other reason is that I've noticed my body puffing up since I started lifting heavier again. I know it's what usually happens at first when one changes their workout routine but still gets on my nerves. Plus, I've been consuming too much keto treats lately. Additionally, I think I've even been going way over my ideal daily calorie intake (though I still have no idea what my ideal actually is, honestly), and I think that doesn't help getting rid of puffiness. Long story short, I wanted to lose a couple of pounds of the excess water and see how my body responds to the egg fast.
I've decided to go on a 5-day Egg Fast (instead of just 3), but with one of the above rules broken (or ignored). I love working out in a fasted state in the mornings, so during the fast I will just consume green tea with a little bit of coconut oil and guarana every morning. It's not bulletproof green tea, but it's been my morning pre-workout routine for quite a while now, and I like it, so I'll stick to it.
What I find quite interesting, is the rule about consuming diet soda. Ok, diet sodas, they're low carb, sugar-free, and all that. But, if I were forming the rules, I would limit all the artificial sweetener and/or sugar alcohols (even erythritol) consumption to one snack per day at the most. That is because, for a lot of us, they cause fake hunger or even cravings. I don't drink diet soda often myself, but I guess they have the same effect (or not?) as sugar-free sweets. My explanation is that the brain gets the sweet taste but not the serotonin release after the intake, that is why it just wants more. But I won't turn all scientific just now. Still, need to start writing the science section of this blog.
So, on to my 5 days on the Egg Fast. I'll be writing about my well-being, losing pounds (or not), workouts, and especially the meals, plus the amount of eggs/fat/cheese consumed. Most of the recipes are taken from other blogs, and I'll direct you to them as I go.
I won't plan ahead too much. I'll take my time to choose and try out as many Egg Fast recipes as possible. It's going to be a week of working from home, and this gives me an opportunity to get familiar with some of the meals (keto recipes) I could make in advance on extra busy weeks.
If you wish, you can use this diary as a source for your Egg Fast meal plan. Or take it just as an interesting read from a fit person who's using the fast as an experiment rather than a way to lose a significant amount of weight. Of course, if you're on your own fat loss journey, my diary can still come in handy in practice. Hopefully!
Read about my Day 1. Or jump to Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, or Day 5. Note: You can find out about the overall egg-fast outcome at the end of my Day 5 post. Enjoy!
Does this sound boring? Not if you consider rewarding yourself with an egg fast friendly dessert.
Does it sound unhealthy? I guess it could be if you tried to attempt it cold turkey, not being keto-adapted first, if you have any medical issues (consult your doctor first!) or if you restrict the calorie intake too drastically.
It helps to know that eggs are very nutritious, they come with extremely healthy micronutrients, but it is also very handy to get some insight into what happens with the eggs as they age!
Get more helpful resources on the egg fast
- 5 Reasons Why Egg Fast Is Popular and Successful
- Egg Peeling Experiment: The Best Way to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
MORE KETO EGG FAST RECIPES TO TRY!
Sue says
Hi, Is it only water loss, not fat lose, and does calories not count.
jennifer merasty says
Can I still work out when I am on the egg fast diet?
Tisa says
If you're able to, why not. Have you read my post? I kept working out.
Kamyar Amjadi says
I have four questions,
First do you mean 10 grams or 15 grams for each table spoon of butter?
Second, does it make any difference if I use grass fed butter or grass fed eggs?
Third, can I a have bacon instead of butter once a day
I am 178 pounds, so over all i should I have 1200 calories or in can increase to 1600 calories?
Thanks
Tisa says
Hi Kamyar.
Butter usually measures out to be 15g per Tbsp.
Technically, it doesn't make a difference if you use grass-fed ingredients. But grass-fed is a healthier option, especially in terms of the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio.
Well, I'm not forbidding you bacon but that's additional protein, salt, and fat that an egg-fast "cleanse" doesn't predict, so you might get to your desired results more slowly.
Lastly, as I disclaim numerous times on this website, I do not give out weight-loss and health advice. Nevertheless, 1200 Kcal seems waaaay too low for a 178 pounds person, even 1600 is quite low, especially if you are even moderately active. Please, don't starve would be my main advice.
Teresa says
The only reason the egg fast has diet soda is because the creator was addicted to diet sodas and wanted to kick the addiction do he limited himself to no more than 3, but tried for none.
Tisa says
Thank you for the insight, Teresa!
Fabian says
Does bacon and avocado fit in?
Tisa says
If you stick to the rules, then no. But there is no egg fast police out there to watch over you. 😉
Natalie says
Can I just have 8 boiled eggs instead of all these recipes. Want it to be as simple as possible
Tara says
About to start my egg fast for 5 days. I want to clear up some confusion. Minimum of 6/day ✔ For healthy fats do I just have 1Tb of butter per egg? I'm consuming 2-2 1/2 gallons of water each day. 4 cups coffee per day. What cheeses are considered healthy to eat on this?
Louise Lowery says
Hi I drink hot water with lemon and chia seeds sprinkled in How do you feel about that during fast? Also any idea if you can add mushrooms to eggs ie in omelettes?
Thankyou
Tisa says
I see no problem in doing all that.
Jo van Schendel says
Good evening
Can i do EF and drink
Chicken Bouillon
Thanks for your time
[email protected]
Tisa says
I guess it would be good for electrolytes, but I would watch the salt intake. I'm not sure how salty the chicken bouillon is. Too much salt might cause your body to retain water which could counterbalance the water loss you would normally see on an EF. But that is just my guess.
Spooky Boo says
It works because not only is it keto, there is an abundance of choline in the egg yolks which helps the liver function and heal.
ryz says
hi...it says 6 per day..n other foods?
Sergei says
Instead of cheese I add cod or pollock liver or pate from it. We also have like pollock liver-and-caviar pate... I'd rather stay away from cheese.
Pierre says
for non-USA keto-goers, 1 ounce is 28 (±30) grammes cheese per egg
Cathy says
Confused about the egg diet. You eat an egg with a piece of cheese. Get that part, but do you also add fat like mayonnaise or butter or is the cheese considered the "fat"?
My Sweet Keto says
You don't really need all the cheese but you do need the healthy fats on the egg fast diet. Hope this makes it clear that yes, you also add fat.
Deb says
Hi,
Egg Fasting diet can be for more than 5 days?
My Sweet Keto says
I think you can extend it for a couple of days more if you wish but I wouldn't recommend going over a week.
Jill says
so what were your results??? I will start with a 3 day egg fast and I think it will be easy for me since I love eggs but not sure I can last 5 days...maybe the week before my beach vacation i will do the 5 day lol
My Sweet Keto says
Hey. I started already fit, so was down around 2 - 3 pounds max each time. Mostly water loss.
Good luck, 5 days pass by in no time! 😉