“It’s difficult for the first 3 days – especially giving up dinner”: Tatiana Kotova shares the rules of intermittent fasting

In a world where ideal models look at you from Instagram pages, and new mothers, having barely given birth, boast of unprecedented harmony, each of us also strives to achieve the parameters of a dream. In this regard, intermittent fasting has recently gained particular popularity – a type of diet in which periods of food intake alternate with periods of fasting.

Intermittent fasting comes in different forms. The most popular and comfortable is the 16/8 system, which implies that a person only eats 8 hours a day, and abstains from food for the remaining 16 hours.

But there are also stricter restrictions: for example, the Eat-Stop-Eat system, which implies a complete refusal of food for 24 hours once or twice a week.

Many stars practice intermittent fasting as a way to quickly get in shape or consolidate an already existing result. We decided to ask Tatyana Kotova, a longtime fan of this type of food, about all the nuances and pitfalls.

Healthy Food Near Me: Tanya, in general, what is your relationship with food? Do you like to eat deliciously or calmly walk by pastry shop windows?

Tatiana Kotova: I really love to eat! I like both pizza and pasta, I love icy white wine. At some moments this becomes too much … In addition, flights, lack of sleep, night flights affect. If you have an irregular schedule, it is difficult to keep fit.

But the artist is obliged to do this, therefore, of course, it is better to constantly take care of himself, eat in small portions 5-6 times a day, than overeat and then turn to diets.

At one time I tried a lot of different ones. By the way, I will say that the most effective is protein, which assumes a minimum of fats and carbohydrates. In five to six days, you can lose a few extra pounds.

If I really want something tasty, but harmful (for example, Olivier salad or Napoleon cake), then it is better to afford it on the same day, otherwise the desired portion will only be larger. So I close my eyes and eat what I want. Today – a whim in the form of tasty, and tomorrow – a punishment, which will serve as a longer, more difficult workout.

Healthy Food Near Me: You also practice intermittent fasting. Why exactly it?

T.K .: For me, this is a way to keep myself in shape. For several years now, twice a year, in spring and autumn, I have been trying to arrange for myself such a kind of detox. Thanks to fasting, I become more disciplined and even after getting out of it I do not break down, but for several months I eat correctly, keep myself in good shape.

Intermittent fasting helps unload the digestive system and thus rejuvenate the entire body.

In addition, this type of food is better than others for people who like to eat deliciously. That is to me (smiles).

Healthy Food Near Me: Tell us a little more about this.

T.K .: Intermittent fasting involves breakfast and lunch. But I also eat vegetable broth in the evenings, which is not considered a meal, as it is super light. I will gladly share the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Bulb onions – 2 pcs.

• Carrots – 2 pcs.

• Garlic – 4 teeth.

• Celery stalk – 2 pcs.

• Greens (dill and / or parsley) – 6 branches

• Parsley root – 1 pc.

• Bay leaf – 2 pcs.

• Allspice – 5 gr.

• Water – 2,5 liters.

Preparation:

1. For every 500 gr. vegetables you need to take 1,5-2 liters. water to make the broth rich and tasty. Carrots need to be cut into large bars, onions and garlic can be left whole, celery stalks must be cut in half so that they fit easily in a saucepan, parsley root cut into large cubes, greens are left intact.

2. Place prepared vegetables (except herbs) in a deep large saucepan and cover them with cold drinking water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, remove the resulting foam, you can add a little salt, reduce the heat. Cook the vegetable broth under a slightly open lid. After half an hour of cooking, add parsley and dill, bay leaves, a few peas of allspice. Strain the finished broth through a fine sieve. Bon Appetit!

My serving size does not exceed 250 grams – so much our stomach can hold without stretching. A glass of water is drunk 30 minutes before meals and an hour after. Accordingly, you cannot drink water during a meal, and it is very important to follow this rule, otherwise the stomach will stretch.

You can eat all non-fried, non-superfat – mainly vegetable and protein foods.

It is important to observe the acid-base balance in the stomach: protein products and cereals must be eaten with vegetables, since the former are acidic, and the latter are alkaline. 

I will give an example of my daily diet: for breakfast – a slice of goat cheese and slightly salted trout, buckwheat toast, flaxseed oil and pumpkin seeds, and for lunch – fish or turkey with various vegetable garnishes. The main thing is not to mix proteins and carbohydrates.

Healthy Food Near Me: Tell us how hard it is to have no meals? How do you distract yourself from food?

T.K .: The first 3 days are always difficult. It is also difficult to refuse dinner, because it is unusual, so I try to keep myself busy with various activities, work, reading, in the end.

After three days, as a rule, the desire to eat everything disappears, you want to eat only right.

By the sixth day, the understanding comes that you are on the right track and there is no need to turn off it. But, as I said above, you, of course, turn off – because of work, stress, the same vacation, where you want to afford a little more. Therefore, from time to time I return to intermittent fasting to become the best version of myself.

Healthy Food Near Me: How have habits and tastes changed during this time?

T.K .: The attitude towards oneself has changed. For example, I have come to the conclusion that there is no need to blame myself for the extra piece eaten – you will only make it worse.

For example, I will never deny myself to try something unusual while in another country.

That is why such detoxification, when I switch my attention from the love of food to the love of my health and the outside world, is very necessary. As practice shows, you can pamper yourself in completely different ways.

Photo Shoot: @ kottova / Instagram, Andrey Kalmykov / Healthy Food Near Me, Getty Images