Everything You Need To Know About Egg Fasting

Keto diets are a popular way of trying to stimulate weight loss (via The New York Times). They come in many forms, with variations including the standard diet, calorie-restricted diet, and high protein diet (via Diabetes.co.uk). Despite the list of ketogenic diets already being vast, egg fasting is one that should not be omitted.

The egg fast diet, perhaps unsurprisingly, involves consuming large numbers of eggs — making it a particularly attractive diet for people who happen to be chicken farmers. According to Ruled.me, the egg fast diet focuses on eating at least six eggs a day, combining them with limited amounts of cheese and butter. Any other ingredients that are high in calories are banned.

A low-carb diet that is also high in fat (fat making up approximately 60% of all nutrients consumed while on the diet, followed by 30% protein, and 10% carbohydrates), egg fasting works by eating an egg within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning, finishing a meal that is packed with eggs every three to five hours, and not eating anything at all three hours before going to bed (via Perfect Keto).

Ketovale also reveals that there is a hardcore version of the egg fast diet available. Taking the diet very literally, it involves eating nothing but hard-boiled eggs, completely removing any other foodstuff. The diet usually takes place for one or two weeks, and unlimited egg consumption is allowed — unless the extreme version is chosen, in which case only six eggs per day are allowed to be eaten. That's only 468 calories.

The effectiveness of egg fasting — and other keto diets like it — is the subject of great debate. According to Harvard Medical School, ketogenic diets work by trying to force the liver to produce ketone bodies from fat reserves, which can be used as an energy source by the body. While the medical school states that the weight loss benefits of keto diets remain the subject of research, it cites potential liver and kidney problems, nutrient deficiency, and constipation as possible side effects of ketogenic eating.

Even though control of weight is necessary for a fit and healthy life (via CDC), stigmas relating to body shapes and eating habits still remain (via BBC). Egg fasting (and keto diets like it) may seem to be a quick-fire solution to managing body mass, but the medical risks associated with it are significant and problematic themselves.