“Three fists” threaten excess weight: a universal nutrition system for weight loss

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Despite the name, no one is going to beat you for extra pounds. The Three Fists Diet is designed to help balance weight. With its help you can both lose weight and gain weight.

In this article, we will look at a special version of the Three Fists diet menu for weight loss.

“Three fists”: why don’t you count calories?

The author of the “Three Fists” diet is Kiev nutritionist and healthy eating ideologist Oleg Tern.
In his opinion, a diet should exist for a person, and not a person for a diet. Therefore, in order for healthy eating to be a joy, a person should navigate the quantity and composition of food easily and naturally. Oleg Tern offers a simple and understandable view of food, confirmed by personal and professional experience. In his opinion, one of the most essential places in our diet is occupied by proteins. They cannot be qualitatively replaced with fats and/or carbohydrates; they maintain body temperature and metabolism, and are also responsible for the formation of muscle mass. Fats and carbohydrates are also necessary for life support, but it is very important to carefully control their sources. In this, Tern’s opinion is similar to the opinion of most nutritionists in the world - not all fats, just like not all carbohydrates, are healthy and safe for humans.

The author of the “Three Fists” diet has compiled a list of recommended products, which he has arranged into 4 lists:

• protein products
• vegetables, mushrooms and herbs
• complex carbohydrates
• fruits.

By combining products from these lists with each other, a person can easily and safely control his weight depending on his needs: he can lose weight without harm to health, or vice versa - increase weight by gaining muscle mass.

List of approved products

Protein:

• quail and chicken eggs;
• river and sea fish;
• seafood;
• chicken fillet without fat and skin;
• rabbit and poultry meat;
• chicken and beef liver;
• chicken kidneys and heart;
• cottage cheese and hard cheese with low fat content;
• red meat.

Vegetables, herbs and mushrooms:

• mushrooms;
• eggplant;
• white cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli;
• canned corn;
• seaweed;
• green peas;
• leafy vegetables;
• radish;
• boiled beets;
• green beans;
• tomatoes;
• Bell pepper;
• cucumbers;
• carrot;
• parsley, dill, basil and other herbs.

Complex carbohydrates:

• oatmeal, buckwheat and pearl barley porridge, cooked in water without adding oil;
• whole wheat bread;
• lentils;
• legumes;
• beans;
• pasta made from durum wheat.

Berries and fruits:

• pears;
• apples;
• oranges;
• grapefruits;
• gooseberry;
• a pineapple;
• kiwi;
• plum;
• apricot;
• peach;
• pomegranate;
• blueberry;
• cherry;
• currant;
• strawberry.

Steamed, boiled, grilled or oven-baked dishes are highly effective for weight loss. Frying food with added oil is strictly prohibited, except on special days, which we will talk about when considering the nutrition plan.

It is strictly forbidden to consume during the diet:

• marinades, pickles;
• anything fried with added oil or fat;
• alcohol;
• sweets;
• canned goods and other store-bought foods high in sodium;
• smoked meats;
• cutlets;
• store-bought sauces, sour cream, mayonnaise;
• carbonated and non-carbonated sweet drinks;
• fast food.

Despite the fact that the restrictions are quite high, one meal every few days can be supplemented with prohibited dishes. This day is called “zigzag plus”. Also, as part of this “zigzag”, you can treat yourself to a glass of your favorite alcoholic drink, but do not overdo it.

There are concessions in this diet, but there are also days with high restrictions - “zigzag minus”. At this time, you will have to divide all your usual portions, measured with fists, by 2. It turns out that you need to take half of the products from each group, not just one “fist”.

Basic foods on which the Three Fists Diet is based

It is allowed to eat meat, chicken, fish and seafood in the following forms: boiled, stewed, baked without fat, and grilled.

It is better to eat vegetables and herbs mainly raw, in the form of a salad, but they can also be stewed. Complex carbohydrates - and these are mainly cereals - are best consumed steamed or boiled. Fruits, accordingly, are mainly in raw form.

All that remains is to add that portions of food are measured by the size of your own fist - hence the original name of the diet. As a rule, at one meal you are allowed to consume a volume of food not exceeding the size of three of your fists. Agree – these are almost “royal” portions!

Adviсe

To avoid stress, you should not suddenly change your menu, you can simply reduce the portions: if before, for example, you ate a piece of pork the size of your head, now it’s the size of your fist. It’s even better to cook lean meat, for example, veal, chicken, rabbit.

Avoid fried meats, large amounts of oil, spicy and salty foods, alcohol and carbonated drinks, and sweets.

It is best to stew or boil foods. Sour cream is not suitable, you can replace it with low-fat yoghurts with vinegar and olive oil, this is also very tasty, but also healthy. It’s good to eat cottage cheese and cheese when you want something sweet, like honey. Fractional nutrition improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and helps normalize metabolism.

In the first days, if it’s very difficult for you, eat dried fruits, drink tea with a sweetener, bake a cottage cheese casserole with stevia and pieces of fruit - this will perfectly replace the usual sweets and will help you not to relapse. In order not to harm your health, strictly follow the recommendations, do not skip meals, if you feel empty in your stomach, have an extra snack, but use lean foods for this. You can always snack on low-fat cottage cheese, it has a lot of protein and no carbohydrates.

Important! Drink more water, at least 2.5 liters per day.

Diet "Three fists" - version 2.0

Taking into account the popularity of the nutrition system and the first experience of its adherents, over time the author added an additional list to the basic table of products, designed to diversify the diet. For example:

• Lean pork and protein powder (sports nutrition) were added to protein foods;
• Vegetables and herbs were joined by leafy vegetables (spinach, arugula, lettuce), daikon, zucchini and zucchini;
• The “company” of complex carbohydrates included: brown and wild rice, barley, lasagna sheets, pita bread, and, with caution, baked potatoes;
• The following fruits were added: pomelo, cherry, watermelon, melon, with caution - persimmon, banana, dried fruits;

Dietary additions such as seeds, nuts, seeds (in moderation) and salad dressing (virgin oil, vinegar, olives, etc.) were also “allowed.”

Maintaining weight through diet

The first day we use a low-calorie diet, the second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh - maintenance, on the sixth day the “zigzag plus” menu comes into force - we can eat something tasty and high in calories.

On the first and sixth days, we treat ourselves to a diet with high-calorie foods from the list of prohibited foods instead of one meal (“zigzag plus”), on the second, third, fourth and fifth we create a menu of diet products for a set, on the seventh day we build a nutrition system based on the principle of supporting diet.

What the Three Fists Diet can do

Using the “3 fists” weight control technique, you can completely control your own weight, namely:

• lose weight
• maintain existing weight
• To gain weight.

It is important that when choosing the third option, we will be talking about gaining muscle mass, and not rapid fat deposits. Judging by the reviews, athletes successfully use Oleg Tern’s “Three Fists” technique for the so-called “drying” - improving muscle relief while reducing the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer.

Contraindications

Contraindications to the use of the “Three Fists” method are:

• gastrointestinal diseases (colitis, pancreatitis, dysbacteriosis, etc.);
• severe pathologies of the cardiovascular system, hematopoietic organs and kidneys;
• gout;
• childhood.

Elderly people, adolescents and patients with a history of any chronic diseases are advised to follow this diet with caution and only after consulting a physician.

Patients who are recovering from an infectious disease or surgery can adhere to this system, but they should not choose a low-calorie or fasting diet.

How to create a menu for a diet

Depending on the goal of the diet (you want to lose weight, or maintain your current weight, or gain a little), combinations are formed from the lists of listed products, which can be roughly represented as four basic diets. From these diets, in turn, like building blocks, an individual weekly nutrition plan is compiled that meets your goals. We’ll talk about how this is done a little lower, but for now let’s learn more about the diets themselves:

Low calorie diet

This diet is suitable for those who are trying to lose weight through a diet. In total, there are five meals per day at approximately equal intervals. The amount of food consumed per meal is equal to approximately three of your fists. It is advisable to take your last meal no later than 2 hours before bedtime.

One day on a low-calorie diet looks something like this:

• Three meals are made up of one serving of food from the “Protein foods” column and two servings from the “Vegetables, mushrooms and greens” column. For example: 1 fist (in other words, a portion the size of your fist) of grilled fish + 1 fist of salad + 1 fist of stewed vegetables or mushrooms.
• Two techniques are from the “Fruits” column. Each move is the volume of three of your fists. For example, in one fruit meal you can eat 1 large apple and 2 handfuls of berries.

Maintenance diet

This diet is suitable for those who have already lost weight and want to keep the weight in a static position. There are also five meals per day, which are distributed as follows:

• Two meals a day - fruits (3 fists per meal). For example: once a day you can eat a large orange, the second time - a cup of strawberries or currants (the volume of berries is about 3 of your fists).
• One trick - 1 fist from the “Protein products” column, 2 fists from the “Vegetables, mushrooms and greens” column. For example: steamed chicken (volume - one fist), accompanied by a salad of fresh vegetables (volume - two fists).
• Two receptions - 1 fist from the “Protein products” column, 1 - from the “Vegetables, mushrooms and greens” column, 1 - from the “Complex carbohydrates”. That is, one reception may look something like this: 1 fistful of seafood, accompanied by a side dish - a fistful of boiled green beans and a salad of fresh vegetables of your choice.

Fasting diet

It resembles a low-calorie diet, but - which is extremely important! - it uses only half portions (that is, instead of the serving size of one fist, we take portions of ½ fist).

The entire fasting diet consists primarily of protein foods (five meals a day, each of which consists of ½ serving from the “Protein foods” list + 2 apples (if you are tired of apples, they can be replaced at the rate of 2 apples = 1 carrot).

Please note: in the weekly Three Fist Diet plans you will find so-called “Zig Zag Minus” days. This means that you will have a day of strict diet based on one of two ascetic diets - “Low-calorie” or “Fasting”. However, the existence of “Zigzag minus” implies that there is probably also “Zigzag plus” - a kind of indulgence in the diet that allows you to satisfy your gastronomic desires. And she really is! However, about “Zigzag Plus” - a little later...

Diet for weight gain

The daily menu of this diet is reduced to 4 meals, which are distributed as follows:

• Three meals consist of 1 fist from “Protein products”, 1 - from “Vegetables, mushrooms and greens”, 1 - from “Complex carbohydrates”. In other words, one similar meal could, for example, look like this: a piece of grilled rabbit meat (about the size of a fist) + a salad of fresh and/or leafy vegetables (again, the size of a fist), and with them a portion of buckwheat porridge with water, or baked potatoes, or a portion of pasta.
• One technique - 3 fists from the “Fruits” column. For example: a cup of fresh strawberries (serving size is about 3 of your fists) or one large pineapple, or 3 pieces. kiwi, etc.

Operating principle

Thanks to the three-fist method, you eat balanced food in the right proportions. This in itself improves your metabolism, and your body begins to lose excess weight without much effort on your part. This method improves the functioning of the “Gastrointestinal tract”, reduces appetite, the skin becomes velvety, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened, and you feel younger.

During the diet, you should avoid unhealthy foods such as fried meat and fish, canned foods, fast food, fatty foods, salt, alcohol, sugar and anything that may contain it.

Give preference to seafood and lean meat, vegetables, eggs, cottage cheese, all kinds of cereals and cereals, fruits and berries will be especially useful.

During the three-fist method, you need to eat five times a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks in between.

“Zigzag plus” - zigzag of luck

So, the happy opportunity to include any of the clearly non-dietary, but beloved foods in the diet is called in the “Three Fists” method the promising concept of “Zigzag Plus”.

This concept implies a special daily diet, which exactly repeats the “Maintenance” diet scheme. With just one exception:

• One of the five meals looks like this instead of the usual: 1 serving (that is, 1 fist) of a protein product (for example, boiled turkey or lean grilled pork) + 2 servings (that is, the size of two fists) of vegetable salad + 1 serving of your favorite product from the “non-dietary” category: beer, ice cream, a piece of cake, fried potatoes, a piece of pizza, etc. The exact volume of this portion is not measured with fists and remains on the conscience of the person losing weight.

Why do we need Zigzags at all? “Zigzag plus” and “Zigzag minus” play the role of a so-called “swing” in “Three Fists” - a similar technique is used in other diets. Sharp, but regular and controlled jumps in the calorie content of dishes stimulate metabolic processes and prevent the body from getting used to the diet.

Sample menu for the week

Fasting Monday:

• Breakfast: eggs, 2 servings (2 fists) of vegetables.
• Second breakfast: dairy products, 2 servings of fruit.
• Lunch: fish, 2 servings of vegetables.
• Afternoon snack: dairy products, 2 servings of fruit.
• Dinner: fish, 2 servings of fruit.

Low Calorie Tuesday:

• Breakfast: eggs, 2 servings of vegetables.
• Second breakfast: 3 servings of fruit or berries.
• Lunch: fish, 2 servings of vegetables.
• Afternoon snack: 3 servings of fruit.
• Dinner: soy meat or tofu, 2 servings of vegetables.

Low calorie environment:

• Breakfast: a portion of chicken, vegetables.
• Second breakfast: 3 servings of fruits or berries.
• Lunch: fish, 2 servings of vegetables.
• Afternoon snack: 3 servings of fruit.
• Dinner: 1 serving of poultry, 2 servings of vegetables.

Low Calorie Thursday:

• Breakfast: 1 serving of tofu, 2 servings of vegetables.
• Second breakfast: 3 servings of fruit.
• Lunch: fish, 2 servings of vegetables.
• Afternoon snack: 3 servings of fruits, berries.
• Dinner: 1 serving of seafood, 2 servings of vegetables.

Support Friday:

• Breakfast: 1 serving of chicken, 1 legume, 1 vegetable.
• Second breakfast: 3 servings of fruit.
• Lunch: 1 serving of meat, 1 mushroom, 1 grain.
• Afternoon snack: 3 servings of fruit.
• Dinner: 1 serving of fish, 2 servings of vegetables.

Zig-zag Saturday:

• Breakfast: egg, 1 serving of vegetables, 1 serving of grains.
• Second breakfast: 3 servings of berries.
• Lunch: 1 serving of meat, 1 serving of vegetables, 1 serving of grains.
• Afternoon snack: 3 servings of fruit.
• Dinner: 1 serving of fish, 1 vegetable.

Support Sunday:

• Breakfast: 1 serving of chicken, 1 vegetable, 1 grain.
• Second breakfast: 3 servings of fruit.
• Lunch: 1 serving of meat, 1 mushroom, 1 grain.
• Afternoon snack: 3 servings of fruit.
• Dinner: fish, 2 servings of vegetables.

Meal plans: weight loss, weight maintenance and weight gain

It would be ridiculous to hope that after living on any of the diets for just one day, you will achieve your desired weight. Alas, no. For each of the nutrition plans that correspond to a specific goal (lose weight, maintain weight, gain weight), there is its own “grid” of nutrition, combining different diets with each other. If we take a period of time per week, the meal plans would look like this:

A week to lose weight on the “Three Fists” diet:

• Day 1 – “Zigzag minus” (according to the Fasting diet type)
• Days 2, 3 and 4 - Low calorie diet
• Days 5 and 6 - Maintenance diet
• Day 7 - “Zigzag plus”.

A week to maintain weight:

• Day 1 – “Zigzag minus” (like a Low-calorie diet)
• Days 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 - Maintenance diet
• Day 6 - “Zigzag plus”.

Weekly meal plan for those who want to gain weight:

• Days 1 and 6 – “Zigzag plus”
• Days 2, 3, 4 and 5 - Diet for weight gain
• Day 7 - Maintenance diet.

Where to start a diet

First you need to draw up and draw a diagram of the main permitted products and place it on the refrigerator door. It is advisable to decide in advance and in order to comply with the methodology:

1. Weight loss.
2. Weight maintenance.
3. Weight gain.

Meat is allowed twice a week, but not fried.

The best days to start a diet

For the sake of convenience, it is advisable to start a weight loss system on Monday, so as not to cause confusion in maintaining the sequence.

Advice for young ladies: before starting the technique, you should wait until the end of the critical days, since it is during this period that the body most calmly tolerates food restrictions and changes in eating habits, and these are the most favorable days to start a diet.

What can you drink on the Three Fists Diet?

Liquid occupies an important place in the Three Fists nutrition system: you must drink at least one and a half liters of pure still water per day, preferably at more or less equal intervals and in a volume of about 150 ml at a time. This way, the liquid will be optimally absorbed, and you will not have to experience discomfort due to a full bladder.

You can also drink unsweetened tea and, in moderation, coffee. If you are used to drinking these drinks with sugar and find it difficult to immediately adjust your receptors to the new taste, you can use sweeteners as a transitional measure.

It is better to avoid beer and other alcohol on normal days of following the diet, but there is a trick - you can drink a bottle of foam, a cocktail or a glass of wine as part of the Zigzag-plus diet, without fear of being branded a bore among your friends. Consider this loophole when planning your leisure time!

The benefits and harms of losing weight from Oleg Tern

To make a decision to lose weight using Oleg Tern's system, it is worth weighing the pros and cons of the diet. Benefits of the Three Fists diet:

• weight loss occurs slowly, which does not harm the condition of the skin and does not affect the appearance;
• the diet is useful for accelerating metabolism - by alternating low-calorie and weight-maintaining days, metabolism is not inhibited;
• the large amount of fiber provided for in the nutritional rules helps the intestines work, which has a beneficial effect on the immune system;
• The “Three Fists” diet helps you get rid of the habit of overeating;
• nutritional rules do not harm general health, which serves as additional motivation for losing kilograms;
• in the process of losing weight, there is no need to count calories - creating a menu is not difficult, following the rules;
• After finishing the diet, the achieved weight remains for a long time.

At the same time, the “Three Fists” power system also has disadvantages. Such a diet can harm the body:

• The diet includes the consumption of a minimum amount of carbohydrates. This is especially noticeable on low-calorie days. Such a restriction can lead to energy deficiency and weakness.
• Not everyone on such a diet has enough fatty acids - most of them are found in vegetable and animal fat. If you constantly limit the consumption of fatty meat, fish, oil, your hair will become dull, your nails will begin to peel, your metabolism will slow down, your memory may deteriorate, and problems with brain activity will arise.
• Banning sweets is not for everyone. Lack of glucose can cause depression and headaches.
• The breakdown of protein releases toxins, so on protein days you need to drink a lot of water. Otherwise, intoxication of the body may occur - the skin color will turn gray, nausea, and dizziness will appear.

Prohibited Products

Despite all the diversity of the diet, it makes sense to irrevocably and without regret give up the following products (an exception can only be made within the framework of the “Zigzag-plus” diet, and then only one!):

• Sauces based on mayonnaise and sour cream (and, accordingly, mayonnaise and sour cream themselves);
• Meat fried using any fat;
• Chopped steaks and cutlets, as well as any semi-finished products;
• Smoked meats;
• Battered and breaded products;
• Sugar and confectionery;
• Sugar-containing drinks (especially carbonated): including juices, nectars, industrially produced fruit drinks, as well as fermented milk drinks, tea and coffee with sugar;
• Any alcohol;
• Foods high in sodium (salted nuts, chips, preserves and canned food).

Fully or partially limited products

• Sugar, honey, confectionery.
• Grilled meat.
• Mayonnaise, sour cream.
• Semi-finished products.
• Products in fried batter and breading.
• Confectionery.
• Sweet drinks.
• Alcohol.
• Sauces.
• Smoked meats.
• Limit salt when preparing dishes.
• Salty foods (fish, preserves, nuts, chips).

Table of prohibited products

Duration and results of the “Three Fists” diet

Since Three Fists is not a diet, but rather a nutritional system, there are no limiting recommendations for its duration. Knowing the basic principles, depending on your current goals, you can select the appropriate type of diet to gain, maintain or lose weight - and measure food portions with your own fists for the rest of your life. According to reviews, following the “3 fists” system for weight loss, you can lose from 2 to 7 kg per month. If we talk about weight gain, then Oleg Tern’s method promises a monthly increase due to the growth of muscle tissue by about 1.5 - 2 kg.

Dish recipes

The “Three Fists” diet does not imply clear requirements for preparing dishes; all dietary recipes are suitable. But complex dishes that include many ingredients are not suitable for this diet. You will get weight loss results faster if you choose simple food processing methods and ascetic dishes.

Cooking Tips:

• Meat, fish and poultry can be boiled or stewed, grilled;
• It is undesirable to fry meat, because during frying it absorbs oil, and these are extra calories in the form of fat; they have very little benefit. The author does not advise frequently eating cutlets and meat in batter;
• It is better to boil eggs. If you are concerned about excess cholesterol in egg yolks, eat only the whites;
• Season salads sparingly with olive or sunflower oil. You can add vinegar and low-fat yogurt, but mayonnaise and sour cream are allowed only as an exception;
• Do not over-salt the dishes, but add pepper and seasonings to taste.

The author of the diet admits that fist volume is a subjective measure. In addition, a man's fist is larger than a fragile girl's fist. You have the right to change the quantity of products by 15% in any direction at your discretion.

Example of a maintenance day menu:

• Breakfast: a piece of bread, one fistful of cottage cheese, a fistful of grated carrots with a spoonful of sunflower oil;
• Snack: apple, pear, three plums;
• Lunch: a fist of beef stew, two fresh tomatoes, a fist of rice;
• Snack: banana, orange, apple;
• Dinner: oven-baked chicken thigh and two fists of stewed cabbage.