Therapeutic fasting at Lake Tegernsee – region and honest assessment

The essentials at a glance

• Therapeutic fasting in the Tegernsee region means Buchinger fasting at the Tannerhof: not a zero-calorie diet, but a therapeutic method involving tea, water, mild vegetable broth, and freshly pressed juices.
• The Tannerhof is not located directly on Lake Tegernsee, but southeast of it in Bayrischzell in the upper Leitzach Valley, with a view of the Wendelstein—about 15 kilometers from Schliersee and approximately 75 kilometers from Munich.
• Two processes occur simultaneously in the body: the switch to fat burning and autophagy, the body's cellular recycling process.
• The initial medical consultation takes place on the first day of fasting after arrival; the length of the stay is booked in advance.
• Breaking the fast is followed by a transition period, often with a focus on the "Schlanke Tanne" Low Carb, our in-house low-carb nutritional program.

Therapeutic fasting at Tegernsee: what the region offers

Those looking for therapeutic fasting at Tegernsee are usually looking for more than just a beautiful lakeside backdrop. They are looking for a place where fasting is a structured method, medically supported, and provides enough space to truly arrive. The region between Tegernsee, Schliersee, and the Leitzach Valley is one of the quieter corners of Upper Bavaria: mountain ranges, alpine meadows, mountain streams, and paths that invite you to walk at a pace that suits fasting. This Alpine landscape has long been a place where people come to find peace.

An honest note right from the start: the Tannerhof is not located directly on Lake Tegernsee, but rather southeast of it, in Bayrischzell in the upper Leitzach Valley. If you view the region as a whole—Tegernsee, Schliersee, and the Leitzachtal as an interconnected corner of Upper Bavaria—you will find here a family-run nature hotel that has offered medically supervised Buchinger therapeutic fasting for over 70 years. For guests interested in a medically guided fasting programme, Body Detox is the dedicated programme page, where stays can also be booked online. Those wishing to explore the method and nutritional approach in context will find all details in the Therapeutic Fasting & Schlanke Tanne Hub.

Buchinger therapeutic fasting is the conscious, temporary abstention from solid food and stimulants. It is far more than a diet and by no means merely a weight-loss tool. It is a therapeutic practice, a multi-layered cleansing, and a chance to reconnect with oneself. While weight loss can be a welcome side effect, the core focus remains on bodily relief, a clear reset, medical guidance, and the gentle rediscovery of a healthy relationship with food. Two guiding principles continue to shape our philosophy to this day: Otto Buchinger’s belief that “fasting activates the inner physician” and the enduring words of Johannes von Mengershausen: “In therapeutic fasting, you discover a new freedom: independence from solid food. Fasting means quietness, listening to what unfolds within, and focusing on the essentials.”

The location: Bayrischzell, Schliersee, and the Leitzach Valley

A fasting retreat is enhanced by the location that supports the process. The Tannerhof is located in Bayrischzell, in the upper Leitzach Valley, about 75 kilometers southeast of Munich, with a view of the valley and the Wendelstein. It is about 15 kilometers to Schliersee, around 38 kilometers to Rosenheim, and the Bayrischzell train station is just over a kilometer away. Munich and Salzburg airports are each about an hour and a half away by car. The hotel is situated in the middle of the Alpine foothills between the Wendelstein and Sonnwendjoch, yet remains easily accessible—for guests from Munich as well as from the Tegernsee Valley, which is within easy reach.

The setting is about much more than just the location. It encompasses around 16 hectares of grounds, the mountain stream, alpine meadows, the historic 1905 Air Huts, and the four Hut Towers designed by Florian Nagler. It is the orangery offering an expansive, leafy sanctuary, the dedicated dining parlour for fasting guests, and the BadeHarpfe with its Finnish sauna, panoramic relaxation room, cardio and strength fitness area, and the 25-metre outdoor natural pool looking out towards the Wendelstein and Sonnwendjoch. The surrounding walking paths, crisp mountain air, and dramatic alpine scenery give a multi-day fast a rhythm all its own. Fasting here means fasting in your hideaway in the mountains—not in a clinic with mountain views, but in a family-run nature hotel drawing on decades of experience to show what true fasting really means.

This landscape naturally invites you to combine fasting with mindful movement. For guests who wish to pair fasting with gentle mountain trails, the Tannerhof offers the Hiking and Fasting package. Moving at an unhurried pace suited to fasting is, for many, the heart of the experience. To get a feel for what exploring these trails is like, take a look at our magazine article Favourite Hikes: The Seeberg Loop.

Why people fast in this region

Motivations vary. Many guests are looking for a mental shutdown, a counterpoint to sensory overload and constant acceleration. Others want relief from excess, where food is reduced to the essentials—often leading to a more intense enjoyment of food afterward. Still others come with a medical concern or the desire to reorganize their daily lives after fasting.

These motivations are supported by a well-documented body of research. The guidelines for fasting therapy are provided by the Ärztegesellschaft Heilfasten und Ernährung (ÄGHE), an association of physicians that provides a scientifically sound basis for therapeutic fasting. These guidelines, originally published as a consensus in 2002 and updated as an expert panel report after 2013, describe the methodology, patient selection, contraindications, and medical supervision required. They categorize the use of medically supervised fasting for conditions including rheumatic diseases, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, allergies, autoimmune diseases, asthma, migraines, type II diabetes mellitus, and depression. Studies on fasting therapy are also available for review via the ÄGHE.

A large observational study by Wilhelmi de Toledo et al. from 2019, published in PLOS One, demonstrates how well prolonged fasting is tolerated. The study monitored 1,422 people during fasting periods of four to twenty-one days using the Buchinger method. Severe adverse effects occurred in less than one percent of cases, while physical and emotional well-being increased significantly across all groups. Of the 404 participants with pre-existing health complaints, 84.4 percent reported an improvement, and 93.2 percent of all participants experienced no hunger during the fast. Nevertheless, whether therapeutic fasting is appropriate in an individual case is always a matter for medical assessment at Tannerhof.

Buchinger therapeutic fasting has a long tradition in Germany. Otto Buchinger developed his method in the early 20th century, transforming traditional folk fasting into a medically supervised practice that he documented in his book The Therapeutic Fasting Cure and Its Auxiliary Methods. This tradition is deeply rooted in Southern Germany—not least at the Tannerhof, where Buchinger fasting has been carried forward across three generations of physicians.

What happens in the body: fat burning and autophagy

During fasting, the body operates on several levels. Two of these are often conflated and should be clearly distinguished.

The first level is fat burning. As readily available carbohydrate stores are depleted, the metabolism switches from glucose to fatty acids and ketone bodies within the first few days. This is the energetic side of fasting: the body increasingly draws its energy from its own reserves. In the PLOS One study, this shift into ketosis was evidenced by rising levels of ketone bodies.

The second level is autophagy. This does not refer to fat burning, but rather to the body's own recycling and cleansing processes at the cellular level: cellular components are broken down, utilized, and reorganized. The fundamental nature of this mechanism was highlighted by the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi for his discovery of the mechanisms of autophagy. To put it more elegantly: all recycling processes are activated, and a thorough cleaning takes place everywhere—cellularly, vascularly, in the connective tissue, in the gut, in the brain, and in the liver and kidneys.

Both processes occur simultaneously during fasting, yet they describe different mechanisms. Fasting can be medically interesting for certain metabolic and chronic issues; the question of whether it is suitable for an individual case belongs in a discussion with the medical team. Mental effects are also part of the experience. Often, the need for sleep decreases while sleep itself becomes lighter. Some people experience a "fasting euphoria" due to altered serotonin metabolism, which varies in intensity from person to person. Fasting creates a break and an abundance of time with oneself and for oneself.

The schedule of a fasting week at Tannerhof

A fasting week does not start with the soup. Before arrival, the doctors at Tannerhof recommend one or more relief days at home, such as a fruit, potato, vegetable, or raw food day—the guest decides how many. The length of stay and the fasting package are already booked at this point. During the intake interview on the first day of fasting, the specific schedule within this framework is coordinated and can be adjusted, particularly if an extension is desired.

During the fasting days, herbal tea, water, lemon and ginger water, mild vegetable broth, and freshly pressed fruit or vegetable juices set the rhythm, totaling about three liters of fluid per day. In the evening, you can choose between buttermilk or a plant-based protein source, and if needed, a base supplement to counteract acidic metabolic products and uric acid crystals. A spoonful of honey or an espresso is permitted to bridge a low point without breaking the fast. Fasting guests take their meals in the "Fasterstube," a dedicated dining room for those fasting. It may seem like a small detail, but it is essential: those who are fasting need a different tempo than those enjoying a meal in 3/4 time.

Exercise remains an integral part of fasting, tailored in moderate doses. Gentle endurance training and light strength conditioning are available alongside yoga, Feldenkrais, tai chi, resistance band training, and breath therapy. Summit hikes and running are possible, but always kept at a pace suited to fasting—the body is drawing nourishment from within. In this way, the mountain scenery around Bayrischzell becomes an active part of the journey, rather than a mere backdrop.

Medical supervision at the Tannerhof practice

Medical supervision is not strictly mandatory for fasting, but it is highly recommended. At Tannerhof, therapeutic fasting is always medically supervised because the house's medical expertise is an integral part of the fasting process. The doctors at Tannerhof are experts in fasting; they monitor vital signs and circulation as well as your individual progress. The environment and medical supervision are equally important: fasting in a moving landscape becomes more intense, and the supervision gives the process direction.

Medical appointments form a calm arc. It begins with an intake interview on the first day of fasting. This is holistic in nature: it includes a medical history, a physical examination—including bioelectrical impedance analysis to measure body composition—and a medication review. It also covers questions about why you are fasting, what goals you have at Tannerhof beyond fasting, what is currently happening in your life, and what previous fasting experience you have. Every person is different; the individual is at the center. A follow-up medical consultation follows if needed. The process concludes with a final interview to evaluate changes, discuss recommendations for daily life, and plan the transition to subsequent nutrition. Medical services are billed through the private practice at Tannerhof.

Our accompanying therapy programme is deliberately comprehensive, because fasting is far more than changing what you eat for a few days. Medical treatments include bioelectrical impedance analysis, IHHT altitude training depending on your programme, and, where medically appropriate, ozone autohaemotherapy. These are complemented by wraps and compresses, such as liver-supporting hay flower wraps, aroma wraps, and moor or warm packs; therapeutic baths and water applications, including Kneipp alternating showers and magnesium-rich detox baths; as well as massages such as fasting massage, detox massage with royal oil, acidosis massage, lymphatic drainage, reflexology, and breath therapy. For mental clarity and emotional wellbeing, we offer psychotherapeutic coaching, nature coaching, business and communication coaching, and art therapy. Fasting expertise is woven into every corner of the house, from reception and dining to our team of practitioners. To explore the full framework and book online, discover the Body Detox programme.

Breaking the fast, rebuilding, and the "Schlanke Tanne"

The rebuilding phase is not an afterthought to fasting, but its continuation by other means. Breaking the fast still counts as a fasting day: a small cup of fasting soup at noon, then the apple, raw or stewed, with every bite chewed thirty to forty times. In the evening, a vegetable soup with non-puréed vegetable pieces follows. Those who fast for five days usually need two rebuilding days; for seven days of fasting, the rebuilding phase extends to two or three days, totaling about one-third of the fasting period.

Rather than adhering to an intricate meal plan, the focus is on a simple guiding question: what truly nurtures your microbiome? The answer lies in easily digestible vegetables, fermented foods, plenty of dietary fibre, and mindful chewing—always respecting your body’s natural satiety cues. During the concluding consultation with our attending physicians, your post-fast nutrition is thoroughly addressed. If you are seeking a sustainable, lasting shift, this can be followed by Schlanke Tanne Low Carb, our proprietary low-carb nutritional concept. It is not an alternative to Buchinger fasting, but a bridge to bring your fasting insights into daily life—featuring clean proteins, vegetables, healthy fats, and a genuine reimagining of how you eat, without ever taking the joy out of meals. Here, the focus shifts away from deprivation and towards an abundance of flavour and vitality.

Intermittent fasting, such as a 16/8 rhythm, is not a substitute for Buchinger fasting, but rather the recommended way to integrate the benefits of intensive fasting into everyday life. Our Schlanke Tanne Intermittent approach offers a signature Tannerhof path to achieve just that. In this way, a week of fasting here becomes far more than a brief period of abstention: it has a beginning, a centre, and a smooth transition forward. Perhaps this is simply the modern expression of an enduring Tannerhof principle: focus on what truly matters.

Who can fast and who should consult a doctor

The decisive factors for fasting are your own will and the readiness to commit to it. Therapeutic fasting is not suitable during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or for those with anorexia. In the case of chronic illnesses, ongoing medication, or uncertainty, you can request a preliminary medical consultation by phone before your arrival; the intake interview on the first day of fasting remains the deciding factor.

How long you fast is a recommendation, not a rule. At Tannerhof, we recommend five days of fasting or more, because otherwise, the transition has little room to take effect. For first-time fasters, a week is ideal: about seven days of fasting plus two to three rebuilding days, totaling around ten days. For health-related concerns, we recommend longer, with close medical supervision. In the end, it adds up to a good week of time that you should take for yourself.

Discover therapeutic fasting in the Tegernsee region at Tannerhof

Naturhotel Tannerhof has offered Buchinger therapeutic fasting for over 70 years: medically supervised, backed by extensive expertise across every department, and nestled in Bayrischzell southeast of Lake Tegernsee, set between alpine meadows, mountain streams, and sweeping views of the Wendelstein. To explore the details and book online, visit the Body Detox programme, the Therapeutic Fasting & Schlanke Tanne Hub, or our Hiking and Fasting package.