The oatmeal diet is one of the most popular weight loss diets today. Is it effective in losing weight? Let us find an answer here.
Oatmeal is one of the best breakfast meals for people of all age groups. You too must have grown up having oatmeal for breakfast every day and must be continuing. The popularity of oatmeal is because it is a nutritious meal full of minerals, fibers and carbohydrates. It is completely devoid of fats (provided you do not mix it with whole milk) which makes it healthy food. One of the other benefit of oatmeal is that it helps in losing weight. Based on these benefits, the oatmeal diet is designed for a quick weight loss.
What is Oatmeal Diet
This is a crash diet to be followed for 30 days. According to the oatmeal diet plan, one is supposed to eat only oatmeal as meals, i.e., 3 times a day. For the first seven days, you should eat only oatmeal and that too whole oatmeal. No other snacks are allowed. Oatmeal should be preferably prepared in water. But if you wish to use milk, you should use skim or low fat milk. After the first seven days, you can include fruits like citrus fruits (orange, grapes, grapefruit) and berries in your diet as snacks.
You can also eat cut vegetables like carrots, celery, etc. as snacks in between meals. However, meals should only comprise oatmeal. It is necessary to drink 8-10 glasses of water throughout the day in this diet plan. According to this diet plan, the daily calorie intake should be 800-1000 calories.
Oatmeal Diet and Weight Loss
Accepted that oatmeal is definitely a healthy food as it contains most of the essential nutrients required by the human body. The diet also helps in a successful weight loss as you tend to lose 2-3 lbs of weight every week. However, oatmeal alone can never be a complete meal replacement food. Our body requires carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibers, vitamins, minerals, etc. for proper digestion and functioning of the organs.
Oatmeal does not contain all these nutrients. For e.g., proteins obtained from having lean fish or beans cannot be equal to those obtained from fortified oatmeal. Similar is the case with several other nutrients like calcium, vitamins, etc. Therefore, having this diet can lead to nutritional deficiency. Secondly, according to the diet plan, one is supposed to consume only oatmeal which is not recommended. It is essential to include fruits and vegetables in the diet to gain all the nutrients.
Although oatmeal is inexpensive and healthier than most snacks; consuming it as meal replacement is not a good idea. In most of the cases it has been found that the diet is effective for a short-term weight loss and one may tend to gain weight on discontinuing this diet. It is essential to continue healthy eating if one wishes to avoid weight gain after completing the oatmeal diet.
Similarly, the lower intake of calories can lead to a feeling of lethargy and fatigue. Lastly, the sudden and drastic change in the diet plan and habits can also lead to several side effects like nausea, vomiting, headache, etc. in people. Hence, we find that the oatmeal diet results can be positive only if the diet is followed for a short period.
Lastly, note that although this diet help in a quick weight loss, it is a fad diet and not meant for long-term use. It is advisable to go for natural methods for a healthy weight loss, and without side effects. Take care!
