The General Motors (GM) diet program is a 7-day long diet plan that has been found to be effective in reducing weight by up to 10 pounds. Read the following NutriNeat article to know more about the foods that can be included in this diet plan.
People suffering from chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems, should not follow the General Motors diet.
It is believed that this diet program was formulated for the employees of General Motors, Inc. The intention was to keep the employees and their dependents fit and in the best of health. The GM diet program was purportedly tested and granted the consent of approval by the John Hopkins Research Center in 1985. The association of this diet with General Motors is not verified, but it is said that the diet did not remain confined only to the GM employees. Its popularity grew, and it was well-accepted by the outside world. The USP of the diet is that it lasts only for a week and can reduce weight up to 10 pounds. It is said that this diet that was designed for the purpose of improving the performance of the GM workforce also helps in enhancing emotional well-being.
The GM diet that has to be followed for a duration of 7 days focuses on consuming specific types of foods to lose weight. It mainly involves consuming fruits and vegetables, which are considered to be negative calorie foods, meaning the amount of energy (calories) spent in digesting these foods is more than the calories they contain. This calorie deficit created by following the GM diet actually helps to shed extra pounds. Apart from weight loss, the GM diet also helps in detoxifying the body. No wonder, after the 7-day period, followers feel good and more energized.
While following the General Motors weight loss diet plan, it is important to remember the following points:
✦ Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water on each day of the diet. Adequate water intake helps to curb hunger pangs, thereby help to complete the diet successfully.
✦ Alcohol is strictly prohibited when following this diet plan. However, you can have beverages like plain black tea or plain black coffee.
The focus on day 1 should be on consuming fruits only. Although you can eat all fruits, avoid eating bananas as they are high in calories. It is suggested that you focus more on eating watermelons and cantaloupe to speed up weight loss. Restricting your intake to melons can increase the possibility of shedding about 3 pounds on day 1.
On day 2, you have to eat only vegetables and nothing else. Depending upon your choice, you can either cook these vegetables or eat them in their raw form. As limiting calorie intake is the purpose of the diet, one should avoid using oil while cooking vegetables. Sauteing, baking, and roasting are some of the ways by which one can cook vegetables without using oil. In order to control your hunger pangs and to keep your cravings satiated, eat a large boiled potato for breakfast.
Day 3 permits you to eat both vegetables and fruits as much as you want. However, one should stay away from bananas as well as potatoes.
Well, the first three days of the diet plan was all about eating fruits and vegetables, except bananas. However, on day 4, you have to eat only bananas along with milk, while avoiding rest of the foodstuff. The intention of introducing bananas is to compensate for the loss of potassium and sodium that were lacking in the past 3 days. Also, there is a limit to the amount of food that can be consumed. On this day, you can have at the most 8 bananas and drink 3 glasses of plain milk. To satisfy your vegetable cravings, you can have a bowl of vegetable soup.
Today, it’s time to feast; Well, not in the real sense. On this day, your diet will consist of a cup of rice, 20 oz. of lean beef along with 6 whole tomatoes. Beef is an excellent source of proteins that was grossly inadequate in the last 4 days. A hamburger stuffed with these foods is permissible. However, make sure that the beef is cooked the healthy way―steamed, roasted, or boiled. However, if you are a vegetarian, instead of beef, you can have 1 or 2 cups of brown rice.
A kind of a cheat day, day 6 permits you to eat as much as you want. Your diet consists of vegetables and beef, with no restriction on the quantity. Again vegetarians can skip beef and go for a cup of brown rice and some cottage cheese (paneer). In order to get rid of excess uric acid, you are required to increase your water intake (at least 12 glasses).
If you have followed the diet correctly, recommended for the first 6 days, you will feel lighter and energized on the 7th day. On the last day, you can include fresh fruit juices in your diet. The diet also includes a cup of brown rice and vegetables (both cooked and uncooked) of your choice.
You may prefer to eat vegetables in the form of salads. However, consuming heavily dressed salads would defeat the purpose of including them in the diet. So, use herbs such as garlic, white or wine vinegar, and a maximum of one teaspoon of oil to dress the salad.
✦ Muscle Weakness
Dietary protein plays a crucial role to build muscles. However, the supply of proteins drops considerably during the first few days of the GM diet, which can lead to muscle aches and weakness.
✦ Excessive Thirst
People following the GM diet are likely to suffer from excessive thirst. When you start following the diet plan, your metabolic rate increases. The fluids in the body initiate various metabolic processes, which often results in excessive thirst. To counteract this effect, drink plenty of water during the 7-day diet plan.
Fatigue, headache and a general feeling of sickness may also be experienced by first-time users. Dry skin, severe hair loss and anemia are some of the possible health concerns of following the GM diet, especially when the diet plan is repeated frequently.
A point to note here is that not following the diet as suggested can make it least effective in reducing weight. In fact, cheating on the diet may actually lead to weight gain. So, if you don’t want to add more pounds to the weight, follow the diet to the ‘T’. Also, you can complement your diet with a 15-20 minute light exercise routine to speed up weight loss. Those wanting to lose more weight are advised to repeat this 7 day diet plan as needed. However, it is recommended that you keep a gap of at least 3 days before restarting this diet plan.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.
