The General Motors diet or GM diet is a meal plan that can help you lose a significant amount of weight in just seven days.
It is claimed that this diet has been developed by General Motors in 1985 for its employees with the help of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture.
The GM diet is a seven days strict diet plan that lets you eat different foods each day.
Proponents of this diet claim it can help you lose up to 15 pounds in a week by causing calorie deficiency. It’s because most of the foods you eat during a GM diet are low in calories.
This article looks into the meal plan and some pros and cons of the GM diet.
What Can You Eat on a GM Diet?
The GM diet consists of a weeklong meal plan, focusing on a specific food or food group for each day.
Exercise is optional. However, this diet recommends not to do any physical exercise during the first three days.
Day 1
- You will eat only fruit as much as you want, particularly those with high water content, like melons.
- You can eat any fruits except bananas.
Day 2
- On the second day of the GM diet, you will eat only vegetables, mostly raw or boiled.
- You can eat any vegetables, but eat potatoes only at breakfast.
- There are no maximum amount of vegetables.
Day 3
- Eat many vegetables and fruits except potatoes and bananas.
- You can eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want.
Day 4
- On day 4, you need to consume bananas (6 large or 8 small), and milk (preferably skim).
- It is recommended to drink 3 glasses of milk.
Day 5
- Eat 20 ounces of meat (beef. chicken, or fish).
- Limit your vegetable intake to 6 whole tomatoes.
- If you are a vegetarian, you can eat cottage cheese or brown rice instead of meat.
Day 6
- You will eat 20 ounces of chicken, beef, or fish.
- Eat vegetables as much as you want, but exclude potatoes.
- Eat brown rice or cottage cheese if you’re a vegetarian.
Day 7
- On the last day of your GM diet, you can eat brown rice, vegetables, fruits, and juices as much as you want.
It is highly recommended that you drink at least 8-12 glasses of water each day, especially on the fifth and sixth day of your diet to flush out the uric acid.
You can also consume two or three bowls of GM wonder soup made of cabbage, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, and onions every day.
Due to their high-calorie content, beans are not allowed in this diet. You can drink coffee and green tea with no added sugar.
Benefits of GM Diet
There is no such research on the benefits of this diet, but some studies explain some of its features of it.
GM diet encourages increased consumption of fruits and vegetables that are low in calories. It can speed up the weight loss process by creating a calorie deficiency.
In a study published in 2015, it was proved that higher consumption of fruits and vegetables could reduce the risk of weight change.
Another research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that high sugar intake can contribute to weight gain.
As a GM diet limits food and beverages that have high sugar content, it helps you to lose weight fast.
Alcohol consumption is another reason for weight gain and some health problems. GM diet prohibits any kind of alcohol intake, meaning that you can lose weight and stay healthy at the same time.
Although a bit strict, the GM diet lets you select the meat and vegetables of your choice. It means you will feel less restricted.
Besides, this diet recommends drinking a lot of water, which helps detoxify your body.
Downsides of GM Diet
GM diet seems healthy as it involves eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, but it comes with a number of disadvantages, including:
1. GM Diet Lacks Research.
The biggest flaw of the GM diet there’s no study to support this meal plan.
While the diet states that it excludes all the high-calorie food from the list, There is no evidence that supports this claim.
In fact, according to research published in 2002, foods consumed in the GM diet do provide calories.
2. It is Not Sustainable.
GM diet does not provide any permanent solution to obesity. While you can lose a significant amount of weight in just seven days, it is highly possible that you will regain weight in a few days after going back to your previous lifestyle.
As you suddenly reduce calorie intake, your body breaks down glycogen to produce the required energy for your body.
Depletion of glycogen causes a loss of water that makes your weight drop drastically.
3. GM Diet Can Cause Nutrient Deficiency.
Increased protein intake may help you feel satiated and speed up the weight loss process.
As the diet provides a different amount of macronutrients each day, you may sometimes feel hungry and less full, particularly on the days you will have less or no protein.
Besides, the first three days of the GM diet lack fat, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and some other nutrients essential for a healthy body.
Conclusion
Most people tend to look for a quick solution when it comes to losing weight. However, a short-term diet method is not effective to maintain the desired weight for a long time.
The GM diet can be helpful if you want to lose weight fast, but you need to follow a healthy eating habit that involves more vegetables and fewer carbohydrates after you complete the seven days diet course.
Instead of going for an unhealthy, quick fix to your obesity problem, it’s recommended to do regular exercises along with healthy eating habits to maintain the perfect weight for your body.
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