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Fad diets and quick weight-loss have been all the rage for a few years now, with celebrities and sportspeople endorsing various meal plans regularly.
Amongst the additional factors involved with diets, the most popular are ones that provide quick results. We’re talking big changes in a mere number of days. Is that even possible?
Turns out, it might be. Although quick weight loss diets are not recommended as a lifestyle habit or in the long term, they definitely come in handy as a quick fix in the days leading to an event where you want to look your leanest.
While these methods may not lead to a substantial drop in pounds, they definitely help make you look leaner by draining excess water weight. This happens thanks to the hydration your body receives from the foods charted out in these diets.
What are the most popular short-term diets?
While there any many in circulation, you may have heard of some. Some famous plans include:
The Paleo diet
This diet follows the idea of an actual Paleolithic diet consisting of natural, whole foods (organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats, seafood, seeds etc.), and cutting out processed foods (including dairy products, refined sugars, cereals and grains, fatty meats, etc.).
The first step into this is a one-week plan that includes only 20 meals. Multiple followers of this diet have reported significant changes in the first week itself.
The juice detox
One seriously alarming fad is the juice detox, which gained popularity in the 1990s. The idea is to consume only juiced fruits and vegetables while avoiding solid food completely. Although it makes great claims to detox, it is definitely not ideal for anybody’s health. So don’t try it.
Intermittent fasting
Also known as the 16:8 Plan, this is a safe one to incorporate into your lifestyle as well, long-term. It follows the principle of fasting for 16 hours and only eating meals within an 8-hour window.
Apart from fat loss by prompting the body to use stored fats as energy fuel due to the quick depletion of energy from carbs, this method also helps regulate a number of physiological processes in the body.
The GM Diet
The GM Plan was created and named by the General Motors Corporation in 1985 in a bid to keep their employees healthier and thereby improve productivity. It is a 7-day plan wherein the employees saw a significant change in weight and energy levels.
Since it is one of the safest and best short-term plans out there, it shall be discussed in detail below.
How the GM Diet works
This plan is said to aid with detoxifying the body, improving digestion, and enhancing metabolism.
Paired with an increase in water consumption, it helps shed weight in just a week. Light activity is recommended on all seven days.
Black coffee and black/green tea is permissible, without any additional sugars or sweeteners.
Day 1
• Only fruits (any, except bananas)
*Melons are recommended as they are dense in water content
Day 2
• A large boiled potato for breakfast, along with other vegetables (raw or cooked)
• Raw or cooked vegetables throughout the day
Day 3
• Only fruits (any, except bananas)
• Raw or cooked vegetables (any, except potatoes)
Day 4
• 6 large / 8 regular-sized bananas
• 3 glasses of milk
Day 5
• 6 whole tomatoes
• 250 g of meat (any) OR 1 cup brown rice/cottage cheese for vegetarians - two servings each
• 2 extra glasses of water
Day 6
• 250 g of meat (any) OR 1 cup brown rice/cottage cheese for vegetarians - two servings each
• Raw or cooked vegetables (any, except potatoes)
• 2 extra glasses of water
Day 7
• Brown rice
• Fruits
• Fruit juices
• Vegetables
Possibly the simplest, most clear-cut diet you can follow. Be sure to consume at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.
The bottom line is, crash diets are never a good idea and you must definitely turn away from them if you’re looking for substantial long-term fat loss. Short-term diets are only a quick, temporary fix. Maybe try out methods like the 16:8 if you’d like to incorporate a whole lifestyle change.
Poll : Would you try the GM Diet?
Not for me.
I'd give it a shot.
64 votes
