Confused by the seemingly endless types of weight-loss diet plans and strategies, particularly the GM diet plan, and wondering what it is exactly? In this article, let's take a look at the GM diet chart, review the research behind this 7-day diet plan for weight loss —plus find out if it's the right diet for you.
Exploring The GM Diet Chart: 7-Day Diet Plan For Weight Loss
Throughout the history of the diet, there have been many different types of diets. However, over the past few years, people have diverted their attention to some extreme diets that claim to help reduce weight as quickly as possible and the GM diet menu is one of the most popular meal plans.
The General Motors Diet Plan, sometimes known as the GM Diet is a 7 days diet plan that was first presented in 1985. Despite the fact that this 7-day diet plan for weight loss has been around for 35 years, it has always been a source of contention.
The General Motors Company created this quick weight loss diet plan with the goal of increasing employee health and wellness. It recommended a one-week diet plan for the company's workers to follow in order to lose weight quickly.
The diet gained a lot of traction since most people who followed it said they lost significant weight in just one week and noticed improved efficiency, vitality and confidence in them.
So, if the diet has given desired outcomes to many, is it worth trying? Let's see if you should stick to the General Motors Diet Plan or skip it entirely.
What is the GM Diet?
The GM diet plan or General Motors diet is a strict 7-day diet plan for weight loss developed by the General Motors Corporation, with a pious intention of keeping their employees healthy. The GM diet chart was a collaborative effort by GM, FDA, and USDA, which was also tested at the John Hopkins Research Center before it was given final approval.
This 7 days diet plan claims to help you lose up to 6.8 kg of weight in just one week, but it's dangerously deficient in several nutrients and unsubstantiated by studies. The GM diet menu is regarded as the best weight loss diet by many as it promotes weight reduction, burns calories and sheds fat faster than other diets.
While the GM diet plan was initially hailed a success, and its supporters claim that you may repeat it numerous times in regular intervals to attain your long-term weight goals, most nutritionists do not recommend that you follow it. This is because, while it causes quick weight loss, it also has a number of negative side effects that we will be covering later in the article.
Take a Glance at the 7 Days GM Diet Plan: Foods For Weight Loss In 7 Days
The GM diet is strictly divided into seven days where each day allows you to eat a variety of foods or dietary groups. The GM diet stimulates weight loss by creating a calorie deficit and including many foods that are rich in water content.
Here is a breakdown of the GM diet plan and which food groups you can consume.
- GM Diet Day 1 – Fruits only
- GM Diet Day 2 – Vegetables only
- GM Diet Day 3 – Fruits and vegetables
- GM Diet Day 4 – Bananas and milk
- GM Diet Day 5 – Meat
- GM Diet Day 6 – Meat and vegetables
- GM Diet Day 7 – Rice, fruit and vegetable juice
Easy To Follow 7 Day GM Diet Plan & Menu To Transform Your Body: The Indian Version
Although the Indian version of this 7 days diet plan is not very different from its original version that was designed for the employees of General Motors, there are some slight variations for vegetarians and vegans. Along with a daily water intake of 10-12 glasses, the following is the General Motors diet and foods for weight loss in 7 days to be followed throughout the course of the week.
Day 1: Fruits
Day 1 of the GM diet is dedicated to fruits and you can start off your day with as many fruits as you like - except for bananas. With no specific instructions, this fruit diet for weight loss in 7 days is designed to ensure you have a fibre-rich diet and low-fat consumption.
The high water content absorbed in the body by eating fruits along with the consumption of 8 to 12 glasses of water in the day ensures your body flushes out the toxins stored inside and kick start your body for the rest of the six days.
Here is the fruit diet for weight loss in 7 days as per the GM diet plan:
- Breakfast: One bowl of watermelon/kiwi or an apple/pomegranate
- Lunch: One bowl of papaya or muskmelon
- Evening Snack: One glass of coconut water
- Dinner: One guava/ orange or a bowl of berries (strawberries, litchi)
- Bed-Time Snacks: One bowl of watermelon/grapes
Don’ts:
- Avoid any kind of cream, honey or sugar dressing on your fruit bowl.
- At no point during the day should you starve yourself.
- If you are very hungry, there are no exact instructions on how much fruit you can consume.
Day 2: Vegetables
The second day of the GM diet is all about eating vegetables, which can be eaten raw or cooked in any way you choose, as long as you don't use oil in the preparation. However, on Day 2 of the General Motors diet plan, it's crucial to avoid fruits.
- Breakfast: One large or two small-sized potatoes/ bowl of corn kernels or green peas
- Lunch: One large bowl of cabbage soup
- Evening Snack: 2-3 medium-sized cherry tomatoes
- Dinner: One cup broccoli
- Bed-Time Snacks: One bowl of cucumber/ carrots
Preparation:
You may either eat your veggies raw, boiled or cooked and lightly seasoned with pepper, rock salt, vinegar or herbs.Cabbage soup can be prepared by boiling together a cabbage, a small carrot and 2-3 tomatoes in about half a litre of water, adding to that a handful of chopped onions light fried in olive oil and seasoning the mixture with rock salt, herbs and peppers.
Substitutes:
Olive oil may be substituted with pure ghee.
Don’ts:
- Restrict consumption of potatoes or any other starch-containing vegetables like corn or peas only for the breakfast and in limited amounts (100 - 150 calories) as it will provide enough energy throughout the day.
- Avoid eating deep-fried vegetables.
Day 3: Fruits and Vegetables
The GM diet's third day consists of a combination of fruits and vegetables. You might eat the same fruits and vegetables on Day 1 and Day 2 or an entirely different set. The only thing to remember is to avoid bananas and potatoes.
- Breakfast: One bowl of watermelon/ or an apple or about half a pineapple
- Lunch: One large bowl of cabbage soup
- Evening Snack: 2-3 medium-sized cherry tomatoes
- Dinner: One cup broccoli
- Bed-Time Snacks: One bowl of cucumber/ carrots
Don’ts:
Avoid bananas, mangoes and potatoes, corn or peas.
Day 4: Bananas and Milk
While you have to avoid bananas for the first three days, the fourth day is about eating 8 to 10 bananas throughout the day and having a big glass of milk with each meal. However, make sure you don't consume potatoes or sweet potatoes at any point in the day.
- Breakfast: Two large bananas with a glass of skimmed milk (750 ml)
- Lunch: Two large bananas with a glass of skimmed milk
- Evening Snack: A bowl of cabbage soup.
- Dinner: Two large bananas with a glass of skimmed milk
- Bed-Time Snacks: Nothing
Substitutes:
Regular milk can be substituted with soy milk and bananas with figs
Don’ts:
- Avoid adding any sweeteners, honey or sugar to the milk.
- Do not put cornstarch in the soup.
- Mostly prefer skimmed milk.
Day 5: Meat
When following the GM diet to lose weight in 7 days, the fifth day is dedicated to meat to fulfil your protein intake. However, if you are a vegetarian, you can eat a bowl of brown rice cooked in minimal oil.
- Breakfast: Three whole tomatoes
- Lunch: 250 gm of meat of your choice with one large tomato
- Evening Snack: Nothing
- Dinner: A bowl of Tomato soup
- Bed-Time Snacks: Nothing
Substitutes:
- Choice of meat may include beef, chicken, eggs or fish.
- Vegetarians may substitute meat with cottage cheese, tofu and brown rice.
Day 6: Meat & Vegetables
Day 6 of your GM diet requires you to consume veggies - cooked or uncooked along with lean meat like chicken or fish (if you are a non-vegetarian) or a cup of brown rice (if you are a vegan or vegetarian). By the sixth day of your diet, you will be able to notice significant results in your weight loss journey.
- Breakfast: One bowl of Brussels sprouts or cucumber
- Lunch: 250 gm of meat of your choice/ vegetarian substitute
- Evening Snack: Nothing
- Dinner: A bowl of Cabbage soup
- Bedtime Snacks: Nothing
Day 7: Rice, Fruit and Vegetable Juice
The last day of your GM diet is a combination of eating a cup of brown rice, boiled vegetables as well as vegetables and fruit juice. The goal of incorporating rice and vegetables into the diet is to provide the body with much-needed energy while the fruit juices help to flush toxins from the system.
- Breakfast: A large bowl of watermelon
- Lunch: Brown rice, cottage cheese and a glass of fruit juice
- Evening Snack: Nothing
- Dinner: Brown rice with mixed vegetables of your choice and one or two glasses of fruit juice.
- Bed-Time Snacks: Nothing
Don’ts:
Avoid adding any sweeteners to the fruit juice.
The key here is to restrict your daily diet to a preset number of calories and still be able to experiment with different food items on your platter.
Conclusion
As they say every coin has a flip side, the GM diet is a quick weight loss diet plan that too comes with its own demerits. This 7-day diet plan for weight loss is a short term weight reduction program, and hence it is often seen that once a person tends to drop out of this diet plan, he ends up overeating and again messes with his body physique.
Another small concern that comes with following a GM diet plan for weight loss is that some individuals tend to show slight reactions to a sudden shift in diet. These reactions may be seen in the form of muscle weakness, fatigue, headaches or dehydration. However, the solemnity of these reactions depends on each individual’s routine and immunity.
Thus, it is safe to say that the GM diet plan for weight loss indeed possesses all the aspects of being the best weight loss diet; all it needs for its fruitfulness is a dollop of discipline, a pinch of sincerity and a dash of self-commitment.
