Choose a gradual and safe way to lose weight. We will tell you all about a gentle diet for weight loss: basic principles, allowed foods and menus for this week.
How to lose weight safely? Many nutritionists believe that a gentle diet is a great option for weight loss. Principles, contraindications, benefits and menus for a week at home - all the details are in the material.
There are many different weight loss diets, designed for short, "sprint" races.
A frugal weight loss diet compared to them is a marathon, it can last more than six months, while the calorie restriction of food is quite serious. Before you start losing weight this way, be sure to consult your doctor and find out if it is really safe to eat according to the gentle diet system for weight loss.
Gentle diet for weight loss: basic principles and contraindications
The gentle diet is divided into two main phases: the intensive and the repeat phase.
The intensive phase lasts up to 6 months. During this time, you need to limit your calorie intake to 1800 calories per day. As part of your diet, you focus on protein-rich foods. For example, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat cheese and tofu. Oil and other salad dressings are excluded from the diet menu, and carbohydrates are limited to 20 grams per day. Thus, in the beginning, almost every meal will contain a certain amount of meat, mostly without side dishes or with side dishes in the form of certain vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and others from the list of allowed foods).
In the second step, you can slowly add fats and carbohydrates, and gradually reduce the amount of protein to 70-140 grams per day. The second phase lasts 6-8 weeks. In the first month, up to 45 grams of carbohydrates per day are allowed, and in the second month, up to 90 grams.
Talk to your doctor, you may need to take an extra multivitamin, potassium, calcium, magnesium or sodium supplement during the first phase to protect your body from lack of nutrients. You also need to monitor your condition, and if it gets worse, for example, performance decreases or dizziness begins - you need to immediately move on to the next stage, that is, repeat or leave the diet.
Why is a gentle diet good for you?
A gentle diet is not only good for weight loss. Additional benefits of a gentle diet:
- lowering cholesterol levels by up to 20%;
- normalization of blood sugar levels;
- lowering blood pressure;
- protection against metabolic syndrome.
Unfortunately, even a gentle diet is not an ideal recipe for weight loss. Be sure to consult a specialist before starting, as diet has side effects. For example, it can cause nutritional deficiencies in the body.
Diet is not suitable:
- for the elderly;
- for breastfeeding and pregnant women;
- for those with gallbladder problems;
- for people with eating disorders;
- for patients with chronic diseases.
Gentle diet for weight loss: menu for a week
Taboo food is also allowed
We have already exposed some foods that you can eat on a light weight loss diet. Detailed list of allowed products:
- poultry: skinless chicken, turkey, goose, duck;
- meat: lean meat, pork, lamb;
- fish: flounder, cod, catfish, seafood;
- vegetables: leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, celery, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, zucchini;
- non-fat dairy products: cottage cheese, non-fat cheese, skimmed milk;
- eggs and egg whites;
- tofu.
A large amount of fats and carbohydrates are excluded from the menu of a frugal diet. Complete list of taboo foods:
- fruits: apples, berries, oranges, grapes, melons, pears, peaches;
- starchy vegetables: potatoes, corn, peas;
- grain: wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, millet;
- legumes: black beans, lentils, chickpeas, beans, peanuts;
- processed foods: practical foods, bakery products, chips, fast food, sweets;
- sweet drinks: juice, sweet tea, sports drinks, soda;
- sugar and sweeteners: honey, maple syrup, table sugar, molasses, brown sugar;
- fats and oils: olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oils, salad dressings, butter, margarine;
- full-fledged dairy products: yogurt, fatty cheese, milk.
It should be eaten little by little, in small meals, but often. This diet has three main meals a day and several snacks. Suitable as such:
- Egg;
- A slice of roasted meat or fish;
- Cottage cheese;
- A slice of low-fat cheese;
- A few stalks of celery;
- A handful of cooked vegetables from the list of allowed;
- Tomato.
Remember to drink enough water, the daily norm is about one and a half to two liters, it is best to drink at least a glass half an hour or an hour before a meal, and also as a snack to drink unsweetened green or black tea drown the possible feeling of hunger. A good option is mineral water or rosehip soup, herbal tea, of course, you do not need to add sugar to these drinks and, in principle, you must refrain from sugar. The best way to cook food is steaming, cooking, baking, you can use a microwave.
Gentle diet for safe weight loss: menus and meals you can cook at home
Monday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach and tomatoes.
- Lunch: fried cod with steamed broccoli.
- Dinner: chicken breast with grilled broccoli.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: tofu with onion, garlic and paprika.
- Lunch: roasted chicken with vegetable side dish (without topping).
- Dinner: pork chops with fried asparagus.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: egg omelette with zucchini, tomato and garlic.
- Lunch: roasted cod with boiled cabbage.
- Dinner: salad of lean ground beef, mushrooms, garlic, ginger and green onions.
Thursday
- Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese.
- Lunch: Turkey meatballs with zucchini and tomato noodles.
- Dinner: fried chicken with garlic and lemon (without garnish).
Friday
- Breakfast: hard boiled eggs with salt and pepper.
- Lunch: roasted tofu with steamed green beans.
- Dinner: grilled beefsteak with eggplant fried in the oven.
Repeat any day on Saturday and Sunday.
Don't forget the limitations - for the intensive phase, the main part is made up of proteins, for the second phase their amount decreases due to the increase in the amount of carbohydrates.
Gentle diet recipes
Chicken casserole with vegetables
Ingredients: chicken fillet, cauliflower, broccoli, eggs, low-fat sour cream, low-fat sour cream, cheese for sprinkling, garlic, spices to taste.
Preparation: if the vegetables are frozen - thaw, if not - rinse in salted water, divide into inflorescences. Cut the chicken, mix it with the vegetables in a baking dish, fill with sour cream diluted with warm water, put in the oven for 20 minutes, temperature - 180 degrees. For the second topping, mix the cream with a piece of cheese, eggs, finely chopped garlic or passed through a garlic press, add the spices, mix everything thoroughly. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the oven, fill it with freshly prepared stuffing, and spread the rest of the cheese on top. We return everything to the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
Vegetable salad
Ingredients: low-fat cheese, celery stalks, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, herbs, lemon juice.
Preparation: Wash the vegetables, cut them into a deep bowl, send finely chopped low-fat cheese, chopped celery stalks, herbs or finely chop them with your hands. Add lemon juice and mix everything thoroughly.
Diet soup with meatballs
Ingredients: turkey, chicken or rabbit fillets, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, eggs, herbs, spices to taste.
Preparation: chop the meat with onion, add egg, salt, pepper as desired, mix and shape into meatballs. Put the finished meat products in boiling water, add broccoli and cauliflower, previously divided into inflorescences (if you bought frozen vegetables, you don't have to defrost them beforehand), grated carrots on a fine grater - they will give a golden color to the soup, spices to taste. Cook until cabbage and meatballs are ready, garnish with herbs when serving. You can also add a hard-boiled egg to the soup - half on each plate.
Gentle diet reviews
Those who have tried this version of a gentle diet for weight loss say that it is quite difficult to follow it - the restrictions are strong, the daily amount of calories may be insufficient for those accustomed to physical activity or long walks, fatigue, dizziness may occur - if ithappens, the calorie content of the diet will have to increase and then gradually decrease, observing the health condition and avoiding fanaticism.
The food you can eat is tasty enough, but not too varied, it is most difficult for people to give up bakery products and sweets and switch to vegetables as a side dish. They also recommend not to neglect dietary supplements and report a feeling of hunger, which may accompany you at first, but then you will most likely get used to the new diet.
Exit from the diet, as those who have tried it warn, must be very smooth, even after the end of the second phase, food from the forbidden list must be introduced very carefully, otherwise there is a risk that all efforts based on weight loss will fail. The fact is that the metabolism for a long time, which this diet takes, is restored, the body gets used to processing a certain amount of a certain type of food, so the accumulation of excess fat can be the result of an excessive amount. It is best to switch from this diet to a diet built in accordance with the recommendations for proper nutrition, in which case the probability of gaining weight will be minimal, and there will be enough strength and energy.