Choose a gradual and safe way to lose weight. We will tell you everything about a gentle diet for weight loss: the basic principles, foods and menus allowed for the week.
How to lose weight safely? Many nutritionists believe that a gentle diet is a great opportunity for weight loss. Principles, contraindications, benefits and menus for a week at home - all the details are in the material.
There are many different diets for weight loss, designed for short, "sprint" races.
A frugal diet for weight loss 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 contact your doctor and find out if it is really safe for you to eat into the system of a gentle weight loss diet.
Mild diet for weight loss: basic principles and contraindications
The gentle diet is divided into two main phases: an intensive phase and another phase.
The intensive phase lasts up to 6 months. During this time, you should 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 quantity of meat, mostly without side dish 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 a multivitamin, potassium, calcium, magnesium or sodium supplement during the first phase to protect your body from nutrient deficiencies. You also need to monitor your condition and if it worsens, for example, performance decreases or dizziness starts - you should proceed immediately to the next stage, or, respectively, repeat, or exit the diet.
Why is a gentle diet beneficial?
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 mild diet is not an ideal recipe for weight loss. Before starting, be sure to consult a specialist, as the diet has side effects. For example, it can cause nutritional deficiencies in the body.
Diet is not appropriate:
- for the elderly;
- for breastfeeding and pregnant women;
- for those with gallbladder problems;
- for people with eating disorders;
- for patients with chronic diseases.
Mild diet for weight loss: menu for a week
Allowed and taboo foods
We have already described some of the foods you can eat on an easy weight loss diet. Detailed list of allowed products:
- poultry: skinless chicken, turkey, goose, duck;
- meat: lean meat, pork, lamb;
- fish: herd, cod, catfish, halibut;
- vegetables: leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, celery, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, zucchini;
- low-fat dairy products: cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, skim 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;
- cereals: wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, millet;
- legumes: black beans, lentils, chickpeas, beans, peanuts;
- processed foods: convenience foods, baked goods, chips, fast foods, candy;
- 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 dressing, butter, margarine;
- whole milk products: yogurt, fat cheese, milk.
You need to eat little by little, in small portions, but often. This diet has three main meals a day and some snacks. Suitable as such:
- Veza;
- A slice of roasted meat or fish;
- Cottage cheese;
- A slice of low-fat cheese;
- Some celery stalks;
- A handful of boiled vegetables from the allowed list;
- A tomato.
Remember to drink enough water, the daily rate is about one and a half to two liters, it is better to drink at least a glass half an hour or an hour before eating, and also drink unsweetened green or black tea likesnack suffocates the possible feeling of hunger. A good option is mineral water or rose juice, herbal tea, of course, you do not need to add sugar to these drinks and, in principle, you should refrain from sugar. The best way to cook food is steaming, boiling, baking, you can use a microwave oven.
A gentle diet for safe weight loss: menus and meals you can cook at home
Monday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach and tomatoes.
- Lunch: steamed cod with broccoli on steam.
- Dinner: grilled chicken cabbage with Brussels sprouts.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: tofu with onions, garlic and bell peppers.
- Lunch: grilled chicken with a side dish of vegetables (without sauce).
- Dinner: pork chops with fried asparagus.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: egg omelette with zucchini, tomatoes and garlic.
- Lunch: roasted cod with boiled cabbage.
- Dinner: salad with lean ground beef, mushrooms, garlic, ginger and green onions.
Thursday
- Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese.
- Lunch: Meat of low-carb turkey with zucchini and tomato noodles.
- Dinner: fried chicken with garlic and lemon (without garnish).
Friday
- Breakfast: hard boiled eggs with salt and pepper.
- Lunch: tofu baked with steamed green beans.
- Dinner: grilled steak with fried eggplants in the oven.
Repeat any of the days on Saturday and Sunday.
Do not forget about the limitations - for the intense phase, the main part consists of proteins, for the second, their amount decreases due to the increase in the amount of carbohydrates.
Mild diet recipes
Chicken casserole with vegetables
Ingredients: chicken fillet, cauliflower, broccoli, eggs, low-fat sour cream, low-fat cream, sprinkling cheese, garlic, spices to taste.
Preparation: if the vegetables are frozen - thaw, if not - rinse in salted water, divide into inflorescences. Chop the chicken, mix it with vegetables in a baking dish, fill it with sour cream diluted with warm water, put in the oven for 20 minutes, temperature - 180 degrees. For the second pour, mix the cream with a piece of cheese, eggs, finely chopped garlic or passed through a garlic press, add spices, mix everything thoroughly. We take the chicken with vegetables out of the oven, fill it with the freshly prepared filling, spread the rest of the cheese on top. We put everything back in the oven for another 20 minutes.
Vegetable salad
Ingredients: low-fat cheese, celery stalks, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, herbs, lemon juice.
Preparation: wash the vegetables, cut into a deep bowl, send finely chopped, low-fat cheese, bounce chopped celery, herbs or finely chop them by hand. Add lemon juice and mix everything thoroughly.
Dietary soup with meatballs
Ingredients: turkey, chicken or rabbit fillet, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, eggs, herbs, spices to taste.
Preparation: Grind the meat with the onion, add the egg, salt, pepper if desired, mix and shape the meatballs. Put the finished meat products in boiling water, add broccoli and cauliflower, previously divided into bouquets (if you bought frozen vegetables, you do not need to thaw them before), grated carrots on a graterfinely - this 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.
Reviews of a gentle diet
Those who have tried this version of a gentle diet for weight loss say that it is quite difficult to follow - the restrictions are strong, the daily amount of calories may be insufficient for those who are accustomed to physical activity or long walks, fatigue, dizziness may occur - if this happens, the calorie content in the diet will have to increase and then gradually decrease, respecting the state of health and avoiding bigotry.
The foods you can eat are quite tasty, but not too varied, the hardest thing for people to give up baked goods and sweets and switch to vegetables as a side dish. They also recommend that you do not neglect nutritional supplements and report the 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, should be very quiet, even after the end of the second phase, foods from the banned list should be entered very carefully, otherwise there is a risk that all attempts at the basis of lossof weight will go to waste. The fact is that the metabolism for a long time, which takes this diet, is rebuilt, the body is taught to process a certain amount of a certain type of food, therefore, the accumulation of excess fat may be a consequence of excess. It is best to switch from this diet to a diet built in accordance with the recommendations for proper nutrition, in which case the likelihood of gaining weight will be minimal and there will be sufficient strength and energy.