The GM Diet is a seven-day weight loss plan that was supposedly developed by General Motors Corp. to help its employees and their families lose weight. General Motors denies a connection with the diet, however, according to The New York Times article "The General Motors Diet." The GM Diet includes a different eating plan for each day of the week, with vegetables, fruit and beef appearing on the seven-day menu.
The Basic GM Diet
The GM Diet aims to help people lose 7 to 10 lbs. in one week by limiting your diet to certain foods on certain days. Day One includes eating only fruits, except bananas. Day Two entails a baked potato, vegetables and vegetable soup. Day Three includes only fruits and vegetables but no juice. Day Four calls for bananas and milk. Day Five features lean beef or cottage cheese and tomatoes. Day Six is similar to Day Five but substitutes vegetables for tomatoes. Day Seven includes brown rice, fruit juice and vegetables.
Vegetarian Plan
For vegetarians, there is a version of the GM Diet that excludes meat. Since the diet only features meat on two days, Day Five and Day Six, vegetarians do not have to make major changes to the plan. Instead of lean beef on Day Five, vegetarians can eat cottage cheese for protein and iron. On Day Six, vegetarians can eat sprouts instead of beef, the website "India Parenting" recommends.
Considerations
The GM Diet recommends staying hydrated by drinking eight to 10 glasses of water a day. Other drinks that the plan allows include black coffee, club soda and black tea. Fruit juice is permitted only on the final day. Dieters cannot drink alcohol. GM Soup is allowed at any time during the diet. The soup recipe includes 28 oz. water, 6 large onions, 2 green peppers, whole tomatoes (fresh or canned), 1 head of cabbage, 1 bunch of celery and 4 envelopes of Lipton onion soup mix.
Benefits
The GM Diet can provide quick weight loss for dieters who want to shed pounds fast for a special event or deadline. According to The New York Times article "The General Motors Diet," dieters have lost 10 to 15 lbs. in a week on the GM Diet. In addition to providing weight loss benefits, the GM Diet includes foods that are relatively inexpensive and easy to find at grocery stores. The plan is easy to follow and does not require special calculations or equipment to track.
Warning
The GM Diet may cause rapid weight loss due to its restrictive nature. Dieters will not get the recommended nutrient amounts outlined in the USDA Food Guide Pyramid because the plan does not include foods from each food group. Dieters therefore run the risk of malnutrition, as well as weight gain once they return to normal eating patterns. Diets that promise fast weight loss results often include a loss of water weight, which will return once the diet ends. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends losing 1 to 2 lbs. per week as a healthy, sustainable amount of weight loss. The GM Diet's more drastic weight loss promise may be unhealthy and hard to sustain.
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