In today’s fast paced world where even 24 hours seem to be less, there is a constant battle to manage a healthy lifestyle. For those who are seeking to lose weight, other lifestyle issues, be it personal or professional, seem to hamper their goals drastically. But everyone at some stage fails to understand that to achieve successful weight loss needs dedication and will power. It is first a mental battle and then a physical one. Weight loss is only possible if the right amount is given to the body at the right time every single day. The fact remains that one cannot reduce and ideally should not reduce more than 2 kg in a week. However, there are ways to look leaner by getting rid of the excess water weight in the body and then target the fat eventually. Having said that, optimum health can be easily attained if the diet is coupled with any form of physical activity. It need not necessarily be working out in the gym, even a 30 minute brisk walk every morning will boost your weight loss program.
It is a myth that one needs to starve to attain a perfect body. In fact, it is more important to constantly fuel your body at the right time and with the right kind of nutrition. The following is a seven day diet, which if followed strictly, will yield an optimum amount of weight loss and also will fit your daily lifestyle.
In this diet plan, you need to follow a few extremely essential principles:
1. Eat within 10 minutes of waking up: After close to 7-8 hours of sleep, it is important to kick start your metabolism the moment you wake up. Hence, munching on any fruit will give your body the much needed boost to start burning calories from the word go.
2. Don’t eat anything after 7 pm: Any food that goes into the body after 7 pm remains in the body till morning. Since the metabolism is at its lowest after 7 pm, it is important that no digestive load should be given to your body. The best trick to avoid eating after 7 pm is to brush your teeth once your done with your 7 pm meal. You will find that your craving just dies down.
3. Eat after every 2-3 hours: It is important for your body and mind to know that you are not depriving it of anything that it needs. If the body feels that it is not getting enough nutrition, then it would hold on to the fat assuming that it would need that source of energy in the long run. Which is why it becomes extremely essential to give your body the right kind of nutrition in intervals.
4. Drink a minimum of 4 litres of water: Water is a magic drink. Believe it or not, the more water you consume the more weight you will lose. Water flushes out all the unwanted toxins stored in the body and gives a clear radiant skin tone. Water also helps burn few more calories than usual.
DAY 1
Since you have decided to alter your lifestyle to make yourself fit as a fiddle, it is important to understand that you need to watch every morsel that you feed your body. On the first day, your aim would be to detox yourself. Toxins accumulate in the digestive system easily and only once you clear the toxins will you give your body a chance to look and feel better. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning and note your weight in a diary.
Early morning: As soon as you wake up, within a span of 10 minutes, munch on an apple.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Breakfast: Half an hour after drinking your first dose of water, it’s time to have a scrumptious breakfast. Since Day 1 focuses on eliminating toxins from your body, it is important to eat right and drink a lot of water to flush out the waste. An ideal breakfast would be a bowl full of tropical fruits. Treat yourself with some strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, oranges, grapefruit etc. Also include two cups of green tea. If possible, add a dash of lime to your tea.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water
Mid morning: Two hours after consuming your breakfast, fill yourself with a glass of chilled skimmed milk. Enjoy the drink slowly.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water
Lunch: Make a raw salad for lunch. Ensure that you do not add any salt. Incorporate lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, raddish, baby spinach, zucchini, walnuts, flaxseed in your salad. Add a dressing of olive oil, garlic, avocado and pepper.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water
Mid evening: Eat any fruit of your choice except for a banana and mangoes. Also consume 2 cups of green tea.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water
Dinner: Bowl of sprouted mung beans. Avoid adding salt to the same. Make a preparation of tomatoes, cucumbers, corriander, onions, crushed garlic, a dash of lime and add to your sprouted mung beans.
After half an hour: Dink close to 500 ml of water.
Day 1 is a challenge, but if you manage to go through this day with enough will power, the rest of the week will be fun for sure.
DAY 2
After a tough detox on Day 1, you aim on Day 2 is to provide your body with some complex carbs and proteins.
Early morning: Munch on a small apple OR small banana OR 5-6 almonds
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Breakfast: A complete breakfast meal would need to include the right amount of carbohydrates and proteins. It is very important to fuel the body with the right kind of nutrients first thing in the morning when it needs the most.
An ideal breakfast would be 2 boiled egg whites + 1 orange OR grapefruit + 1 bowl oats with 1 cup skimmed milk. For those who do not enjoy the taste of oats, an easy way to make this meal tasty is by adding a dash of cinnamon powder and a pinch of salt.
Oats provides the body with a lot of required fiber and also provides the right amount of carbs that the body needs. The egg whites and the skimmed milk give enough protein to kick start your day.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Mid morning: Any fruit except for banana and mango.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water
Lunch: 1 portion of grilled chicken breast + generous serving of salad greens without dressing. For those who are vegetarians, a big slice of grilled tofu or cottage cheese can be consumed. The ideal way to cook your protein would be with a dash of olive oil, garlic, pepper, rock salt and oregano. Avoid using any other spices or sauces. They are high in salt and saturated fat content which will do your body no good.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Mid evening: Handful of peanuts. Peanuts have the all important omega3 fatty acids. About 10 peanuts will give your body the necessary good fat to ensure that your body is sufficiently lubricated. Along with your peanuts you can enjoy 2 cups of green tea. Green tea is an extremely efficient fat burning food. It helps continue the detox process kick started on Day 1.
After half an hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Dinner: Same as lunch.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
At the end of Day 2, you would feel stuffed and might wonder if you are tipping the weight scales down or up. But you would realise the effect only after checking your weight a week later.
DAY 3
Early morning: Munch on an apple OR small banana OR 5-6 almonds
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Breakfast: Same as Day 2.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Mid morning: A cheese slice. Yes, you read it right. Calcium is very important for your body especially your bones. When you incorporate a cheese slice, that is taken care of since it is a dairy product.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Lunch: Steamed black eyed beans or 25 gms of canned black eyed beans. This pulse will give your body a lot of fiber and will also provide essential carbohydrates. Along with this, have a generous serving of salad without any cream based dressing. Ensure you include a spoon full of flaxseeds to provide the required amount of necessary fat.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Mid evening: Same as Day 2.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Dinner: Since the lunch is slightly heavier, the dinner for Day 3 would be light. The ideal way to end Day 3 is to consume 1 scoop of whey protein with water/skimmed milk.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
DAY 4
Today you will repeat the same diet as on Day 3. The idea behind this is to give your body some consistency with the diet. It is important to ensure that you do not shock your body too much in too little time or else the results would stagnate.
DAY 5
Early morning: Start your day with 5-6 almonds and two glasses of green tea
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Breakfast: 1 scoop whey protein with water, 2 slices of brown bread toast and 1 orange.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Mid morning: Munch on a cucumber or some celery sticks
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Lunch: Grilled chicken OR tofu with steamed vegetables. Include greens in your veggies today. Include a generous amount of spinach, broccoli, cabbage and also add some mushrooms for flavor. Season your vegetables with olive oil, rock salt, pepper, flaxseeds and garlic.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Mid evening: Handful peanuts and 2 cups of green tea.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Dinner: Steamed fish (preferably salmon) OR grilled cottage cheese with a generous serving of salad greens and no dressing.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
DAY 6
Follow the same diet as on Day 5. The reason being the same: that you need to give your body some consistency to ensure that it reduces the right amount of weight in the right frame of time.
Day 7
After six days of grit and determination, you finally reached the last day of the week. It is very important to ensure that you do not give up at this point of time.
Early morning: A small apple with 2 cups of green tea
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Breakfast: 1 scoop whey protein with 1 glass of skimmed milk + 1 big bowl of tropical fruits.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Mid morning: Handful of peanuts
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables with mushrooms, 1 cup grilled cottage cheese.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Mid evening: One medium size cucumber OR few celery sticks.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
Dinner: Two boiled egg whites and one medium bowl of vegetable soup. Include vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, onion, tomatoes, leaks in your soup. Season it with rock salt, pepper and garlic.
After half and hour: Drink close to 500 ml of water.
If you have followed this diet to the ‘T’, then on Day 8 when you check your weight first thing in the morning, you will be surprised to see how much weight you have knocked off in such a little amount of time. The key here is that you would look and feel slimmer. Your clothes will be your best judge. For someone who wants to lose more weight, he or she can continue the diet but strictly follow the principles mentioned. Happy eating!