The G M Diet

The General Motors Diet was developed for employees of General Motors and their dependents. It was developed in conjunction with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food & Drug Administration of the United States.

Along with being a tool for rapid weight loss, the diet also flushes your system of toxins, giving a feeling of lightness, well-being and an improvement in one’s attitude/emotions.

The idea behind this diet is that the food you’re advised to eat burns more calories than what it gives to the body.

This 7 day diet requires that you abstain from all forms of alcohol and drink at least 10 glasses of water every day. This is what the diet program looks like:

Day 1 : You can eat all fruits except bananas. Consumption of melons is strongly recommended. Fruits are laden with nutrition, and limiting one’s food intake to only fruits prepares the system for the upcoming program.

Day 2 : All vegetables – boiled (with a little bit of salt & pepper) or raw. There is no limit to the amount or type of vegetables you can consume. For the complex carbohydrate requirement of the body, you can start the day with a large baked potato (which may be topped with a small pat of butter) for breakfast. The idea is that vegetables, when consumed boiled or raw, are virtually calorie free and provide the essential nutrients and fiber. However, one must take care not to overdo the salt, as it helps retain water in the body. The dose of oil (in the form of butter) is recommended for energy and balance.

Day 3 : A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice in desired quantities. However, no bananas and potatoes are allowed as the carbohydrate requirements of the body are met through the natural sugar present in fruits. The system is now prepared to start burning excess fat.

Day 4 : You can consume up to 8 bananas & 3 glasses of milk. This can be accompanied by a special soup which is made of onions, green peppers (capsicum), tomatoes, cabbage and carrots – in limited quantities. You probably will not be able to consume all 8 bananas but they are recommended to make up for the potassium you have lost and the sodium you may have missed the past 3 days.

Day 5 : Is feast day! You will eat beef (or chicken for non-beef eaters and tofu + paneer for vegetarians) and six tomatoes. The beef is for iron and proteins, and the tomatoes are for digestion and fiber. It is recommended that you increase you water intake today as that will help get rid of toxins and the uric acid you will be producing.

Day 6 : Today you can eat unlimited amounts of beef and vegetables. Beef will give you iron and proteins, and the vegetables will give vitamins and fiber. By now your system will be in a complete weight loss mode.

Day 7 : Today your diet will consist of brown rice, fresh fruit juices (without added sugar) and all the vegetables you can consume. Canned/packaged fruit juices should be avoided as they are high on sugar.

The soup that was suggested on Day 4 is a supplement to the diet and can be consumed anytime throughout the program. You may substitute vegetables according to your taste. For instance, you may add vegetables such as asparagus, peas, corn, turnips, green beans, cauliflower, etc. However, any kind of beans (lima, kidney etc.) are best avoided as they tend to be high in calories.

Beverages that can be consumed while on the diet:
Water - flavored with lemon if desired
Club Soda
Black tea & coffee - No cream/cream substitute or sugar

I am planning to go on this diet later this month. Will let you know how much weight I manage to shed!