‘GM Diet’ – The Exclusive 7-Day Weight Loss Plan You Should Know About

Let’s admit it. Shedding off just a few pounds is never easy. No matter how hard you want and try your waistline to look slimmer, that ‘bulging beauty’ never bothers to listen to you, right? Well, there are tons of so-called ‘best’ diet plans that claim to have excellent weight loss effects, but in reality, most of them fail miserably to live up to their promises.

Although there is no such ‘magical’ weight loss formula that can give you overnight results, the highly popular ‘GM Diet’ can actually help you to a large extent. Before you give this unique diet plan a try, here is all you need to know about it:

An Overview Of The GM Diet Plan

The GM Diet or General Motors Diet is basically a ‘7-day weight loss diet plan’, which is extremely easy to follow and great to keep our body weight under control. It was introduced in the year 1985 by the reputed American multinational corporation General Motors with an intention to improve the health of its employees and boost their productivity considerably.

Supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the GM diet turned out to be highly successful right from the initial days. The design of the diet focused on the intake of selected complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fats for fast and healthy decrease of weight. It also emphasized the consumption of low-calorie vegetables, certain fruits, and lots of water.

Along with proper workout practice, the diet plan helped overweight GM employees lose 10-17 pounds of excess weight in just a week while enhancing their energy level, raising their confidence, and amplifying their efficiency largely. Needless to say, it was quite impressive for both the GM authorities as well as the rest of the world!

7-Day GM Diet Plan: A Brief Guide

The best thing about the GM Diet plan is that it does not include rare food items, complicated recipes, or hard to adopt lifestyle changes. Let’s help you with a brief day-to-day guide:

Day 1:

Start your weekly diet program with lots of fresh fruits. The day 1 is all about enjoying as much fruits as you can. You may feel hungry as you will be only on fruits for the entire day, but simply much on the fruits of your choice instead of starving.

• Being a complete fruit diet, it allows you to choose from a wide range of fruits. The best recommendations include apple, watermelon, orange, cucumber, papaya, cantaloupe, kiwi, etc.
• Eat fruits that are watery and rich in dietary fibre as they usually have low fat content and can keep you full for a longer period of time.
• Drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of water throughout the day in order to cleanse your body and get it prepared for the upcoming days.
• Foods To Avoid: Carbohydrates, meat, egg, lentils, beans, mushrooms, oils, butter, lard, margarine, all veggies, banana, full-fat and frozen dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream), smoothies, milkshakes, vegetable juices, packaged fruit juices, sweetened drinks, soda, alcohol, etc.
• Exercises: Arm circles, wrist circles, neck rotation, waist rotation, leg rotation, and ankle rotation (1 set of 10 reps each, both clock and anticlockwise), spot jogging, and stretching.

Although you cannot eat anything else than fruits, the day 1 will not be that tough as you will be at the initial phase only. You will not only be able to shed off up to 3 pounds of excess weight but also feel active and energetic.

Day 2:

After fruits, it is time for vegetables. The day 2 diet revolves around fresh and colorful veggies and you can consume those either raw or cooked (blanched, boiled, grilled, or baked) as per your preference.

• A wide variety of vegetables can be considered for the diet, but the healthiest options are potato, carrot, beet, cauliflower, cabbage, bell pepper, tomato, bean, cucumber, zucchini, onion, lettuce, etc.
• No oil is allowed for cooking. However, you can add a teaspoon of low-fat butter to make your vegetables palatable. If it still tastes bland, use olive oil sparingly to add some flavor.
• Keep yourself clean and hydrated by loading up on water during the day.
• Foods To Avoid: Carbohydrates, meat, egg, lentils, beans, mushrooms, fish, oils, butter, lard, margarine (excluding low-fat butter), all fruits, full-fat and frozen dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream), smoothies, fresh and packaged fruit juices, artificially sweetened drinks, soda, alcohol, etc.
• Exercises: Arm circles, shoulder rotation, wrist circles and neck rotation (1 set of 10 reps each, both clock and anticlockwise), rope jumping (2 sets of 50 reps), surya namaskar, kapalbhati (50 to 100 times), baddhakonasana (2 sets of 20 reps), adhomukha shvanasana (2 to 3 minutes), and facial exercises. If you find it difficult to practice kapalbhati continuously, take small breaks in between.

As it will be a low-calorie diet, you may feel weak and the later part of the day 2 may turn out to be a little difficult. But it will be normal over time. Just step in the next day.

Day 3:

After living on fruit-only and vegetable-only diets for the first 2 days, the day 3 will bring some fresh air to you. It will be a diet combining those of both day 1 and day 2. Meanwhile, your body would also have coped up with the unique diet practice.

• You will get a chance to indulge in an assortment of fruits and veggies that you chose to eat on first two days. Either cook them up as instructed earlier or have them raw as per your choice.
• Include the special ‘GM Diet soup’ in your lunch and/or dinner. To prepare the soup, add 6 chopped large onions and 2 thinly sliced green bell peppers to 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sauté well until everything becomes slightly brown in colour. Cut 3 medium-sized tomatoes and add it to the mixture. Also, add a small shredded cabbage and a bunch of finely chopped celery and cook all ingredients together for some time. Pour (1/2)lt. of water into the veggies, boil for around 30 minutes, and simmer for next 5-10 minutes. Season the soup as per your taste.
• Drinking water all through the day is again extremely important to flush the toxins out.
• Foods To Avoid: Carbohydrates, meat, egg, lentils, beans, mushrooms, fish, oils, butter, lard, margarine, vegetables, banana, full-fat and frozen dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream), smoothies, vegetable juices, packaged fruit juices, artificially sweetened and aerated drinks, soda, alcohol, etc.
• Exercises: Arm circles, shoulder rotation, wrist circles, neck rotation, leg rotation and ankle rotation (1 set of 10 reps each, both clock and anticlockwise), squats and lunges (2 sets of 5 reps each), surya namaskar, and face exercises.

The fruits and vegetables together will provide required nutrients to your body and replenish it efficiently. As a result, you will feel energetic once again. Just get ready to take up the next day challenges.

Day 4:

Though you need to avoid banana for the first three days of your diet program, the day 4 is all about this super simple fruit. Even though you can consume milk and GM diet soup along with it, the diet is pretty meager as a whole.

• Incorporate a total of 8 large ripe bananas in your diet. Being rich in essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, the fruit aids digestion, nourishes the body, and provides instant energy.
• Drink 3 to 4 large glasses of milk over the course of the day in order to get enough calcium, potassium, and vitamin D.
• To get rid of the monotony of banana and milk, opt for banana milkshake or GM Diet soup.
• Make sure that you load up on water.
• Foods To Avoid: Carbohydrates, meat, egg, lentils, beans, mushrooms, fish, oils, butter, lard, margarine, potato, sweet potato, all fruits (except banana), full-fat and frozen dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream), smoothies, vegetable juices, packaged fruit juices, artificially sweetened and aerated drinks, soda, alcohol, etc.
• Exercises: Arm circles, shoulder rotation, wrist circles, neck rotation, leg rotation, and ankle rotation (1 set of 10 reps each, both clock and anticlockwise), squats and bicycle crunches (2 sets of 5 reps each), spot jogging (7 to 10 minutes), pilates (15 to 20 seconds), and face exercises.

Day 4 can cause serious mood swings and leave you demotivated, but do not give up. Just follow the diet and keep exercising to move on to the next day and you will be surprised!

Day 5:

It will be a super exciting day as you can have some grains and lean proteins after four long days. Though you cannot use much oil for cooking your food, the day 5 diet will make you feel immensely happy itself.

• A cup of cooked brown rice is recommended for vegetarians as the fibre-rich complex carbohydrate can facilitate digestion to a large extent.
• Non-vegetarians can opt for a serving of baked or roasted (or, very lightly fried) chicken breast or fish to fulfil their lean protein and omega-3 oil requirements.
• Consume 6 large ripe tomatoes in order to get enough dietary fibres and make your digestion smoother.
• Indulge in some GM Diet soup seasoned with dashes of salt, black pepper, herbs, fresh lime juice, and white vinegar.
• Just like other days, drink lots of water to keep your body clean.
• Foods To Avoid: White rice, bread, processed foods, pork, beef, turkey, oils, butter, lard, margarine, potato, sweet potato, banana, full-fat and frozen dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream), packaged fruit juices, artificially sweetened drinks, soda, alcohol, etc.
• Exercises: Arm circles, shoulder rotation, wrist circles and neck rotation (1 set of 10 reps each, both clock and anticlockwise), rope jumping (1 set of 50 reps), squats (1 set of 10 reps), kapalbhati (50 to 100 times), adhomukha shvanasana (2 to 3 minutes), surya namaskar, and face exercises. Again, do not force yourself while doing kapalbhati. Take small breaks in between if needed.

By the end of day 5, you will feel motivated, energetic, and active again. Work out vigorously to get your body ready for the next day as well as promote your weight loss.

Day 6:

Being another ‘high food intake’ day, the meal on day 6 is going to be equally interesting. You can enjoy carbohydrates, proteins, fruits, etc. and choose from tons of options.

• Vegetarians are allowed to gorge on all sorts of vegetables and there is also no limitation to the amounts. A cup of cooked brown rice can be accompanied by boiled veggies and lightly dressed salads for a decent choice.
• Non-vegetarians can enjoy baked or roasted chicken breast or fish along with vegetables.
• Incorporate GM Diet soup in your day 6 diet just like the previous days.
• Do not forget to include loads of water in your diet.
• Foods To Avoid: White rice, bread, processed foods, pork, beef, turkey, oils, butter, lard, margarine, potato, sweet potato, tomato, banana, mango, cherry, full-fat and frozen dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream), packaged fruit juices, artificially sweetened drinks, soda, alcohol, etc.
• Exercises: Arm circles, shoulder rotation, wrist circles and neck rotation (1 set of 10 reps each, both clock and anticlockwise), jogging, stairs running, air cycling (2 sets of 10 reps), sit-ups and push-ups (2 sets of 5 reps each), breathing exercises, and face exercises.

Do expect absolutely magical results after 6 days of rigorous dieting. You will not only feel much lighter but also look visibly slimmer! Isn’t that enough to step in the next day with high motivation?

Day 7:

Finally, it is the last day of your diet program and you are again allowed to pick from an assortment of grains, vegetables, and fruits. Needless to say, water is indispensable like six earlier days.

• Go for 1 cup of cooked brown rice along with as much vegetables as you want to have.
• Fresh fruit juices will also provide you sufficient nutritional values.
• Make it a point to drink 8 to 12 glasses of water throughout the day.
• Foods To Avoid: White rice, bread, processed foods, chicken, pork, beef, turkey, fish, beans, lentils, mushroom, soy, oils, butter, lard, margarine, potato, sweet potato, banana, pear, mango, cherry, full-fat and frozen dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream), packaged fruit juices, artificially sweetened drinks, soda, alcohol, etc.
• Exercises: Arm circles, shoulder rotation, wrist circles and neck rotation (1 set of 10 reps each, both clock and anticlockwise), air cycling and bicycle crunches (2 sets of 10 reps each), sit-ups (1 set of 10 reps), squats (2 sets of 5 reps), surya namaskar, and face exercises.

Voila! You have just accomplished your goal!

A Comprehensive GM Diet Chart

Here is a comprehensive diet chart for all of you who have been planning to opt for the GM Diet. We are also giving you lots of choices so that you do not get bored of the same items and can feel motivated to follow your 7-day diet plan till the end. Check it out:

It is advised that you follow the GM Diet plan every alternate week for the best outcomes. Also, like all other diet plans, never start practicing it without consulting a doctor first. All the best!