I lost 7 kilos in 7 days on this diet, but I won’t ever follow it again. Here’s why

I tried the GM diet for quick weight loss only to realise that when it comes to losing weight, short cuts have consequences.
GM Diet Weight Loss
Radish greens can help you reach your weight loss goals. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Sonakshi Kohli Published: 11 Jun 2020, 19:19 pm IST
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It began last year when a long-lost friend decided to invite me to her wedding. The happiness of seeing a friend entering a new phase of her life was soon overcome by the excitement of meeting old friends, which was also quickly replaced by the sheer fear of the “you’ve gained weight” remark from classmates, who were going to see a chubbier me after almost two years.

This invitation did what my rising cholesterol levels couldn’t. It motivated me to suddenly embark on a “fitness journey”, a quick one at that. So, I set out to get fit in the most unfit manner possible.

Enter: the GM Diet
After wasting the first two weeks contemplating how to get back to my previous weight, I only had a week left to act upon my intention. Rigorous Googling showed me the light at the end of the tunnel and suggested the GM diet a.k.a. the General Motors diet, which promised visible weight loss within a week.

Initially, proposed by General Motors Corporation to help keep their employees stay in shape, this diet became a fad globally, all thanks to its ability to get such quick results.

Also read: I tried the keto diet for weight loss, but it gave me a face full of acne. Ouch!

Needless to say, I pounced at the opportunity and started with the following seven-day plan:

Day 1: It involved kickstarting the day with fresh, tangy fruits like oranges, apples, watermelon, and pears. And unfortunately, even continuing the day with JUST fruits (except chiku, kiwi, custard apple, and grapes).

GM Diet
Fruits like apples were all I was allowed to eat on the first day of the GM Diet. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

The GM website recommended upping my water intake to at least six to eight glasses of water for hydration, but nothing really could compensate for the fatigue, low-energy, and hunger pangs from consuming only fruits. I battled it all and survived somehow though.

Day 2: Change adds spice to life and so does the GM diet on the second day. So the next day was all about vegetables—unlimited amount of green leafy vegetables after having a portion of sweet potato or baked potato in the morning. Defo, better than the first torturous day, tbh.

Day 3: I was supposed to eat both fruits and vegetables to keep going because the next day was going to be full-fledged, third-degree torture.

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Day 4: 8 medium-sized bananas and 3 glasses of skimmed milk. This isn’t what I was supposed to eat for one meal. This was all I could have during the fourth day.

GM Diet
Bananas and milk were what I was supposed to nosh on, on day 4. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Day 5: After crawling my way out of the horrendous day four, it was time to celebrate the victory with—wait for it—half a kilo of chicken and 6 tomatoes—split into different meals through the day, by the way.

Day 6: Things started getting a bit better because I got to have another half a kilo of chicken with brown rice and veggies, but no tomatoes or potatoes this time.

Day 7: I had brown rice, fruit juice, and green leafy vegetables on the last day only to feel lighter and slimmer.

Hurray! It had worked
Unlike the overhyped fad diets these days, this one actually worked and how. My skin was glowing and the results were showing. Seven kilos in seven days, a tight, tucked-in stomach, and blazing confidence to walk into the wedding like a boss

best time to work out to lose weight
I was 7 kilos lighter, but the weight loss came at a price. GIF courtesy: Giphy

But…
When reality is too good to be true, you’re bound to land flat on your face and crash! This is exactly what happened in my case too.

Those seven days of rapid weight loss came at a price and unfortunately, the price was uncontrollable hunger pangs, low-energy mode, fatigue, crankiness, and physical exhaustion.

Moreover, the unsustainability factor of this diet made it even worse for me to keep up. After all, you can’t survive on fruits, vegetables, brown rice, and chicken all your life, right?

And since you can’t, when I got back to eating normal food and went back to the same-old diet patterns, my old weight came back too.

tired all the time quiz
Exhaustion was the new normal for me after the GM Diet. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

The worst part? Consuming fewer calories than your body needs to perform various functions in this super-restrictive diet can slow down your metabolism, as a result of which, it might become difficult to lose weight in the future like it did in my case.

The final verdict
Needless to say, this diet gets a huge thumbs down from me—even in the case of a dire emergency like a function to attend in the near future. The fatigue and the consequences of this diet are simply not worth it, ladies.

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About the Author

Twenty kilos down and struggling to maintain the weight loss by preaching healthy eating, while eating unhealthy every now and then. ...Read More

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