Gm Diet Plan & Chart, Side Effects – How To Lose Weight In 7 Days

The GM diet is a diet plan which is popular for significant Weight Loss of up to 17 pounds in just a week. It is believed to have been designed by General Motors to enhance workers’ health and consequently boost productivity. Even though there are uncertainties about its origin, the popular notion is that it worked for General Motors and it can work for anyone too.

It is a seven-day plan which cuts down on sugars, fat and empty calories by emphasizing the consumption of fruits and vegetables. It allows the intake of oils sparingly and animal proteins only on the fifth day. Though the restrictions might feel burdensome at the beginning the outcome is meant to be far rewarding for the self-control it requests.

What Are The Benefits Of The GM Diet?

• Significant Weight Loss In A Short Time : Compared to other popular dieting plans the GM diet can provide a weight loss of up to 17 pounds in just seven days. It is suitable for you if you only have a little time to spare to cut down on your weight and start a new life with full confidence.
• Strengthened Immune System : The strong emphasis on fruits and vegetables provides a mix of vitamins and minerals which strengthen the body’s immune system for fighting diseases and harmful substances.
• Enhanced Body Functions : Vitamins and minerals are important for the performance of the functions of many organs. Some of them strengthen the bones and skeletal system; others are needed for blood production, skin health, and performance of the brain among others. Regular intake of a variety of fruits and vegetables is a choice for a healthier life.
• The GM diet also provides an opportunity to break off from wrongful eating habits which you may have been addicted to by strengthening self-control.

What Are The Side Effects Of The GM Diet?

• Dehydration : The GM diet causes the body to use a lot of water and you can easily get dehydrated, if you don’t take the recommended glasses of water daily.
• Headaches : You can experience headaches as a result of the change in how you normally eat or as a result of dehydration. Headaches often go away within the first three days if you are drinking the recommended amount of water.
• Dizziness and Weakness : The low carbohydrate intake can result in dizziness and weakness for people who are used to or whose daily activities require high carbohydrate intake. These should resolve while you progress through the days. It is advisable to avoid strenuous activity during the early days to combat these.

General Motors Diet FAQs

Can I Follow The GM Diet If I Am Vegetarian?The GM diet is flexible and can be followed by a vegetarian. The majority of days require plant based meals. On days with meals from protein sources, animal sources can be replaced with rich plant sources. It is favourable for all dieting styles.

Can I Follow The GM Diet If I Am Pregnant?The GM diet is not recommended during pregnancy. While it is a healthy dieting plan, there isn’t enough information to prove its safety for the baby.

Can I Follow The GM Diet While Breastfeeding?The GM diet is not recommended during breastfeeding too. It may result in Malnutrition of the baby. Seek the advice of your healthcare provider for the suitable time to follow the GM diet plan.

Can I Continue With The GM Diet Plan After The Seven Days?While the GM diet plan can be continued, it is advisable to repeat it in an alternating manner. If you want to do it frequently, you can do it every two weeks to allow yourself to ease out on your appetite during intermediate weeks.

Can I Exercise When Following The GM Diet Plan?Yes you can! However, you should start out minimally for the first three days and keep it moderate for the rest of the days. Some people may experience dizziness and weakness with physical activity when on the plan. You should proceed with caution.

Daily Breakdown

Day 1It is a bold step to decide to do something and an even bolder step to start doing it. The first day is meant to be challenging, thus the plan allows you to take any fruit you want provided it is not banana. Interestingly, there is no restriction on quantity and you can take as much as you want.

Goal

The goal is to cleanse the body from toxins and prepare it for the days ahead.

How The Goal Is Achieved

The diet plan on day one packs a lot of vitamins and minerals into the body. These nutrients are important for what is called anti-oxidation. When the body performs the activities which let us survive, certain waste products called free radicals are produced. These free radicals are known to be involved in diseases like Cancer, Hypertension and Diabetes among others. By providing a good supply of vitamins and minerals on day one, this plan sets the stage for the body to get rid of these harmful substances.

Restrictions

You should avoid

• Banana
• All non-fruit foods

Challenges

On the first day, your greatest challenge is likely to be a surge of cravings. It is the reason many people fail. You can survive this by taking a favourite fruit provided it is not banana and taking a snack once in between main meals.

If you are not used to drinking a lot of water it can be a significant change for you. Even though water is recommended for the best results, you can replace it with equivalent glasses of orange juice or coconut water if you cannot overcome the difficulty.

Breakfast

The healthy way of eating breakfast is eating heavy. Therefore, heavier fruits are recommended for your first meal. Fruit suggestions include melon, cantaloupe, pawpaw and watermelon. You are also required to drink two (2) glasses of water. If this is difficult, you can replace with orange juice or coconut water.

Meal Suggestions

Take any of the following

• A big bowl of watermelon
• A big bowl of cantaloupe
• A big bowl of papaya
• An apple and a bowl of papaya
• A big bowl of a mixture of grated honeydew, cantaloupe and papaya.

Lunch

Lunch must be lighter than breakfast and heavier than dinner.  You should take lunch only after four (4) hours and not more than five (5) hours from the time you took breakfast. You can snack on a fruit to deal with cravings in-between meals. You will be required to drink two (2) glasses of water after lunch, just as you did for breakfast.

Meal Suggestions

Take a bowl of any of the following:

• Kiwis
• Berry fruits
• Pear
• Apple

You can choose to take watermelon in addition to any of the above, or have a mix.

Dinner

Dinner must be the lightest of all meals of the day. Your body should be getting ready to sleep, and it is healthy not to burden your digestive system with a lot of food.

Meal Suggestions

Take about half a bowl of any of the fruits mentioned for lunch or any other which is not heavy. You can even reduce the quantity. The goal is to be nourished without feeling full. Additionally, take two (2) glasses of water.

Snack

You can snack on one of your less heavy favourite fruits in between meals.  Keep it light; a snack is not a main meal.

You should drink two (2) glasses of water with every snack or in the absence of snacks, in-between meals to make up the additional six (6) glasses of water recommended for the day.

Substitutes

If you don’t like any fruit or allergic to the recommended fruit, follow the substitutes.

• Guava – Green apple
• Apple – Orange
• Watermelon – Cucumber/ honeydew melon
• Cantaloupe – Cucumber

Exercises

For better result, follow basic exercises along with the Day 1 diet plan. To activate lipid mobilization follow the below basic exercises either in the early morning or evening.

(1 set of 10 repetitions both clockwise and anticlockwise)

• Neck rotation
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Waist rotation
• Leg rotation
• Ankle rotation
• Spot Jogging for 5 – 10 mins
• Stretching/ Yoga asanas

Day 2If you have made it to day two, remember you have cleared a significant hurdle. Many people cannot get past day one. However, there is another to clear – this time, it is an all-vegetable affair.  Once again there are no limits on quantity of food you can eat provided it is made up of vegetables. You are also free to make the choice between eating them raw or cooked. It is important to drink 12-14 glasses of water.

Goal

The goal is to continue cleansing the body from toxins and prepare it for the days ahead.

How The Goal Is Achieved

Just like day one, the diet plan on day two packs a lot of vitamins and minerals into the body. However, it also cuts down on the sugars. This allows the body to burn fat by using portions of fat stored beneath your skin to generate energy. When we eat, the body stores excess energy-giving nutrients for future use. Body fat is a form of such storage. When the body is starved of energy-giving foods it turns to these stores and uses them to generate energy for the day’s activities. By cutting down on carbohydrates the body is forced to use its fat stores and this eventually results in weight loss.

Restrictions

You should avoid

• fruits
• all foods which are non-vegetables

You can use oil or butter sparingly.

Challenges

On day two, you might experience a headache. You shouldn’t be frightened when it happens. Your body is adapting to your new diet plan and the headache usually resolves in a day or two.

You will still have to drink a lot of water and you might not be used to it yet. Because you are cutting down on sugar and thus avoiding fruits you cannot take orange juice as replacement. Try and keep to water on day two.

Breakfast

You will continue with a heavy breakfast. The recommended vegetable is potato. Remember to additionally drink two (2) glasses of water.

Meal Suggestions

• A baked or grilled large size potato
• Smashed potato with onions, tomatoes and salt.

You can add a little butter or lemon juice if this serves your appetite better.

Lunch

Just as it will always be, lunch must be lighter than breakfast and heavier than dinner.  Do not forget to take lunch only after four (4) hours and not more than five (5) hours from the time you took breakfast. You can snack on vegetable in-between meals to deal with cravings even though it is expected that cravings should have minimized by now. You will be required to drink two (2) glasses of water after lunch just as you did for breakfast.

Meal Suggestions

• Vegetable salad – you can combine any of these: cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, onion, carrot, broccoli, bell pepper, cauliflower.

Dinner

The caution with dinner will always be about keeping it light but nourishing. A lighter salad than what you took for lunch will be adequate.

Meal Suggestions

• Vegetable salad dominated by green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, and kale. Additionally take two (2) glasses of water.

Snack

You can snack on a favourite vegetable in between meals. Suggestions include broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, green beans salad. Keep it light, a snack is not a main meal.

You should drink two (2) glasses of water with every snack or in the absence of snacks, in-between meals to make up the additional six (6) glasses of water recommended for the day.

Substitutes

• Cucumber – Carrot
• Potato – Carrot/ Sweet potato
• Carrot – Beetroot
• Lettuce – Leek
• Cabbage – Celery
• Bell pepper – Zucchini
• Broccoli – Cauliflower
• Onion – Shallots

Exercises

Follow the day 1 exercise plan but a slightly strenuous workout is required to mobilize fat. Do it either in the morning or evening.

(1 set of 10 repetitions both clockwise and anticlockwise)

• Neck rotation
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Shoulder rotation
• Rope jumping – 2 sets of 50 repetitions
• Downward facing dog pose
• Face exercises
• Surya namaskar
• Kapalbhati

Day 3On day one, you treated yourself to sweetness from fruit-only meals. On day two you switched to vegetable-only recipes. If you sailed through, the days ahead will only get easier. On day three, you will be easing out on the restrictions by combining fruits and vegetables. It is time to catch on what you missed on the first two days. It is still important to drink 12-14 glasses of water.

Goal

The goal is to continue cleansing the body from toxins. By combining fruits and vegetables, you allow yourself to ease out from the restrictions from the first two days.

Day three is also a day to realise weight loss if you haven’t already. Do not worry if you still cannot realise this yet, we are all different and the pace at which you lose weight may be slower, but eventually you will get there.

How The Goal Is Achieved

Day three packs all the goodies from days one and two. Eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits provides your body with a rich mix of vitamins and minerals. These will strengthen the immune system and continue to fight free radicals, the harmful waste products from the daily activities of the body. By keeping low on carbohydrates, the body continues to use up portions of your fat stores and reduces your weight.

Restrictions

You should avoid

• Banana
• Potato
• Oil
• Foods which are not vegetables or fruits.

Challenges

Day three is meant to be easier as your body should have adjusted considerably. However, you might still be struggling with cravings and headaches. You should not be worried as your headaches will eventually go away. You can deal with cravings by snacking on fruits in-between meals.

Breakfast

You will continue with a heavy breakfast. Taking a meal based on the heavy fruits will provide you with adequate energy to start the day. Remember to additionally drink two (2) glasses of water.

Meal Suggestions

Take any of the below mentioned:

• A big bowl of watermelon
• A big bowl of cantaloupe
• A big bowl of papaya
• An apple and a bowl of papaya
• A big bowl of a mixture of grated honeydew, cantaloupe and papaya.

Lunch

You have the liberty to choose a meal based on fruits or vegetables, or a mixture of them. You can repeat any of your lunch meals from the first two days. Do not forget to drink two (2) glasses of water after this meal.

Meal Suggestions

• Vegetable salad – you can combine any of these: cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, onion, carrot, broccoli, bell pepper, cauliflower
• A bowl of any of the following: kiwis, berry fruits, pear, apple.

Dinner

Keep it light but satisfying. Additionally, drink two (2) glasses of water.

Meal Suggestions

• Vegetable salad dominated by green leafy vegetables like cabbage, lettuce and kale
• Half a bowl of any of the fruits suggested for breakfast or lunch
• Half a bowl of fruit salad

Snack

You can snack on a favourite vegetable or fruit in between meals. Do not forget to keep it light, a snack is not a main meal.

You should drink two (2) glasses of water with every snack or in the absence of snacks in-between meals to make up the additional six (6) glasses of water recommended for the day.

Substitutes

• Orange – Kiwi
• Apple – Orange
• Cantaloupe – water melon
• Cucumber – Kiwi
• Carrot – Beetroot
• Beetroot – Carrot
• Cucumber – Kiwi
• Pineapple – Peach
• Broccoli – Cauliflower

Exercises

Start your day with warm up exercises followed by energy spending exercises. Follow the below exercises to stay energetic. Do this either in the morning or evening.

(1 set of 10 repetitions both clockwise and anticlockwise)

• Neck rotation
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Leg rotation
• Ankle rotation
• Shoulder rotation
• Squats -2 sets of 5 repetitions
• Lunges – 2 sets of 5 repetitions
• Face exercises
• Surya Namaskar

Day 4You should celebrate your persistence and endurance so far. You are half-way through, and by now you should have realised a significant loss in weight about 6-9 pounds. For clearing the hurdles from the first three days, the plan gives you back a fruit you were prohibited from taking – the banana. Day four is restricted to banana, milk, and water.

Goal

The goal is to maintain the gradual weight loss and boost overall health.

How The Goal Is Achieved

Banana is noted for richness in potassium. By adding skimmed milk, you are reintroducing your body to protein. The combination of banana and milk makes you full after eating a moderate quantity. This prevents you from eating in excess. Excess nutrients especially sugars may be converted into fat stores and add to weight. Potassium is good for the heart, muscles, and fluid balance. Skimmed milk also provides minimal protein and less fat needed to keep you progressing with your weight loss.

Restrictions

You should avoid

• All fruits except banana
• Vegetables
• Foods which are not banana or milk.

Challenges

It is expected that cravings and headaches should be minimal now. Your likely difficulty may be with the monotony of banana and milk throughout the day. If this is not an issue, then you should have an easier day.

Meals

You do not have many choices regarding meals for today. You are required to consume eight (8) bananas and eight (8) glasses of milk. You can spread it out for your main meals and snacks.

You can take two (2) large bananas and two (2) glasses of milk for each meal – breakfast, lunch and dinner. That makes a total of six (6) bananas and six (6) glasses of milk. The remaining bananas and glasses of milk can be consumed as snacks in-between meals.

You should also take two (2) glasses of water in-between meals, in addition to your snacks. You can increase intake to three (3) glasses, if this is convenient for you.

Substitutes

• Milk – Soymilk
• Banana – Fig

Exercises

Do the exercises either in the morning or evening. High calories from banana should be consumed by following the prescribed exercises or else it will be stored as fat.

(1 set of 10 repetitions both clockwise and anticlockwise)

• Neck rotation
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Leg rotation
• Ankle rotation
• Spot Jogging for 5 – 10 mins
• Face Exercises
• Bicycle crunches – 2 sets of 5 Repetitions
• Squats – 2 sets of 5 Repetitions
• Pilates – 15 – 20 seconds

Day 5Life gets better as you go through the days. On day five, you are allowed to have a treat of lean protein. The party has begun and you should congratulate yourself for coming this far. You can enjoy fish, chicken breast, or even beef. If you are a vegetarian, you can take brown rice instead. You can try out as many recipes there are with any of the above foods and tomatoes. Just maintain these; you do not have all the freedom yet.

Goal

The goal is to build up your protein stores while facilitating continued fat loss. You were starved of protein in the first three days to facilitate considerable fat loss and it is time for replacement.

How The Goal Is Achieved

Protein is the building block of the body. It is necessary for growth, maintenance, repair and regeneration of body tissues. Eating a good amount of protein daily keeps the body strong and healthy. Protein was withheld to prevent addition of fat. Some protein sources have high fat and would defeat the purpose. Even though you can take protein today, the restriction to lean sources maintains control of fat intake and facilitates continued weight loss. This way you lose fat while getting stronger and healthier.

Restrictions

You should avoid

• Oil or butter
• Fruits
• Vegetables either than tomatoes
• Anything that is not fish, chicken breast, beef, brown rice, tomatoes, kidney beans or seasoning

Challenges

It is expected that headaches, cravings and other individual challenges should have subsided. Four days is usually enough for the body to adjust.

Breakfast

You should maintain a heavy breakfast just like with previous days. Additionally, you should take three (3) glasses of water.

Meal Suggestions

• Beef soup
• Brown rice with tomato soup
• Tomato Rice
• Kidney beans and your favourite tomato recipe

Lunch

Meal Suggestions

• Brown rice with tomatoes
• Chicken breast with tomatoes
• Fish with tomatoes

Take three (3) glasses of water with your chosen meal.

Dinner

Meal Suggestions

You can pick from the suggestions made for breakfast and lunch. You just have to keep in mind that it should be the lightest meal of the day. You should take your chosen meal with two (2) glasses of water.

Snack

You can snack on tomato soup, a kidney beans recipe of fish in-between meals. Keep it lighter than the main meals.

You should drink two (2) glasses of water with every snack, or in the absence of snacks in-between meals to make up the additional six (6) glasses of water recommended for the day.

Substitutes

• Fish – Lentils, Mushroom, Chicken breast
• Apple – Kiwi
• Tomato – Carrot
• Brown rice – Quinoa
• Yogurt – Sour cream
• Onion – Cucumber
• Pear – Orange
• Chicken breast – Ground turkey
• Sprouts – Bengal gram soaked

Exercises

Do the exercise in the evening as your body need to build muscle, generate energy and repair.

(1 set of 10 repetitions both clockwise and anticlockwise)

• Neck rotation
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Shoulder rotation
• Rope jumping – 1 set of 50 repetitions
• Downward facing dog pose
• Face exercises
• Surya namaskar
• Kapalbhati
• Squats -1 set of 10 repetitions

Day 6You are gradually moving away from the restrictions and day six allows you to have vegetables in addition to your lean protein sources. If you have gone through the previous days, this is a chunk of freedom for your appetites. You can look at it as a merger between day two and day five. You are just one day away from the finish line and you cannot give up yet.

Goal

The goal is to continue building up your protein stores and pack a rich mix of vitamins and minerals into the body. Protein will strengthen the body. On the other hand, the vitamins and minerals will provide cleansing from harmful wastes from normal body activities.

How The Goal Is Achieved

In a similar fashion to day five, protein intake will help with repair and regeneration of tissues. Vegetables will provide vitamins and minerals to boost immune system and shield the body against the harmful effects of free radicals. Remember that free radicals are waste products from the body’s activities which keep us surviving. These waste products can lead to a number of diseases including but not limited to cancer, hypertension, diabetes.

Restrictions

You should avoid

• Oil or butter
• Fruits

Challenges

Day six should rarely pose any challenges. The body should be adapted by now and restrictions are minimal in comparison to previous days.

Breakfast

You should maintain a heavy breakfast just as always. Additionally, you should take three (3) glasses of water.

Read more on Unexplained Weight Loss

Meal Suggestions

• Beef soup
• Brown rice with tomato soup
• Tomato Rice
• Kidney beans and your favourite tomato recipe.

Lunch

Meal Suggestions

• Brown rice with tomatoes
• Chicken breast with tomatoes
• Fish with tomatoes

Take three (3) glasses of water with your chosen meal.

Dinner

Meal Suggestions

You can pick any from the suggestions made for breakfast and lunch. You just have to keep in mind that it should be the lightest meal of the day. Additionally, take two (2) glasses of water.

Snacks

You can snack on favourite vegetables in between meals. Keep it light; a snack is not a main meal. You should drink two (2) glasses of water with every snack or in the absence of snacks in-between meals to make up the additional six (6) glasses of water recommended for the day.

Substitutes

• Tomatoes – Cucumber
• Carrot – Cucumber/ Beetroot
• Fish – Mushroom/ Lentils or Chicken breast
• Chicken breast – Ground turkey
• Boiled kidney beans – Bengal gram boiled
• Brown rice – Quinoa

Exercises

Slightly strenuous exercise will tone muscles and burn fat. Do it either in the morning or evening.

(1 set of 10 repetitions both clockwise and anticlockwise)

• Neck rotation
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Shoulder rotation
• Breathing exercises
• Face exercises
• Air cycling
• Pushups
• Jogging
• Stairs running

Day 7Your persistence has paid off if you have made it to day seven. It is the final day, and you should have realised considerable weight loss, even if it is not up to your expectation. You will end the plan with a mix of plain rice and brown rice, in addition to fruits and vegetables. We started with fruits to initiate the cleansing process. We are ending with it as a final dose of detoxification. It will also serve as a bridge for continued intake of fruits and vegetables after completion of the plan.

Goal

The goal is to complete the cleansing of your body and prepare your body for a return to normal diet. While it is tempting to want to get back entirely to your previous dieting style, the benefits you reaped from the GM diet should motivate you to keep eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and cut down on carbohydrate intake. This will maintain your body shape, strength and health.

Read more on Diet For Healthy Weight Loss

How The Goal Is Achieved

Day seven takes a bit of each of the previous days and combines them into one final treat. The rice meals provide an energy boost to start the day and usher you into the day. It also provides a good ushering for you go get back the favourite meals you were barred from eating in the course of the week. By allowing you to have a treat of fruits and vegetables too, the GM diet plan provides the body with a final package of vitamins and minerals. Some vitamins called antioxidants fight against the diseases and harmful effects caused by free radicals, the waste substances produced by the body’s daily activities. Other vitamins and minerals strengthen the bones, build muscles, aid the production and distribution of blood and boost the immune system. Consequently, at the end of today, you should be renewed and prepared to step confidently in your new self, stronger and healthier.

Restrictions

You can take:

• All vegetables except potatoes
• All fruits except banana

Avoid all other foods, if you can, avoid mangoes, pear and cherries too.

Challenges

Day seven should be without challenges. The body should be adapted by now and it is the final day. However, the anticipation of completing the plan at the end of the day, can lead to Anxiety which may affect focus. You should try your best to maintain your focus. It will be an anti-climax to come all this way and fail at the final day.

Breakfast

Taking a heavy breakfast is a tradition you should continue after completing the diet plan. It is an important part of eating healthy. As the last day of the plan, day seven reinforces  this by recommending a rice meal, even though you can take a heavy fruit meal if that treats your taste preferences right. Additionally, drink two (2)  glasses of water.

Read more on Diabetes Weight Loss

Meal Suggestions

• Brown rice with cooked vegetables
• Rice with tomato soup
• A big bowl of watermelon
• A big bowl of cantaloupe
• A big bowl of papaya
• An apple and a bowl of papaya
• A big bowl of a mixture of grated honeydew, cantaloupe and papaya.

Lunch

Meal Suggestions

• Vegetable salad
• Fruit salad

In addition to your chosen meal, drink two (2) glasses of water.

Dinner

Meal Suggestions

Vegetable salad and two (2) glasses of water

Snacks

You can snack on a favourite vegetable or fruit in between meals. Suggestions include half sLice of pineapple, pear or apple. Keep it light; a snack is not a main meal.

You should drink two (2) glasses of water with every snack or in the absence of snacks in-between meals to make up the additional six (6) glasses of water recommended for the day.

Substitutes

• Carrot – Beetroot
• Kiwi – Plum
• Orange juice – Grape fruit juice
• Apple juice – Cucumber juice
• Brown rice – Cracked wheat/ Quinoa
• Vegetable salad – Sprout salad

Exercises

Do the exercises in the morning or evening.

(1 set of 10 repetitions both clockwise and anticlockwise)

• Neck rotation
• Arm circles
• Wrist circles
• Shoulder rotation
• Sit-ups
• Face exercises
• Air cycling
• Push-ups
• Squats
• Bicycle crunches
• Surya namaskar