A weekly diet is a reasonable compromise between exhausting days of fasting and a long diet lifestyle. The last option, of course, is the most effective in the long term, but what if you need to lose weight here and now - for example, on vacation, at a party or on a date? We teach you how to build a balanced and satisfying food menu for a week, the results of which will pleasantly surprise you.
A one-week diet is a good solution if you need quick results. Discover which rules to follow to not only lose weight, but also to consolidate your success.
Diet for a week: briefly about the main thing
Duration:one week.
Result:minus three kilos.
Rules:limit the calorie content of the daily diet, exclude various foods.
Peculiarities:a type of express diet, not suitable for regular use.
Authorized products:vegetables, fruits, cereals, lean meats, dairy products.
Prohibited products:fatty meats, lard, baked goods, foods with added sugar, store-bought soft drinks and juices.
Contraindications:these can be any diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and endocrinological disorders. Before starting a diet, consult a doctor and take the necessary tests.
What should your diet be like for a week? Does it make sense to suddenly stop eating all fatty foods or completely remove, say, carbohydrates from the menu? We won't surprise you, but the truth is that it's best to follow a balanced diet and healthy eating principles. Most scientists share the same opinion, and it makes no sense not to believe them – their claims are based on a lot of research.
For example, an expert, associate professor of nutrition at Harvard Medical School, Deirdre Tobias, spoke about this based on data from 53 diet studies, which involved more than 68, 000 people. The best results were presented by those who followed a balanced diet.
A week is a good period for a diet, especially because you can survive this period with motivation alone and you won't have time to get bored with the limited list of products. However, the effect of a weekly diet will only be as short as the period of restrictions. If you immediately return to your usual diet, the pounds will return. Below we will explain how to get off the diet properly so that this doesn't happen.
Of course, there are many weekly diets. And although not all of them work according to the principle described above, some are very effective over short distances. We will also talk about some original diets, but we still suggest adopting the following rules as a basis for a classic diet for a week.
Healthy diet rules for a week
Of course, a week-long diet won't help you get rid of what has been accumulating for much longer. But she will be able to instill a taste for good eating habits and motivate through a "plumb line" that is still tangible.
Eat a varied diet
The principles of healthy eating that should be followed in a diet for a week involve a varied diet. Let there be meat, cereals, fresh vegetables and fruits, dairy products, mushrooms and herbs on your table. If the body receives the entire range of necessary substances, microelements, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, calorie restrictions will not cause any harm.
Count calories
Here it is, the main pitfall of the one-week diet. No matter how you look at it, to lose weight you have to eat less. We will not name the specific number of calories, as it is very individual, but special calculators are easy to find on the Internet. Calculate your basal metabolic rate and subtract 20-30%. This should be your daily calorie intake. But under no circumstances should you go below 1, 000 kcal per day - such severe restrictions are not welcomed by nutritionists.
Eat five times a day
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks - eat little and often, and then you simply won't have time to get hungry for the next meal. For a week-long diet snack, you should also choose healthy foods - it can be a salted tomato, but definitely not a sandwich. Although scientists have recently said that the importance of breakfast is overrated and that you should eat when you are hungry, breakfast is important within this food system. Only if you don't want to eat too early, eat breakfast when your body is definitely awake.
Choose fresh foods over processed foods
You will definitely have to give up nuggets, burgers and deliveries of rolls and pizzas for a week. These foods usually contain a variety of flavor enhancers and will only satisfy your hunger for a short period of time, and soon you will feel like eating again. Well, let's not even talk about the fact that they are very rich in calories, but the quality of those calories leaves a lot to be desired.
Plan your menu in advance
All of the above rules should have led you to the idea that such a diet needs to be planned in advance. If you are hungry and there is only sausage in the fridge for the scheduled meal, then you will eat it, convincing yourself that nothing will happen with just one meal. And you know how that ends. But if you prepare all the vegetables and meats the day before and plan the menu, the chance of breakage will be minimized.
Diet results for a week: what to expect and how to stick to it
If you follow all the rules, the result can be impressive. You can count on losing three to five kilos. But if, right after the event that made you lose weight, you return to your usual diet, and even begin to move away from the days of difficulties and suffering, the weight will return with an increase. Therefore, you need to gradually abandon the diet for a week - you do not need to monitor the calorie content of your diet so much as continue to choose vegetables and lean meat as the basis of the menu. So there's a chance that at least some of the lost weight won't come back.
Sample diet menu for a week
The convenience of a week-long diet is also that the menu can be written in detail for the entire period.
When following a diet for a week, try not to skip meals so as not to feel hungry. It is best to sauté, boil or bake food. For drinks, choose unsweetened coffee or tea. If you think portions are too small for you, try drinking a glass of warm water before meals. We offer an example menu for the week, adjust it to your calorie intake.
Monday
- Breakfast: boiled egg, whole grain bread, 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese, half a grapefruit.
- Lunch: lean borscht, 100 g of boiled veal, beetroot salad with prunes.
- Dinner: 150 g of steamed lean fish, one boiled potato.
- Snacks: apple, tomato.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: unsweetened oatmeal, carrots and celery.
- Lunch: 100 g of boiled meat, cucumber, tomato and radish salad.
- Dinner: white yogurt without filling, bran, 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese.
- Snacks: half an avocado, whole grain bread.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: chicken broth, 100 g of boiled chicken fillet, two rye bread.
- Lunch: cabbage soup, 100 g of boiled lean meat, spinach.
- Dinner: 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese with grated apple.
- Snacks: orange, some cucumbers.
Thursday
- Breakfast: buckwheat porridge, a glass of low-fat kefir, fresh tomato salad.
- Lunch: grilled fish, rice, cucumber.
- Dinner: 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese with dried apricots or prunes.
- Snacks: kiwi, grapefruit.
Friday
- Breakfast: two boiled eggs, tomato, cucumber and pepper salad.
- Lunch: boiled chicken fillet, buckwheat, sliced vegetables.
- Dinner: tuna, boiled green beans.
- Snacks: apple, pear.
Saturday
- Breakfast: rice porridge with dried apricots.
- Lunch: skimmed fish soup, rice, wholemeal bread, beetroot and carrot salad.
- Dinner: vegetable stew.
- Snacks: low-fat cottage cheese with prunes.
Sunday
- Breakfast: two-egg omelet, tofu.
- Lunch: 100 g of boiled meat, lentils, cucumber and tomato salad.
- Dinner: 100 g of roast turkey, wholemeal bread, peppers.
- Snacks: natural yogurt, 30 g of almonds.
Original diets for a week
We talk about the most balanced diet option for the week, which, however, will require your attention: you need to monitor your calories and take care of your daily cooking. There are other diet options where the list of foods is significantly reduced, but these diets promise greater results. The downside is that these diets are not suitable for everyone, so under no circumstances should you try them without consulting your doctor.
Japanese diet
The Japanese seven-day diet can be used as a weekly diet. Its basic principles are low calorie content, maximum protein and fiber, minimum carbohydrates. The diet is based on fish, shellfish, seaweed and soy cheese dishes, as well as vegetables, with some fruit being allowed. You are expected to use simple, often seasonal, ingredients for cooking. According to experts, the main advantage of this diet is that it is rich in fish, which contains healthy omega-3 fats. Avoiding foods with added sugar will also benefit your health. However, the diet also carries its own risks. It is quite strict, so it can cause stress due to hunger. Doctors do not recommend persisting for a long time.
Diet on kefir and buckwheat
A diet familiar to everyone, attractive in budget and frightening in severity. Only buckwheat and kefir look normal if we are talking about a fasting day, and as a test of willpower if we are talking about a longer period. As a diet for the week, we suggest modifying the approach a little and adding fresh vegetables and dried fruits to the diet. Even with this relaxation, you can expect impressive results - three pounds less per week.
The advantage of a buckwheat diet for a week is that, despite the meager diet, you will not feel hungry. The carbohydrates in cereals are complex, so the feeling of satiety lasts a long time. In addition, buckwheat has a rich composition of vitamins and minerals. Contains fiber, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, folic acid, B vitamins and 18 amino acids. Kefir contains beneficial lactic acid bacteria that aid digestion. Prebiotic lactocultures help to digest well not only kefir itself, but also other foods. Furthermore, kefir is a source of protein and calcium.
Egg diet
Another diet that will give results quickly. But as in the previous case, we suggest modifying the egg diet and adding at least vegetables and grapefruits to the egg diet. The egg diet for a week shows the best results - in seven days you can lose five kilograms, but, of course, the final figure depends on your starting weight and personal metabolic characteristics. The effect is achieved thanks to biotin, which eggs are rich in. Accelerates the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. It's very easy to plan a menu - all meals include eggs, you can eat grapefruit for breakfast and complement eggs with fresh or cooked vegetables at other meals.