The idea of losing fat quick has always appealed to people. Why spend months in the gym with a rigid diet chart when there is a way to shed some weight in a week?

The General Motors Diet or GM Diet seems to promise significant weight loss in just a week. It is said to help you lose up to 15 pounds in only seven days. Whether or not it works remains to be seen. We will dive into the basics, pros, and cons of the GM diet in this article.

What is the GM diet?

The GM diet is said to have been created for the employees of General Motors back in 1985. It was supposedly developed by General Motors, in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

However, this has been proven to be an urban myth, thereby rendering its origins unknown. The GM Diet Plan is mapped out for seven days, with a laid out plan and set of rules for each day.

The GM Diet Plan

The diet highly recommends drinking 8-12 glasses of water to stay hydrated throughout the diet plan. Exercising is optional, but it discourages exercise during the first three days of the diet plan.

Day One: Fruits

You are required to eat only fruits, except for bananas. There is no defined limit to how much you are allowed to consume. Melons aid in weight loss and their consumption, in particular, is encouraged. This is what your diet plan for day one looks like.

• Breakfast: One medium-sized apple or one bowl of mixed berries

• Snack: One bowl of cantaloupe or an orange

• Lunch: One bowl of watermelon

• Snack: One orange

• Dinner: One pear or one bowl of kiwi

• Snack: One bowl of mixed berries

Day Two: Vegetables

Consume only vegetables on day two. They can be raw or cooked. Just like on day one, there is no specified limit as to how many vegetables you are allowed to consume. Be sure to restrict potatoes to your breakfast. Your day two would look like this:

• Breakfast: One sweet potato or one baked potato

• Snack: One bowl of cabbage

• Lunch: A mixed salad containing lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumber

• Snack: One bowl of steamed or raw broccoli

• Dinner: One bowl of kale or arugula with asparagus

• Snack: One bowl of sliced cucumbers

Day Three: Fruits and Vegetables

Day three requires you to consume a mix of fruits and vegetables. Do keep in mind that potatoes and bananas cannot be included in your diet.

• Breakfast: one apple or one bowl of watermelon

• Snack: one bowl of cherry tomatoes

• Lunch: a mixed salad

• Snack: one bowl of sliced cucumbers

• Dinner: one kale salad with carrots and cucumbers and one bowl of strawberries.

• Snack: one apple

Day Four: Bananas and Milk

On the fourth day, you can consume only bananas and milk. You can either eat bananas and drink milk separately or make a smoothie. You may not add other fruits to your diet on this day. However, you may consume wonder soup if you wish to. Your fourth day would look like this:

• Breakfast: Two bananas and one glass of milk

• Snack: One smoothie containing banana and skim milk

• Lunch: One bowl of wonder soup

• Snack: One smoothie containing banana and skim milk

• Dinner: One bowl of wonder soup and one banana

Day five: Meat

Consume 20 ounces (oz) of a meat of your choice – beef, chicken, or fish.

If you are a vegetarian, you can eat cottage cheese or brown rice. Follow this diet plan:

• Breakfast: 5–6 oz serving of meat and two whole tomatoes

• Lunch: 7–8 oz serving of meat with two whole tomatoes

• Dinner: 5–6 oz serving of meat with two whole tomatoes

• Snacks: Wonder soup or fresh tomato juice

Make sure you drink a few extra cups of water.

Day six: Meat and Vegetables

Stick to 20 oz of meat as on day five. However, there is no limit to the number of vegetables you can eat. This is what day six looks like:

• Breakfast: 5–6 oz serving of meat with one bowl of vegetables

• Lunch: 7–8 oz serving of meat with one bowl of vegetables

• Dinner: 5–6 oz serving of meat with wonder soup

• Snacks: One bowl of wonder soup

Day seven: Rice, Fruits, and Vegetables

On the final day of the GM diet, consume fruits, vegetables, and brown rice. This is what your diet chart looks like on day seven:

• Breakfast: 1 bowl of brown rice and one orange or a bowl of watermelon

• Lunch: 1 bowl of brown rice and one glass of sugar-free fruit juice

• Dinner: 1 bowl of brown rice with one bowl of raw or cooked vegetables

• Snacks: Citrus fruits, berries, or wonder soup.

Benefits of GM Diet

The GM diet has a few benefits to its credit. One obvious health benefit is the suppression of hunger and reduced fat accumulation. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber, which makes you feel fuller for longer.

Another benefit of the GM diet is the fact that it does not allow added sugars in foods and beverages. Added sugars in food and beverages are one of the leading causes of fat accumulation in an individual.

Conclusion

While the GM diet has its benefits, its long-term effects are uncertain. The weight loss that happens as a result of this diet plan may be short-term.

Furthermore, this diet chart is not well-balanced and lacks essential nutrients.