For some reason, it is generally accepted that in the summer the fat accumulated during the winter evaporates on its own due to an active lifestyle. It doesn't matter how it is! Many of us, stepping out of light shorts and baggy sundresses at the end of the season, realize that we have gained significant weight. Immediately remember the fun barbecue trips, the intimate encounters in an ice cream parlor and the exotic delicacies tasted in a foreign location.
But this is not the time to lose heart, you have to act! August-September is the time of watermelon, and the sugary pulp of a striped berry is not only tasty, but also useful for those who dream of losing weight. Nutritionists call the watermelon diet one of the most effective and gentle. During it, you won't have to deal with the excruciating feeling of hunger that interferes with life and work. You just need to follow the diet, and the positive dynamics will not take long.
What is the effectiveness of the watermelon diet
Watermelon pulp is a deposit of precious micro and macro elements, vitamins and organic acids. The salts of iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and sodium contained in it have a beneficial effect on the activity of the digestive, hematopoietic and cardiovascular systems. Watermelon fiber helps cleanse the body of toxins and eliminate harmful cholesterol. The acid-base balance is regulated by the presence of alkaline compounds in the product and the pectin fibers normalize intestinal motility. Furthermore, regular consumption of watermelon is an excellent cancer prevention.
How to calculate the portion
No matter how invaluable the benefits of watermelon are, the uncontrolled consumption of juicy pulp, as indeed any product, can lead to dire consequences: diarrhea, nausea and severe stomach pains.
The formula for calculating an individual daily allowance is simple: 1 kg of watermelon pulp per 10 kg of weight. That is, if you weigh 60 kg, without risk to health, you can eat no more than 6 kg of watermelon, of course, not in one sitting, but dividing it into equal portions.
Watermelon Diet Options
If you are afraid that during the diet you will have to eat only watermelon pulp, then this is not the case. The striped miracle berry works well with other foods, thus allowing you to diversify the menu. Choose the version of the watermelon diet that's right for you:
- With melon: the famous aromatic relative - the melon - comes to the aid of the sugar "sandwich". During this diet, you eat light, low-calorie foods (low-fat cottage cheese, hard cheese, lean meats, vegetables) and melon slices serve you as a healthy snack.
- With kefir: very good in the summer heat. Within 3 days, you consume only the pulp of a striped berry and kefir-zero (you can take 1%). The interval between meals is 3 hours.
- With black bread: a good option for those who lack flour during a diet. Just alternate slices of watermelon with rye bread and become almost 1 kg lighter per day. The duration of the course is 10 days.
- With cucumber: for 2 weeks only watermelons and cucumbers are eaten (1 kg per day). It is allowed to "dilute" the menu of the day with 1-2 rye toast and a glass of zero yogurt.
- With rice: this option allows only watermelon and rice (parboiled, wild or wholemeal). Daily norm of products: rice - 100 g, watermelon pulp - no more than 1 kg for every 20 kg of weight.
- With ricotta: the optimal weight loss program for sweets lovers. For breakfast and afternoon tea, eat low-fat cottage cheese (150-200 g each), and for the rest of meals, savor the pulp of a striped berry.
- With buckwheat polenta: an option that allows you to lose weight without feeling hungry. Permitted buckwheat (1 kg per day) in oil-free water, watermelon (no more than 5 kg per day), fresh vegetable salads and non-alcoholic soft drinks (herbal teas and herbal teas, water with lemon) without sugar.
- Watermelon protein is the ideal diet for meat eaters. It is allowed to eat lean meat, lean fish, watermelon (2 kg per day) and dairy products (low-fat yogurt, fat-free kefir, 1% milk). The optimal duration of the course is 10 days.
Following a watermelon diet, keep in mind that, first of all, a weight loss course means giving up starchy foods, sweets, salt, carbonated and alcoholic drinks. Coffee lovers can replace their morning tea with a cup of your favorite beverage.
Duration of the watermelon diet
Hence, the decision to lose weight was made. Now evaluate the extent of the problem (the number of extra pounds) and your willpower. Now choose a course of suitable duration:
- 1, 2 or 3 days is a hard but effective body discharge, during which it is permissible to consume only pulp and liquid of watermelon (water, green tea).
- 5, 7, 10 or 14 days - milder programs in which watermelon "works as a team" with other products.
Try not to show excessive fanaticism, because only an absolutely healthy person can endure a long course of a mono diet (the watermelon diet is such) without unpleasant consequences.
Menu
According to many who are losing weight, the most successful of the courses of the watermelon diet is a five-day one, which allows you to use, in addition to watermelons, other low-calorie foods.
Here's what your meal plan will look like for this period:
Day 1
Breakfast:
- half a glass of tea (preferably green) or pure non-carbonated water;
- 1 soft-boiled chicken egg;
- a small portion of any porridge on the water.
Second breakfast: 2-3 slices of watermelon.
Dinner:
- salad (cucumbers + tomatoes) with olive oil;
- 200 g of lean fish;
- green tea.
Snack: watermelon slices.
Dinner (3-4 hours before bedtime): watermelon.
Day 2
Breakfast:
- 200 g of sugar-free fat-free cottage cheese;
- 2-3 slices of watermelon;
- half a glass of tea or water (optional).
Second breakfast: a portion of watermelon.
Dinner:
- unsalted rice porridge in water without oil;
- watermelon.
Snack:
- 50 g of low-fat cottage cheese without sugar;
- 2 slices of watermelon.
Dinner: we cook as for lunch.
Day 3
Breakfast:
- unsweetened tea;
- 180 g of fat-free cottage cheese;
- fruit salad (half green apple + watermelon).
Second breakfast: watermelon - 2 small slices.
Dinner:
- 100 g of boiled chicken breast;
- salad (fresh cucumber + herbs), dressed with olive oil or lemon juice.
- tea or water.
Snack: watermelon.
Dinner: vegetables - stewed, boiled or steamed.
Day 4
Breakfast:
- one serving of oil-free oatmeal. It can be boiled or steamed overnight in a thermos;
- a small slice of hard cheese;
- You.
Second breakfast: watermelon - 2-3 slices.
Dinner:
- 250 g of any lean meat cooked in a double boiler or on the grill;
- vegetable salad (tomatoes + peppers + cucumbers) with olive oil;
- water.
Snack: a few slices of watermelon.
Dinner:
- low-fat cottage cheese - 100 g;
- 1 pear or green apple.
Day 5
Breakfast:
- fruit salad (watermelon + green apple + plums);
- You.
Second breakfast: watermelon.
Dinner:
- fresh vegetables soup;
- a slice of black bread;
- You.
Snack: 1 chicken egg (boiled or omelette).
Dinner: "shock" portion of watermelon - 400 g.
Eating in this way, during the course, you can lose up to 4-5 kg. If you need to lose more and still have the strength to continue, try to endure this diet for not 5, but 10 days. Consequently, the first day menu is similar to the sixth day menu, etc.
How to get out of the watermelon diet
The end of the diet course does not at all mean that raptors can be pounced on previously banned smoked meats, pickles and sweets, since the kilograms that have fallen with such difficulty can quickly return to their original places. Continue to eat light, healthy foods such as grains, fresh and stewed vegetables, fruits, cooked meats, and lean fish. The portions of a rather boring watermelon can be reduced, but you shouldn't completely exclude the striped berry from the menu. The transition will last as long as the diet itself.
Contraindications
The benefits of watermelon are an indisputable fact, but not everyone can consume it in large quantities. At risk are people with pathologies of the kidneys, choleretic and genitourinary systems. The miracle berry is contraindicated in the last trimester of pregnancy, during lactation and in diabetes mellitus.
And remember! A watermelon diet will help you achieve the desired result, but to maintain it you will need to lead a healthy lifestyle, quit smoking and alcohol abuse, and even say goodbye to daily cheesecake sandwiches. You can handle it! Good luck!