What is it?
The General Motors Diet plan was introduced in the 1980s. It was primarily and exclusively introduced to the workers of General Motors and their families. The plan is supposed to help the user reduce large amount of weight. A person may lose 10 to 17 pounds in just seven days. No exercise is involved in the weight reduction program and it is strictly based on the food consumed.
It was rumored that the diet was developed by General Motors with the help and grant from the US Department of Agriculture and the FDA. It is also rumored that it was tested and approved by Johns Hopkins University. However, one NY Times article suggests that upon asking, a spokesperson from General Motors replied that they had no idea where it came from. However, it has been like this for more than three decades.
Plan & Foods
The General Motors Diet plan is a 7 day weight reduction program. There are four rules before the plan can be implemented.
Rules
Rule One: The person has to abstain from alcohol.
Rule Two: The person needs to drink 10 to 15 glasses of water each day.
Rule Three: The person is allowed to have the following drinks along with the diet: Water; Club Soda; Plain Black Coffee and Black Tea without sugar or cream or their substitutes; Fruit Juices, but not before the seventh day of the plan.
Rule Four: The person can supplement the diet throughout the plan with the ‘GM Soup’ and may eat as much as one desire. The recipe for GM soup is as follows:
1 cabbage
1 celery (bunch)
28 ounces of water
6 x onions (large)
2 x green peppers
4 tomatoes
4 x Lipton onion soup mix
salt & pepper to taste
7 Day Plan
The seven day plan described day-wise is as follows:
Day One: The person is allowed to eat as many fruits as possible and nothing else. Amongst the fruits, bananas are not allowed on Day One, and water melons and cantaloupes are highly recommended. This first day diet prepares the body and the stomach for the rest of the days of the diet.
Day Two: The person is only allowed to eat vegetables today. They may be
eaten cooked or raw. Dressing of any sorts besides lemon juice must be avoided. It is recommended that a large baked potato is eaten for breakfast.
Day Three: The person is allowed to eat any fruit or vegetable this day, except bananas.
Day Four: The person is allowed to eat bananas and drink milk only. The person can eat up to 8 bananas and have 3 to 5 glasses of milk. The GM Soup can be used to supplement the diet if required.
Day Five: Today, the person must have two portions of 10 oz of lean beef. This may be in the form of steak or burger. Besides the meat, the person must have 6 whole tomatoes and drink more water today compared to other days. It is recommended that the water intake should be increased by one quart compared to the rest of the days as the water will help purify the body.
Day Six: Today, the person is allowed to eat as much vegetables and beef as he/she likes.
Day Seven: On day 7, the person can eat brown rice and vegetables, and may drink fruit juices.
Grocery List
The General Motors Diet plan is simple to follow and affordable to implement. All the foods and the grocery required mentioned in the plan above are cheaply and easily available.
Side Effects
The side effects to the GM Diet plan may include the following:
- Muscle weakness due to the reduced amount of proteins intake during the first days of the plan.
- Dehydration may be caused due to excess use of water in the body to foster the metabolic processes.
- Headaches may be experienced by the persons who are using this diet plan.
- The metabolic system of the body may slow down as a result of following this diet plan.
Results & Reviews
According to the reviews of the users posted on the NY Times and Roger Cohen’s, the GM Diet Plan produces remarkable results as several users lost as much as 10 to 15 pounds in just seven days. Some of the users said that the plan helped them improve their will power and reduced their need to eat unhealthy food.
However, there were also negative reviews for the program. A few users suggested that this plan is not a long term solution of weight loss. The weight loss is highly likely being due to the weight of water lost. Some user regained the lost weight when they skipped the plan or left it altogether.
