You don’t see that many diets out there that were started by car companies, but legend says that’s how this one got started. The GM is short for General Motors, the Detroit based motor company that runs 12 different brands across the world. You’re probably asking yourself, “what in the world does a car company know about dieting?” That’s a very valid question that we wouldn’t blame anyone for bringing up.
The story goes that General Motors had come up with a plan for their employees to drop extra weight for health reasons (since healthy employees save the company a lot of money). The story also says that the company received a grant from both the USDA and FDA for research. From there, they worked with Johns Hopkins University on the diet, which was supposedly approved in August 1985.
So why isn’t this more common knowledge? Mainly because most GM employees don’t even know about it. One spokesman said that he had never heard of the diet, and claimed that it was an urban legend, calling the diet “unconventional.” Still, that has not stopped people from continuing to go on the diet, and it has been more popular than ever. It’s a bit extreme, but plenty are willing to give it a go. Let’s take a look at the GM Diet and see what it consists of.
What’s on the Menu?
Whether it was actually approved by General Motors or not, people are eating this strange diet in the name of the company. People claim to be losing anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds in a seven day span thanks to the GM Diet, so that right there should tell you that the menu isn’t very full. On most diet reviews, we only give you a sample day or two on the menu, but we have enough room for the whole thing this time. Here is the entire GM Diet menu:
Day One – Nothing But Fruit
The GM Diet begins with your ability to eat as much as you want…as long as it’s fruit…and as long as it isn’t bananas. Any other fruit is good to go, though they say that for maximum results you should be eating melon. Drink plenty of water, and if you need to drink juice, make sure it’s pure fruit juice without any of that added sugar. The cravings will be pretty bad for the first day, but at least you can eat all of the fruit you want.
Day Two – Nothing But Vegetables
The menu for day one is easy enough to remember since there is a lot to pick from. The second day is pretty much the same, except instead of fruit, you are only eating vegetables. If you’re a fan of potatoes, you can breathe a sigh of relief as you’re encouraged to start your day with a baked potato.
Day Three – Fruits and Veggies
You’ve made it through a day of fruits and a day of vegetables. Now it’s time to get the two together as they are the only foods that you can eat on day three. Thankfully there’s more variety, but you have to get rid of the potatoes on day three. Also, bananas are still off limits for now, but their time will come.
Day Four – Banana Time
You can finally dig into those bananas, eating as many as eight throughout all of day four. Bananas aren’t the only thing that you’ll be eating on this day, as you can have as much soup as you can take in (vegetable based, of course) and can drink three glasses of milk. Dipping your bananas in tomato soup sounds terrible, but you might be desperate for a new taste by the end of day four.
Day Five – Meat is Back on the Menu
Rejoice meat lovers, you can finally get your fill of meat on the fifth day. You will be eating meat with every meal, as well as tomatoes. Throughout the day, you will have to eat 20 ounces of meat (divided into portions) and six entire tomatoes. You don’t have to eat all 20 ounces, but you have to plow through all six tomatoes. Hopefully you like hamburgers without the buns, lettuce, condiments or cheese.
Day Six – Still Beefin’
The menu from day five is very similar to day six. On this day, you will be able to eat the same 20 ounces of meat that you choose, while sticking to the vegetables as well. Thankfully, you don’t have to pick from only tomatoes as you can have as many vegetables you want from your choosing.
Day Seven – The Finish Line
If you’ve made it this far into the GM Diet, bless your heart, because it’s tough. On this final day of the program, your diet is limited to nothing but pure fruit juice, all the vegetables you can eat and brown rice. Then, when you’re finished, your body should be completely “cleansed.”
There is no alcohol at all throughout this week, and you should be drinking mainly water. However, you are allowed to drink tea and black coffee. So clearly, this diet is not meant for everybody.
What to Know About the GM Diet
A lot of the popular diets out there can be hard to follow and have a very extensive shopping list. That’s not the case with the GM Diet since everything is laid out so clearly. Well, that, and the fact that it’s only seven days long instead of a lifestyle change. Those that have followed the GM Diet have said that they repeat the process if they still have more weight to lose until reaching their goal.
Most professionals will tell you not to repeat this process multiple times (or probably even once, to be frank). Going on a strict diet like this one will take your some getting used to, which can cause some uncomfortable side effects. The GM Diet is more of a “detox” plan than anything, so you might be spending more time in the bathroom than you want to. When you’re encouraged to drink a lot of water on top of everything, it won’t be the most joyful week.
Now the big question: Can you actually keep the weight off after a week of the GM Diet? People have reported losing around 15 pounds in just one week, but not all of that is going to be fat. You’ll be lucky if more than two or three pounds of that weight is fat, as most of it will come from water weight and waste. It’s hard to keep the weight off after just one week of dieting, and your intense cravings for foods that aren’t on the GM Diet might get to you, halting your progress.
Just know that while you might be able to drop some weight over the seven day span, changing your eating habits for just a week isn’t going to change much. At the end of the day, it comes down to how many calories you take in from the foods, not just combining beef and tomatoes for an entire day after eating eight bananas the day before.
Summing it Up
Simply by looking at the strange menu, you’ve probably already ruled out even trying the GM Diet. Adding exercise to the program will burn more calories, causing you to lose weight, but you probably won’t have the energy thanks to the odd mixture of foods. There isn’t much protein outside of the two days of meat eating, and taking in all that fiber at once if you’re not used to it can do a number on your digestive system.
One expert that studied quick and restrictive diets similar to the GM Diet said that only five percent of people will be able to keep the weight off. Starving and depriving yourself will only cause your body to want to dig deep into the foods that you cut yourself off from. For that reason, a lot of people gain the weight back within a week or two, with most finishing heavier than when they started.
If you’re trying to squeeze into a certain pair of clothing for a big day that’s coming up at the end of the week, then the GM Diet might be worth a shot. If you’re looking for a sustained weight loss program that will help you lose significant body fat and help adopt a new healthy lifestyle, then stay far away from this one.