The diet with the beautiful name "6 petals" is an express weight loss method developed by the Swiss nutritionist Anna Johansson and included in the officially recognized list of the European Association of Nutritionists. The peculiarity of the 6-petal diet is that, according to its developers, it allows you to achieve quick results in a relatively short time. Let's find out what the "6 Petals Diet" is, is it really that effective and what to do to lose those extra pounds?
Losing weight in six days: the six petal diet
The popular six-petal diet was developed by Anna Johansson, a Swedish nutritionist. It is created on the basis of the principles of separate nutrition and consists of six mono-diets, that is, every day the menu should include only one type of food. The diet is designed in such a way that the so-called protein days alternate with carbohydrate days, which, according to the nutritionist, help get rid of unnecessary pounds as soon as possible. The main condition is that with this method of weight loss, the menu for every day, as well as the sequence of mono-diets, cannot be changed.
Why the 6-petal diet? Everything is quite simple: before starting to observe it, the author proposes to draw 6 petals, marking each phase of the diet, and make a flower of them, and then tear them every day as we move towards the beloved goal. According to the author, this will help support the motivation of a person losing weight: by getting rid of the next petal each day, she clearly sees which segment of the path has already been passed and how far ahead.
Basic rules of the diet of the petals
Each slimming technique has its own rules. The six-petal diet is no exception:
- meals cannot be less than four, the breaks between which cannot be more than four hours. The best option is two breakfasts (after a certain amount of time), lunch, afternoon tea and dinner (preferably no later than six in the evening);
- food in the process of consumption must be carefully chewed. This will help enrich it with enzymes and improve the digestion process;
- observe the drinking regime. You can drink plain water (at least one and a half liters per day) and unsweetened green tea. It is forbidden to drink while eating, it is better to do it half an hour before or after eating;
- on one day of the menu, the volume of salt consumed should not exceed 5 g, this is about two thirds of a teaspoon. You can use fresh or dried herbs as seasonings.
In the process of following the diet, six petals will have to be abandoned:
- all types of baked goods except a couple of slices of wholemeal bread a day;
- all types of sweets, the list of which includes confectionery and home-made confectionery products, preserves and jams, chocolate and all other products containing large amounts of sugar;
- vegetable butter and oils;
- canned food, smoked and fried food, ready-made semi-finished products, fast food products;
- coffee of all kinds, sweet carbonated drinks, compotes, jellies, in-store packaged juices. On the last day of the diet (fruit), you can pamper yourself with some freshly squeezed juice.
And the last rule: every slimming day, the menu can not contain products that are not included in the designated group.
Pros and cons of weight loss with the separate feeding method
The advantage of the petal diet is that:
- helps you lose a few pounds in just one week;
- the alternation of monodiets is easier to transfer than, for example, that which must be observed for several days;
- frequent meals help a person who is losing weight not to feel hungry.
This technique is not without its disadvantages, namely:
- such a strict diet, like any other mono diet, is stress for the whole organism. He receives some products in excess, while others are clearly not enough, in other words - the balance of nutrients is disturbed;
- non-compliance with personal taste preferences. For example, some people don't like fish and have to eat it all day. This is a kind of psychological stress;
- the effectiveness of the separate power supply is not fully demonstrated. It's like the placebo effect: when a person believes that the diet will help him lose weight, it can work. He does not believe: he runs the risk of joining the ranks of the participants in the experiments, who did not help to lose weight separately. By the way, scientists from the Israeli Weizmann Institute conducted a study, as a result of which it was found that the organisms of different people can react differently to different foods. Consequently, the result of the diet can be different;
A study on the direct effects of dietary components on the human body was also conducted by scientists from the University of Colorado in 2016.
but the main disadvantage of the express diet is that such a technique is not able to change a person's attitude to food. It can help you lose pounds, but it won't eliminate the cause of their appearance.
Daily 6-petal diet menu
If you start the weight loss process on Monday, then it can be like this:
- Monday: fish menu
On the first day, the diet should be exclusively fish. Seafood can be boiled, baked or steamed. To improve the taste, it is allowed to add a small amount of natural herbs or spices. A pleasant moment - the use of fatty fish is allowed.
The menu on any day of the diet should consist of first and second breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner (we will indicate them by numbers below).
So Monday:
- boiled fish;
- baked fish;
- fish soup without vegetables with some vegetables;
- steamed fish;
- boiled shrimp or seafood (squid, shrimp).
- Tuesday: vegetables
Like fish, vegetables can be baked and steamed, as well as boiled. Do all this without butter, cream and other products that make the dish tastier.
Menu:
- Boiled potatoes and chopped white cabbage.
- Broccoli or cauliflower in a double boiler (you can combine both types of cabbage in one dish). Vegetable stew cooked without oil. You can put greens.
- Baked pumpkin slices or celery root puree. You can add fresh vegetables: carrots, cucumbers, sweet peppers.
- Baked vegetables. The dish can be varied with fresh vegetables such as cabbage or carrots.
- Wednesday: chicken meat
The central part of the diet is often the most difficult, both physically and mentally. Protein will help prevent apathy from disrupting a person's weight loss plans.
Sample menu for this day:
- Boiled breast fillet.
- Baked leg without skin.
- Chicken soup (drain the first broth) without adding vegetables with meat and herbs.
- Skinless steamed chicken leg.
- Boiled breast with bone (remove skin).
- Thursday: cereals
On this day, all types of cereals without oil, cooked in water, are allowed.
Menu for the fourth day:
- Steamed buckwheat, pre-cooked in the evening.
- Rice porridge.
- Millet porridge.
- Oatmeal.
- Buckwheat porridge.
- Friday: curd
This day's diet should exclusively include cottage cheese and a glass of low-fat milk.
Recommended menu:
- Low-fat cottage cheese without all kinds of additives.
- Ricotta salata.
- Cottage cheese and half a glass of low-fat milk.
- Pure ricotta.
- Curd and leftover milk.
- Saturday: fruit day
Only fruit, ideally raw, is allowed on this day.
Menu:
- One banana (large).
- Apple and citrus.
- Bananas or kiwis.
- Any fruit (preferably in season and in reasonable quantity).
- Grapefruit.
On this day, in addition to water and unsweetened green tea, you can pamper yourself with fresh fruit juice.