The diet, beautifully named "6 leaves", is a fast weight loss method developed by Swiss nutritionist Anna Johansson and included in the officially recognized European Association of Nutrition Professionals. The feature of the 6-leaf diet is that it makes it possible to get fast results in a relatively short time according to its developers. Let's find out what the "6 leaf diet" is, is it really that effective and what to do to lose those extra pounds?
Losing weight in six days: the six-leaf diet
The popular Six Leaf Diet was developed by Anna Johansson, a Swedish nutritionist. It is created on the basis of separate nutritional principles and consists of six mono diets, so the menu each day should contain only one type of food. The diet is designed to alternate with so-called protein days, carbohydrate days that help get rid of unnecessary pounds as quickly as possible, according to the nutritionist. The main condition is that with this method of losing weight, the order of the menu and single diets for each day cannot be changed.
Why the 6-leaf diet? Everything is quite simple: the author suggests drawing 6 leaves, marking each stage of the diet and making a flower out of them, before starting to observe, and then tear them off every day as you move towards the loved goal. According to the author, this will help support the motivation of a person losing weight: getting rid of the next petal every day clearly sees which part of the road has already passed and how far ahead.
Basic rules of the petal diet
Each weight loss technique has its own rules. The six-leaf diet is no exception:
- meals cannot be less than four, breaks cannot be longer than four hours. The best option is two breakfasts (after a specified time), lunch, afternoon tea and dinner (preferably after six o'clock in the evening);
- Foods in the consumption process should be chewed thoroughly. This will help enrich it with enzymes and improve the digestive process;
- Observe the drinking regime. You can drink plain water (at least one and a half liters a day) and unsweetened green tea. It is forbidden to drink while eating, it is better to do it half an hour before or after a meal;
- The amount of salt consumed in one day of the menu should not exceed 5 g, which is about two-thirds of a teaspoon. You can use fresh or dried herbs as a spice.
In the process of adhering to the diet, six leaves will have to be abandoned:
- All kinds of bakery products except a few slices of whole grain bread a day;
- all kinds of sweets, the list of which includes shop and homemade confectionery, canned food and jams, chocolate and all other products with a large amount of sugar;
- butter and vegetable oils;
- canned food, smoked food, fried food, ready-made semi-finished products, fast food products;
- all kinds of coffee, sweet sodas, compotes, jelly, packaged fruit juices. You can pamper yourself with some freshly squeezed juice on the last day of the diet (fruit).
And the last rule: every weight loss day the menu cannot include products that are not included in the designated group.
Pros and cons of losing weight with a separate diet
The advantage of the petal diet is that:
- helps you lose a few pounds in just one week;
- the change of single diets is easier to transfer than, for example, a diet that needs to be observed for a few days;
- Eating frequently helps the weight-loser not to feel hungry.
This technique is not devoid of drawbacks, namely:
- Such a strict diet, like the other single diets, is stress for the whole organism. Some products overtake, others clearly not enough, in other words - nutritional balance is disturbed;
- failure to comply with personal taste preferences. For example, some people don't like fish and have to eat them all day. This is a kind of psychological stress;
- The effectiveness of separate feeding has not been fully proven. It's like the placebo effect: It can work when a person believes the diet will help them lose weight. He does not believe - who does not individually help to lose weight risks joining the ranks of participants in experiments. Meanwhile, scientists from the Israel Weizmann Institute conducted a study that found that different people's organisms may react differently to different foods. Accordingly, the result of the diet may be different;
A study of the direct effects of dietary components on the human body was also conducted by scientists at the University of Colorado in 2016.
But the main disadvantage of the express diet is that such a technique cannot change a person's attitude to food. It can help you lose weight, but it doesn't eliminate the cause of their appearance.
6 petal diet daily menu
If you start the weight loss process on Monday, then it could be like this:
- Monday: fish menu
On the first day, the diet should be fish only. Seafood can be boiled, baked, or steamed. It is allowed to add a small amount of herbs or natural spices to improve the taste. Pleasant moment - the use of oily fish is allowed.
The menu on any day of the diet should consist of the first and second breakfasts, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner (we will number them hereinafter).
So Monday:
- boiled fish;
- baked fish;
- vegetable-free fish soup with little greens;
- steam fish;
- boiled crayfish or seafood (squid, shrimp).
- Tuesday: vegetables
Like fish, vegetables can be cooked in the oven, steamed and boiled. Do all of this without butter, cream and other products that make the meal more palatable.
Menu:
- Grated white cabbage as well as boiled potatoes.
- Broccoli or cauliflower from a double boiler (you can combine both types of cabbage in one dish). Lean cooked vegetable stew. You can put the greens.
- Baked zucchini slices or celery puree. You can add fresh vegetables - carrots, cucumbers, sweet peppers.
- Baked vegetables. The meal can be varied with fresh vegetables such as cabbage or carrots.
- Wednesday: chicken meat
The middle of the diet is often the most difficult, both physically and mentally. Protein will help prevent apathy from spoiling a weight-losing person's plans.
Sample menu for today:
- Boiled breast fillet.
- Skinless baguette baked in the oven.
- Chicken soup without adding meat and herbs and vegetables (first drain the water).
- Skinless steamed chicken legs.
- Breast boiled in bone (remove skin).
- Thursday: cereals
On this day, all types of lean, cooked in water, are allowed.
The menu for the fourth day:
- Pre-cooked buckwheat in the evening.
- Porridge of rice.
- Millet porridge.
- Rolled oats.
- Buckwheat porridge.
- Friday: curd
Only cottage cheese and a glass of low-fat milk should be included in the diet of this day.
Recommended menu:
- Low-fat cottage cheese without any additives.
- Salted cottage cheese.
- Cottage cheese and half a glass of low-fat milk.
- Pure cottage cheese.
- Curd and leftover milk.
- Saturday: fruit day
Only fruit is allowed on this day, ideally raw.
Menu:
- A banana (large).
- Apple and citrus fruits.
- Banana or kiwi.
- Any fruit (preferably seasonal and in moderate quantity).
- Grapefruit.
On this day, you can pamper yourself with fresh fruit juice as well as water and unsweetened green tea.