Following a diet is quite difficult, boring and burdensome. Many people cannot stand the usual menu and collapse, negating the entire resulting effect.
That's why nutritionists started getting sophisticated and coming up with programs that would be interesting to people, motivating and completely different from their minions.
One of these interesting programs was the "Six Petals" or "Petal Diet", authored by Swedish nutritionist Anna Johansson. A one-week course, according to the doctor, will be a successful solution to the problem of excess weight for any person, because you can lose up to 3-4 kg without much effort!
Features of the 6 petal diet, the author's recommendations and the advantages of the technique
First of all, the effectiveness of this diet depends on the psychological attitude towards a good result and strong motivation.
The diet itself represents a cycle of 6 monoprograms (petals), which alternate daily, but, nevertheless, represent a carefully thought-out diet plan. Each such "horseshoe" is, in fact, a day of fasting, during which you eat only one type of food, excluding others. Thanks to this restriction, you eat fewer calories and each of the selected products additionally cleanses, nourishes or strengthens the body. In addition, the diet was designed to alternate protein and carbohydrate days, which is suitable for those who exercise or work under stressful conditions. Also, this rule of separate meals allows you not to mix foods of different composition in one meal, which will allow you to absorb the ingredients more efficiently and quickly, without causing excessive deposits on the sides.
Since the products on the menu change daily, the diet is considered quite interesting, not boring and not rigid.
Let's go back to the psychological attitude and motivation to diet. To implement your plan and really inspire your body to lose weight, Anna advises everyone to draw a bright colorful flower with large petals (6 pieces) before starting a diet. Each of your chamomile petals should be assigned a number or painted a special color, with the name of the particular day of the diet and a set of allowed ingredients written on top. We place the resulting flower somewhere in a conspicuous place and at the end of each day of the diet we cut off the corresponding petal (only if all the requirements are correctly met). Psychologically, it will be easier for the body to survive a week of dieting, if the number of "race days" visually decreases and decreases.
The author's strict recommendations for the "6 Petals" diet:
- for the day you are provided with a clear set of products that cannot be adapted, replaced with similar ingredients or supplemented.
- do not consume more than the allowed amount of food, but also do not undereat, which will also lead to negative consequences.
- days of the week cannot be substituted or skipped; in case of failure, the course must be repeated again.
- The last time you should eat is 4 hours before bed (no matter if it is during the day or at night).
- A prerequisite is compliance with the water regime, you should drink 6 cups of healthy liquid or more per day.
- during the diet, we exclude sugar, hot spices and spices from the diet, limit the consumption of salt.
- all foods are allowed to be steamed, boiled, stewed, baked, dried, eaten raw, but in no case should you add fatty sauces, marinades, salty seasonings, animal fats (butter, lard, margarine, mayonnaise and others).
- you should come off the diet smoothly and carefully so that the excess weight does not return.
- It is allowed to repeat the course no earlier than six months later.
The main advantages of the "petal" technique:
- the diet is very effective - you can lose 0. 5-0. 8 kg of excess weight per day without much effort.
- You don't need to weigh food or study the calorie and carbohydrate content of foods.
- The diet is universal, suitable for men and women.
- contains exclusively natural and healthy products that will have a beneficial effect on digestion and immunity.
- the diet allows you to cleanse the body of toxins, poisons, protein breakdown products, waste, salts and suspended matter, radicals.
- the diet also allows you to remove excess fluid, removing swelling of the limbs, tissues and face.
- all products are familiar to European cuisine, distributed in markets and shops at a reasonable price in the off-season.
- the diet also does not require culinary delights, saves a lot of time and effort and allows you to cook for the whole family.
- disciplines diet and instills healthy habits.
- the diet is combined with moderate physical activity and sport.
- the menu is very diverse, satisfying and interesting, which allows you to get enough completely different products, including vitamins, in 6 days.
- After the class, your metabolism accelerates significantly, and you will continue to lose weight passively if you exit the diet correctly.
- The diet is fast and allows you to get excellent results in just 6 days, which is suitable for those who want to lose weight before an event or vacation.
A set of products for the "6 petals" diet, a written diet plan
So, let's find out what the diet has in store for us in one day. It will depend on them which products should be purchased to create a menu and which should be strictly excluded.
The first day will be a fish day. Consequently, you can eat any fish and seafood throughout the day. Preference should be given to low-fat sea fish (halibut, salmon, cod, mackerel, tuna, hake, hake, flounder, pike, etc. ), some river fish (carp, perch, pike) and seafood (squid, mussels, crab meat, radishes, octopus, oysters).
On the second day you should eat vegetables. Here we have complete freedom, because there are many vegetables. Also on this day you can eat soy and legume products, mushrooms and garden herbs. Consumption of potatoes and corn and other starchy vegetables should be limited. Forget canned and pickled vegetables and sauerkraut. It is recommended to consume fresh salads and light soups, as well as steamed and boiled side dishes.
Our third day is chicken day. In addition to any skinless chicken meat (preferably fillet and breast), we are allowed to eat lean parts of turkey, as well as eggs and chicken liver. It is forbidden to cook the meat on fire, fry it or add the usual amount of salt to it.
The fourth day will be marked by the transition to grain foods. For complex carbohydrates, stock up on a variety of grains, seeds and grains, whole-wheat bread and cookies, sprouted grains, and bran.
The fifth day recommends eating cottage cheese. Which one is better to take? Of course, pay attention to the store options. Sometimes, they are healthier and more natural than homemade, and in addition, you can choose completely low-fat cottage cheese, which will contribute to more active weight loss. Also, the menu for this day allows you to consume some skim milk.
The sixth and last one-day diet includes the consumption of fruits and berries. Eat as much as your heart desires, but sweet fruits (bananas, figs, dried fruits, persimmons, grapes, melons, mangoes and others) should be limited for best results. Fresh fruit and vegetable juices, nectars, compotes, jellies, berry smoothies and fruit drinks are also allowed on this day.
On all other days, you are allowed to drink ginger drink, rose tea, green and herbal tea, natural coffee without sugar and milk, and regular mineral water without gas.
All other foods during the diet are strictly prohibited. Strictly follow the recommendations for the quality of the composition and volumes of food.
Let's move on to a properly designed diet plan and nutritional recommendations. Each day in the diet is responsible for replenishing the amount of carbohydrates or proteins in the body. Therefore, it is better to train and perform loads on carbohydrate days, and during protein days, the muscles will recover and grow, which will help you get a beautiful, sculpted figure.
When preparing food, you can use herbs, garden herbs, lemon juice, table wine, tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil and limited salt. It is better to distribute all the allowed amount of food in 4-5 small snacks evenly throughout the day.
Day 1."Fish" (protein). It was not without reason that this day became the first in the cycle, because the fish is perfectly digestible, has a moderate calorie content, saturates the body with necessary valuable fats and prepares the body well for the next single days. Due to a nutritious diet, the "vigilance" of the body decreases and the metabolism begins to actively consume calories, turning off the storage function.
Thus, half a kilo of cooked fish of various varieties and seafood is distributed per day. You can also drink fish broth, which is not included in the specified volume.
Day 2."Vegetable" (carbohydrates). The one-day meal with the lowest calories, which nourishes the body with energy from vegetable carbohydrates and dietary fibers. On this day, the metabolism works at its limits and actively consumes the existing fat reserves.
The menu consists of 1-1. 5 kg of various vegetables and garden herbs, as well as beans, soy products and mushrooms.
Day 3."Chicken" (protein). On this day, the body begins to face a carbohydrate deficiency due to a purely protein menu, so the metabolism continues to burn fat cells to replenish energy.
Half a kilo of skinless poultry and 2 eggs as a snack are allowed per day.
Day 4."Cereals" (carbohydrates). Slow carbohydrates in food will replenish glycogen, where all the released energy will be spent. And new needs will continue to be met through the fat layer.
The day's menu with cereals includes 200 grams of dry cereals (different, but better oatmeal, buckwheat and brown rice). Also included is a small handful of sunflower seeds and seeds, a few tablespoons of bran, a packet of whole grain bread or 2-3 slices of wholemeal toast.
Day 5."Old man" (protein). On this day, the body will receive the most useful protein for building the skeleton and muscles, and the supply of macro- and microelements will be replenished.
The menu includes half a kilo of cottage cheese (fat content up to 5%) and 2 glasses of skimmed cow's milk.
Day 6."Fruity" (carbs). Fruits will provide a comprehensive strengthening of the body, enriching it with antioxidants, valuable acids and minerals.
The menu consists of 1-1. 5 kilos of various fruits and berries, but we limit sweets.
Day 7."Unloading"The diet is called "6 petals", but it lasts exactly one week, which implies the presence of the seventh day. Thus, on this day we carry out a comprehensive cleansing of the body and consolidate the results of weight loss. The menu includes only drinks: milk and fermented milk, fresh and fruit drinks, smoothies, nectars, teas, coffee, herbal teas, mineral water, meat and vegetarian broths with herbs.
After completing the diet, you can repeat the course again if you feel normal and have your doctor's permission.
How to get off the 6 petals diet
A course consisting of monodiets requires proper and careful departure from such a restrictive and specific menu. During the first week of release, the author recommends eating only the foods indicated in the diet, combining them in small portions, for example:
- Breakfast can consist of any porridge with fruit, fresh fruit.
- Snack – cottage cheese with berries, skimmed milk.
- For lunch, you can make any soup, eat an extra portion of baked breast with boiled vegetables.
- Dinner can consist of steamed fish with lemon and herbs, vegetable salad and fresh vegetable juice (carrot, beetroot, cabbage, tomato).
Gradually, the calorie content of such a diet should be increased to 1400 kcal or up to 1800 kcal for hard workers or sports people.
Also, when leaving the diet, we follow the drinking regime and consume at least 5-6 glasses of healthy liquids a day.
And, of course, immediately after leaving the diet, you should actively start playing sports to maintain your metabolism and lose further weight.
Disadvantages of the "6 petals" technique, possible contraindications
The diet consists of mono-diets, so it can only have drawbacks. First of all, this is a strongly unbalanced, boring and rigid diet. The diet forces you to take nutritional supplements, minerals and vitamins, but the promised boost of the immune system is not discussed.
Also, such rapid and dramatic weight loss can lead to the following consequences:
- Diseases associated with fasting: nausea, weakness, headaches and dizziness, loss of strength, colic and stomach cramps, flatulence, indigestion, apathy, sleep disorders.
- Changes in appearance: appearance of stretch marks and cellulite, flabby and loose areas of the skin, as well as depletion of the muscle corset.
Another major disadvantage is psychological discomfort, because it is very difficult to eat the same product all day all week, whether you paint flowers or not. Dieting is really boring, so there is potential for harm.
And, of course, it is very difficult to maintain an entire diet without meat, without juices (allowed only one day), fermented milk products, sweets and fried foods.
There are also contraindications to the diet, including:
- the presence of an allergy to a food group included in the diet.
- pregnancy and lactation;
- childhood, elderly, adolescence, menopause.
- active diseases, inflammatory and viral processes;
- recent psychological breakdown, surgery, injury, serious illness.
- mental disorders, diseases of the nervous system.
- diseases of the internal systems of the body: cardiovascular, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, urogenital, as well as liver and kidneys.
- stressful working conditions, professional sports.