The watermelon diet for weight loss is only for healthy people. If you have kidney or gallbladder stones, gastrointestinal diseases, pathologies of the cardiovascular system and blood pressure problems, you should not lose weight with the help of juicy and tasty berries. Another disadvantage of this method is seasonality. It can only be used during the harvest season, when watermelons are ripe in the melon field. But a huge plus is the ability to get rid of 10 kg in 2 weeks.
Features of the watermelon diet
By choosing melons for weight loss, you will get rid of excess weight and at the same time cleanse the body of waste and toxins. True, weight loss with the express option - within 3-5 days - occurs due to the removal of excess fluid. A longer option, designed for 10-14 days, first relieves swelling and only then stimulates the removal of waste, toxins and the decomposition of the fat layer into glycerin and water.
Attention!
It is very important to choose a high-quality watermelon, with a low nitrate content (up to 54 mg/1 kg) and at the time of maximum ripeness.
The mono diet is designed for short-term use and is aimed at removing water. In 5 days you need about 3 kg. In the long-term version, other foods are also included: fruits (except grapes and bananas), vegetables, chicken breast and lean fish. Cooking methods: boiling, stewing, baking in foil or parchment, steaming.
The benefits and harms of the watermelon diet
The juicy berry boasts a rich vitamin and mineral composition. It is dominated by:
- ascorbic acid;
- potassium;
- chlorine;
- iron;
- zinc.
Watermelon pulp also contains saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, easily digestible carbohydrates and fruit acids. This complex has a beneficial effect on the body.
Benefits of Watermelon:
- Removes toxins, accumulated waste, eliminates swelling.
- Removes small stones from the kidneys.
- Normalizes blood pressure.
- Stimulates blood circulation, increases vascular tone.
- Speeds up metabolism, helps get rid of constipation.
The watermelon diet is useful in the initial phase of obesity, with edema and with difficulty in physiological recovery. With its help you can replenish the body's vitamin and mineral reserves.
Attention!
A mono-diet based on watermelons is one of the most problematic. Therefore, before switching to it, you need to be sure that your health will not let you down.
In this mode, the kidneys are subjected to greater stress. Weight loss occurs due to the removal of fluids, the fat layer remains in place. Its transformation begins with a light version, designed for 2 weeks.
Downsides:
- unbalanced diet;
- can increase blood sugar levels;
- washes away salts: calcium, potassium, phosphorus, which can cause abnormal heart rate and increased blood pressure.
To reduce harm to the body, it is advisable to choose lighter options: a watermelon-kefir or protein-watermelon diet. This redistributes the load, partially removing it from the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.
Watermelon diet options
The strictest diet includes only berries and water. The number of days to stick to depends on the condition. If unpleasant symptoms appear, it is necessary to stop for 1 day. There are no unpleasant sensations - you can resist 3.
Other weight loss options with watermelon:
- For 9 days. Watermelon-melon diet integrated with cereals and protein products.
- Severe cucumber-watermelon, 2 weeks. Daily menu: 1 kg of cucumbers and juicy berries, 150 g of rye bread and 1 glass of kefir before going to bed.
- With the addition of bread: rye or bran. 5-10 days.
- Fruit and proteins. Watermelon is included in a low-calorie diet: 2-3 pieces after each meal. Designed for 2 weeks.
- With buckwheat. They eat 1 kg of steamed cereals and melon pulp per day - 50 g per 1 kg of weight. The daily menu is complemented by vegetable salads dressed with olive oil.
- With rice - 3-5 days. Eat 100 g of brown rice and 1 kg of watermelon per day.
- With ricotta, for a week. Products alternate, the portion is chosen based on how you feel, but not more than 200 g.
Attention!
A watermelon diet during pregnancy helps get rid of edema. You can eat up to 1 kg of berries per day, complementing the menu with cottage cheese, rice, buckwheat and black bread. The maximum duration of such a diet is 3 days.
Regardless of how you decide to lose weight, you need to take before and after photos, otherwise no one will believe that you lost excess weight in such a short period of time. If you listen to the reviews, your waistline decreases "before your eyes". You can wear your favorite things that you regretfully put away in your closet again.
Which watermelon to choose
It is necessary to switch to the diet only during the season of mass ripening of melons. Ripe watermelons have completely dry stems, a dull sound when tapped, a yellow spot on one side, and a popping sound when squeezed. The skin should not have any cracks, soft areas, or pimples that would indicate a fungal infection. It is better to buy medium-sized fruits.
If when cut the seeds are light in colour, despite the scarlet pulp, it is best to discard them for consumption. The risk of stimulating maturation is too high.
Dietary watermelon menu for every day
There are several options to consider based on your health and willpower. Sticking to a limited diet is quite difficult. If you are planning a fasting day, the amount of pulp required is calculated as 1: 15, in kg. This portion is divided into 5-6 doses.
Attention!
Before switching to a diet, it is necessary to reduce the calorie content of the daily menu for 2-5 days, abandon fried and spicy foods that increase gastrointestinal secretion. It is necessary to reduce stress on the body as much as possible.
Menu for 3 days
The first day: only melons, like when switching to a mono diet. Secondly, add 400ml of natural mineral water. Still others add a little ricotta.
But you can choose more gentle options for 3 days:
- 5 meals of 3 pieces of watermelon each. Additions: 150 g of ricotta for breakfast, rice porridge with water for lunch. The afternoon snack is similar to breakfast, dinner is similar to lunch.
- Watermelon - as in the first option. For breakfast the first 2 days there are several porridges: buckwheat and oatmeal, and on the 3rd day - a salad with plums, persimmons and crackers.
- The base is watermelon. Lunch - first day 100 g of boiled chicken with herbs, second - 2 sandwiches of rye bread with cottage cheese and herbs, third - apples. Dinners: cottage cheese with pear, 1 egg, kefir.
The result of the diet is minus 3-5 kg. At the same time, the stomach does not get rid of protein foods, and the transition to a normal diet is easier.
Menu for 5 days
Porridge in water, heat treatment: boiling or steaming with boiling water. Meals - 5, each supplemented with 300 g of watermelon. Servings - 200-300 g.
The first day:
- for breakfast - oatmeal;
- snack - watermelon;
- lunch: steamed fish or fillet, cucumber salad with herbs;
- afternoon snack - like a snack;
- dinner: low-fat cottage cheese with an apple.
The second day begins in the morning with a fruit salad of plums, persimmons, apples and watermelon; for lunch - watermelon; lunch - herbal ricotta and 2 slices of rye bread; afternoon snack - soft-boiled egg; dinner is similar to lunch.
On the third day, millet porridge, apple, kefir are distributed independently, and the fourth is similar to the first. The last day: portions are increased to 300 g, you need to add cottage cheese and millet porridge.
Menu for 7 days
When to eat which dishes, you have to decide for yourself. If the load increases, the daily calorie content of meals increases. It decreases during rest. For each meal - 300 g of watermelon, dinner and breakfast - only watermelon.
Diet examples:
- Breakfast: green tea without sugar, porridge with water, eggs; ricotta with fruit salad; vegetable salad.
- Lunch: side dishes - fresh vegetable salads, dressed with olive or sunflower oil, and as a main course - chicken fillet, fish, white meat turkey meatballs; vegetable and white meat soup. Everything is steamed.
- Dinners: vegetable salads; cottage cheese; toast.
Attention!
Salt and sugar are prohibited. But lovers of black coffee can indulge in the usual drink in the morning or 2-3 hours before going to bed. Just don't abuse force.
Menu for 10 and 14 days
By prolonging the slimming diet over time it is necessary to increase the energy value of the daily menu. When planning what you can eat during the day, you must adhere to the principle of the seven-day diet.
Recommended dishes to supplement the diet:
- pumpkin porridge;
- Yogurt;
- cooked apples and pears;
- cauliflower casserole or white cabbage stew;
- sautéed vegetables with aubergines;
- porridge: rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, millet;
- cottage cheese;
- salads from grated carrots, cucumbers, boiled beets, tomatoes, herbs;
- fruit - except bananas and grapes;
- bread: rye and bran;
- cheese - Adyghe, unsalted:
- vegetable stew;
- meat: chicken, turkey;
- fish;
- liquid: green tea, mineral and pure water, dried fruit or berry compotes.
Attention!
Lunch and afternoon snack: only 300 g of watermelon. It can be included in other meals as a dessert or salad ingredient.
How to get out of the watermelon diet correctly
If you follow the basic principles of returning to a normal diet, weight loss will continue, albeit at a slow, but steady pace. You can replace the melon pulp, which the body is already used to, with fruit juices, purees and smoothies. For the first two days it is advisable to include at least a little watermelon in the menu. Then they increase the portions of dishes that they did not refuse in the diet: porridge or meat. Then we move on to dairy products: cheese, cottage cheese with a fat content of 3. 2%.
From the 3rd day it is already allowed to reduce the number of meals: first to 4, then, if necessary, to 3. But even in this case you should not give up snacks: they help to suppress the feeling of hunger without increasing portions.
To avoid gaining weight in the future, you should completely avoid baked goods, baked goods made from white flour, fried and grilled foods, and baked goods with crusts.
The watermelon diet is a quick way to get rid of excess weight and relieve stress on the body. But, adhering to it, you need to remember the pros and cons. You should not immediately switch to a 3-7 day program. You should start with a day to test your strength and evaluate your condition. This way you can find out what number of days will be optimal.