Watermelon diet

Since childhood, everyone knows about the juiciness and interesting taste of the largest berry - watermelon. Many people look forward to the whole summer when they can taste a slice of the cold delicacy. During the season, watermelons become very common and affordable for any budget, so this berry becomes ideal for dietary nutrition.

The watermelon diet has gained popularity due to its undoubted effectiveness and sweetness, because it is not so often that you are allowed to eat sweet foods during a weight loss program.

The essence of the watermelon diet, features and main advantages

Summer is just around the corner, which means it’s time to carry out a comprehensive cleansing of the body and quickly lose weight. Sweet and juicy watermelon binds and removes from the body a large number of harmful toxins, heavy metal salts, toxins, free radicals, metabolic products, as well as excess fluid. Interestingly, allergies to watermelons are extremely rare, while gastronomic indicators (taste, color, aroma, calorie content) remain high. Yes, one hundred grams of juicy berry pulp contains only 35-40 kcal, which is quite small for a sweet product. In addition, 90% of the mass of watermelon is a healthy liquid containing vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Well, the final chord of the dietary suitability of watermelon is its extremely rapid digestibility and regular excretion from the body. Therefore, the body will begin to spend energy from fat cells on development and vital activity, promoting weight loss.

Experts say that thanks to its sweetness and large amount of plant fiber, the watermelon diet is quite easily tolerated without a debilitating feeling of hunger. This allows you to stay on it for 7 days, during which about 3-4 kg of excess weight is lost (though, mainly due to the removal of excess fluid and toxins from the body).

How and when to stick to a diet? First of all, you are chained to the time of the diet - August-September, when seasonal farm berries without nitrates and pesticides appear. During the period of the watermelon diet, doctors advise you to take a vacation, since the diuretic effect of the berry forces you to visit the ladies' room quite often, which is not very convenient for a working person (especially when traveling). Also during this period it is better to minimize physical and psychological stress. You can indulge in walking in the fresh air, yoga or breathing exercises, but the rest of the time is better spent in a state of passive rest.

It is very important to choose the right watermelon for your diet. In order to check the berry for the presence of pesticides and nitrates, you should place a slice of watermelon pulp in plain water. If within 10-15 minutes the pulp is distributed over the surface of the water, it means that nitrates may have been added to it. The watermelon should retain its shape. And don’t forget about the optimal weight of the berry – about 6-8 kg. If your watermelon weighs less, it may not be sweet enough, and if it weighs more, then the berry may have been filled with modified substances. As for the peel, it should be dense and not leave dents. If you run your fingernail over it, only the very top thin layer should peel off a little. The sound of a watermelon can also indicate the quality of the berry. If you slap it, you should hear a ringing and vibrating sound. A dull sound indicates a low-quality product. To preserve the beneficial elements and freshness of the berry, store it cut into several parts in the refrigerator, after wrapping it in cling film.

The duration of the diet, as a rule, does not exceed 10 days, and the course can be repeated after a month, while the "velvet" season is still relevant.

Useful properties of watermelon:

1. Fiber, contained in abundance in juicy berries, helps bind and remove all harmful components from the body, as well as excess fluid, relieving tissue from swelling and promoting weight loss.
2. Skin cells are also cleansed of toxins and salt, which helps renew the epidermis, giving it a healthier and fresher appearance. The same process occurs with hair and nails due to the content of sufficient calcium and potassium in the pulp.
3. Watermelon produces a diuretic effect, which promotes delicate cleansing of the kidneys, diuretic tract and body in a comprehensive manner. This also makes the berry an excellent antipyretic component.
4. Watermelon helps gently cleanse the liver of toxins.
5. Helps stabilize blood cholesterol levels.
6. Digestion and peristalsis improves. Watermelon helps prevent constipation and other bowel problems.
7. Folic acid has a positive effect on the metabolic rate and is also helpful in the early stages of pregnancy and during breastfeeding.
8. Watermelon contains a sufficient amount of iron, which makes it an essential food for anemia. Magnesium in the berry normalizes kidney function.
9. Watermelon seeds are also suitable for nutrition - they are a natural remedy against parasites in the body.

The main advantages of the watermelon diet:

• During the season, the main ingredient is available at every turn and for every budget;
• The fruit is sweet, tasty and perfectly satiating, so you won’t feel very hungry or want to break your diet;
• Weight is reduced moderately, while the body is comprehensively cleansed of harmful substances and excess water;
• The diet is effective - in a week "on watermelon" you lose about 3-4 extra kilos, depending on the initial weight, lifestyle and individual characteristics of the body;
• Metabolism accelerates to the required level;
• The body gets used to eating small portions, the volume of the stomach decreases, which allows you to record the results of the diet for a long time;
• The condition of the skin, hair, nails, and complexion improves.

Menu and options for the watermelon diet

There are several options for the watermelon diet. Some suggest eating only watermelon pulp, but others are complex and allow you to dilute the menu with other healthy products. Among them, of course, are low-fat dairy and fermented milk products, healthy liquids (green tea, herbal decoction, freshly squeezed juices, smoothies, fruit drinks, nectars, plain water without gas and salt), steamed cereals (buckwheat, brown rice, oatmeal), chicken eggs, lean meats, fish, seafood and poultry, as well as vegetables and fruits.

Regardless of the chosen diet, the following items should not be on the menu:

• Spicy and fatty foods, fried in oil and baked;
• Sausages, smoked meats, sausages;
• Salty products (brines, marinades, canned food);
• Fatty meat and fish, offal;
• Starchy foods (potatoes, some vegetables);
• Wheat bakery products, pasta, pastries;
• Sweets, desserts, jams, confectionery products;
• Animal and vegetable oils, sour cream, dressings, sauces, margarine, bread spreads, spreads, mayonnaise;
• Semi-finished products, ready-made food in the form of powders, industrial snacks (chips, crackers), various fast food (fries, burgers);
• Salt and sugar in their pure form, other food additives, except organic spices and seasonings (without salt);
• Harmful liquids (energy and caffeine-containing drinks, coffee and chocolate sticks, packaged juices, alcoholic beverages);
• Tobacco products.

Let's move on directly to the various options for the watermelon diet.

Watermelon mono-diet for 1-3 days

The most effective and popular option, which is also known under another name: "watermelon fasting days. "Weight loss during a mono diet is about 1 kg per day, which is very aggressive for the body. This option is suitable for rapid weight loss before an important event or a trip to the sea, but it is not recommended to stick to it for longer than 3 days. The menu during the diet consists of watermelon pulp, green tea, herbal infusions and plain water without gas or salt. The volume of pulp consumed is calculated based on the person’s weight (divide body weight in kg by 10 and the resulting number will indicate the number of kilograms of berries allowed per day).

You must be prepared that the mono diet is quite difficult to tolerate, it is hungry and unbalanced, so it is very advisable to take biological supplements and vitamin-mineral complexes.

You can stick to the diet for 3 days the first time, and then regularly spend 1 fasting day a week on watermelon.

Complex watermelon diet for 5 days

The best option that allows you to lose about 2 kg without harm to your health and without hunger pangs. The diet consists of 4 full-fledged snacks, and the last one should be taken 2-3 hours before bedtime. The drinking regime should consist of at least 2 liters of healthy liquid per day.

An example of a watermelon diet menu for a day:

• We have breakfast with a substantial portion of 5% pressed cottage cheese without sugar and sour cream. We wash down breakfast with natural coffee beans or green tea with a slice of lemon. A kilogram of watermelon pulp is also included.
• For lunch we prepare a porridge side dish - about 250 g of buckwheat or brown unpolished rice. We eat 1 kg of watermelon pulp.
• For lunch, we can again snack on low-fat cottage cheese or whole grain toast with a slice of hard cheese. A kilogram of watermelon is also included.
• For dinner we cook steamed brown rice. We eat kg of pulp.
• 2 hours before bedtime we can allow ourselves another 1 kg of watermelon pulp.

If you are tired of the pulp, you can make fresh juice from the berries and replace some "watermelon" snacks with it.

Complex watermelon diet for a week

The optimal and gentle option that will help you get rid of 3 kg of excess weight with a healthy and delicious menu. The diet consists of 3 full meals, and we try to take the last one a couple of hours before bedtime. The diuretic effect of the berry will simply prevent you from falling asleep if you snack on watermelon at night.

Sample menu for 1 day:

• Breakfast includes a portion of low-fat cottage cheese, 1 boiled chicken egg, whole grain porridge with water from healthy cereals (wild rice, buckwheat, oatmeal);
• We have lunch with proteins, for example, boiled chicken fillet or stewed veal. We also prepare a light vegetable salad with herbs, which can be seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice.
• Dinner consists of 2-3 kg of watermelon pulp.

How to get off the watermelon diet

You should exit this diet, like any other, wisely, carefully and gradually. As a rule, the duration of withdrawal is from 5 to 10 days, depending on the duration of the diet. First of all, we introduce slow carbohydrates into the menu (whole grain bread, cereals, vegetables, fruits, berries), proteins (lean meat, offal, fish, seafood, dairy and fermented milk products), as well as healthy fats (seeds, nuts, olive or flaxseed). oil). We also continue to consume watermelon in a volume of about 2 kg per day until the end of the season. Don’t forget about drinking your diet to maintain a healthy metabolism.

When leaving the diet, add moderate physical activity to proper nutrition - swimming, running, walking, yoga, Pilates, dancing, aerobics, breathing exercises.

Homemade yoghurts, fruit salads with fermented milk dressing, banana-protein shakes, curd masses, marshmallows, dried fruits, marmalade, and whole grain dried cookies will be useful as sweets when leaving the diet.

An example menu for quitting the watermelon diet:

• We have breakfast with rice porridge with milk, 1 boiled egg, whole grain toast with lightly salted salmon.
• Snack – pear or apple, citrus juice.
• For lunch we prepare vegetable soup with pieces of chicken, Greek salad and a portion of stewed veal in low-fat sour cream (about 100 g).
• Snack – a couple of cheesecakes or cottage cheese with berries.
• Dinner usually consists of 2 kg of watermelon. Additionally, you can eat 1 boiled egg or a slice of dark dark chocolate.

Disadvantages of the watermelon diet and contraindications

Unfortunately, such a tasty and interesting diet cannot be completely without drawbacks. Those losing weight noted the following disadvantages of the watermelon diet:

1. The presence of side effects in the form of flatulence, stool disorders, bloating, discomfort in the kidneys and liver. During a mono-diet, headaches, nausea, weakness, loss of strength, irritability, apathy, and nervousness are also noted.
2. The presence of a significant number of contraindications.
3. The diet is seasonal, since you can enjoy natural watermelons for no more than 1. 5 months.
4. The body does not get enough protein, which can negatively affect athletic performance and cause muscle wasting.
5. It is necessary to take biological supplements and vitamin-mineral complexes.
6. Weight loss occurs mainly due to the removal of excess fluid from the body, so at the end of the course, the lost kilograms may return.
7. A watermelon diet in such volumes quickly becomes boring, so the likelihood of a breakdown increases.

The diet, as noted above, also has enough contraindications. The diet is prohibited in a number of cases:

• Chronic kidney diseases (stones, pyelonephritis and others), as well as excretory and genitourinary systems;
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcers, gastritis, colitis, increased stomach acidity, pancreatitis;
• The presence of allergic reactions to the main components of the diet, in particular to watermelon;
• The last months of pregnancy, as well as restrictions on the lactation period;
• Elderly, childhood and adolescence;
• Endocrine system disorders;
• Presence of diabetes mellitus at any stage;
• The body's tendency to retain fluid;
• Metabolic disease.