The General Motors (GM) diet is a fad diet that has gained lot of popularity. Reason – one can lose three to six kilos of weight in a week. Sounds too good to be true!
But one should also be aware that the weight loss is temporary and more often than not, the person ends up gaining more weight than what he or she had started with. Here’s looking at GM diet and its meal plan in detail.
Positive Aspects of GM Diet
Detoxification is an important aspect of weight loss. Vegetable juices, raw fruits, and vegetables are great detox foods.
Also, eating lots of fruits and vegetables release plant enzymes in the body. This helps in digestion and elimination of accumulated wastes in the body.
The GM diet also gives rest to one’s digestive system.
Constipation makes a person feel bloated, gassy and acidic. Dirty colon, constipation, and bowel problems are weight loss inhibitors. The GM diet helps to reduce constipation resulting in a person feeling lighter and better.
Besides, the minimal requirement of 10 glasses water a day, which the diet prescribes, helps to get rid of water retention. Water retention makes a person feel bloated and heavy.
The GM diet is ideal for those who have a short-term weight loss goal. It could be for an event that’s come up suddenly.
It’s also good for those who need the initial push to lose weight. Often, the weight gets stuck at a point. The GM diet is good for those who have hit a plateau in their weight loss programmer. It helps to break this plateau.
Drawbacks of The GM Diet
The crux of this diet is fruits and vegetables. While this has a detoxifying effect on the system, it also leads to muscle loss. The body composition is compromised with. Muscle loss leads to a drop in BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) resulting in fat gain.
Also, proteins are very filling and increase the satiety value of a meal. This helps to reduce cravings and obsessing about food all the time. Protein in the diet boosts metabolism significantly.
Also, after one is through with the diet, one goes on a binge, in most cases. One should know how to use it to one’s advantage after the one-week program. Various foods have to be reintroduced into one’s diet with caution.
For most people, the GM diet is impractical and restrictive. It’s not possible for a working individual, college student or someone who’s on the go all the time to live on only fruits or vegetables for an entire day.
It leads to low energy levels, lack of concentration, hunger pangs and even malnutrition.
It is a very strict and rigid diet so it is not enjoyable and sustainable for many.
A person suffering from gout or high uric acid can have his symptoms flaring up on the only fruit diet day.
A diabetic can have his blood sugar level shooting up on the only fruit day. Insulin imbalances caused by fluctuating sugar levels is a weight loss inhibitor.
GM Diet At A Glance
(10 glasses of water per day. Increase quantity from Day 5)
Day 1
All fruits (except banana) in any quantity.
Day 2
Vegetables, cooked or raw. No restriction on the types or amount you can eat. You can even have a baked potato for breakfast sautéed in olive oil.
Day 3
Except for bananas and potatoes, you can eat a mixture of fruit and vegetables (as much variety as you like) and in any quantity.
Day 4
Bananas, milk and cabbage soup. Eight bananas and three glasses of milk
Day 5
500 gms chicken breasts/low-fat paneer (cottage cheese) and 6 tomatoes. Increase water intake by a litre from this day.
Day 6
500 gms chicken breasts and vegetables unlimited
Day 7
Brown rice, 2 fruits, and unlimited vegetables
Stay away from alcohol and sweets during this 7-day period.
You can drink green tea, lime water, black tea or coffee on all the 7 days.
GM Diet: Detailed 7 Days Meal Plan To Lose Your Weight
GM Diet Meal Plan Day 1: Fruit Day
Have fruits in any quantity but only one medium sized bowl at a time. You can squeeze lime juice on them.
Avoid very sweet fruits like mangoes, jackfruits, chickoos, grapes, bananas and custard apples.
Ideal fruits are watermelon, muskmelon (the rough-skinned variety), strawberries, oranges, and papaya.
Do not mix fruits. Eat only one fruit at a time.
Do not peel fruits with edible skins
No fruit juices
Breakfast
1 medium bowl papaya
Mid morning
1 medium bowl pomegranates
Lunch
1 medium bowl apple
Evening
1 medium bowl papaya
Dinner
1 medium bowl peach
GM Diet Meal Plan Day 2: Vegetable Day
Eat vegetables – raw, boiled, steamed or sautéed in little olive oil. Or make vegetable soup.
Raw foods when carefully chewed, release food and digestive enzymes which help digestion.
Breakfast
1 big glass vegetable smoothie
Followed by 1 medium size baked or boiled potato. This will boost and energize your morning
Lunch
Raw salad followed by sautéed vegetables
Evening
Cucumber and Mint Smoothie
Dinner
Vegetable Soup and stir fried veggies
GM Diet Meal Plan Day 3
You can have all vegetables and fruits you ate on the first two days (except potatoes and bananas).
Do not peel vegetables with edible skin.
Breakfast
1 medium bowl Papaya
Mid morning
1 medium bowl pomegranates
Lunch
Salad and Sautéed vegetables
Evening
Vegetable Smoothie
Dinner
Sautéed vegetables and vegetable soup
GM Diet Meal Plan Day 4
Eight bananas and 3 glasses of skim milk (Those who are lactose intolerant can replace milk with skim lassi with little salt and pepper).
Cabbage soup unlimited throughout the day
Breakfast
2 bananas
1 glass skim milk or lassi (at least 30 minutes later)
Mid morning
2 bananas
Lunch
2 bananas
1 glass skim milk or lassi (at least 30 minutes later)
Evening
2 bananas
Dinner
1 glass skim milk or lassi
GM Diet Meal Plan Day 5
500 gms chicken breast or skim paneer and 6 tomatoes.
Breakfast
Tomato smoothie
100 gms chicken breast
Mid morning
Tomato smoothie
Lunch
Tomato Salad
100 gms chicken breast
Evening
Tomato smoothie
Dinner
Tomato Salad
100 gms chicken breast
GM Diet Meal Plan Day 6
Eat unlimited quantity of chicken/skim paneer and vegetables.
Breakfast
Vegetable smoothie
Morning
Stir fried veggies with chicken or skim paneer
Lunch
Vegetable Salad
Stir fried veggies with chicken or skim paneer
Evening
Cucumber and mint smoothie
Dinner
Vegetable Soup
Stir fried veggies with chicken or skim paneer
GM Diet Meal Plan Day 7
Fruits (only 2) and vegetables (except potato) like Day 3
All vegetables and fruits you ate on the first two days (except potatoes and bananas)
Do not peel vegetables with edible skin
Have a cup of brown rice at lunch
Breakfast
1 medium bowl Papaya
Mid morning
1 medium bowl pomegranates
Lunch
Salad and sautéed vegetables
1 cup brown rice with mix vegetable masala
Evening
Vegetable smoothie
Dinner
Sautéed vegetables and vegetable soup
14 Best GM Diet Recipes
Recipe 1: Vegetable Smoothie
Ingredients
- Spinach – ½ bunch
- Tomato – 1
- Amla – 1
- Mint leaves – 1 tbsp
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp
- Lauki or doodhi – 75 gms
- Carrot – 1 medium sized
- Beetroot – 1 small
Method
- Add the cleaned and chopped vegetables to the blender
- Add little water to make a smoothie
- Drink immediately
Recipe 2: Potato wedges
Ingredients
- Potato (medium sized) – 1
- Salt – ¼ tsp
- Freshly ground pepper powder – ½ tsp
Method
- Boil potato till just done.
- Do not peel (It will add fibre to your meal).
- Cool, and make thick slices.
- Spread a little oil on a non-stick pan.
- Place the potato slices on the pan.
- Sprinkle a little salt and freshly ground black pepper powder on each slice.
- When it’s lightly browned, flip it over and cook the other side.
- You can add salt and pepper on the other side too.
Recipe 3: Vegetable Salad
- Combine onion, cucumber, capsicum and tomato slices, finely cut green cabbage and thick wedges of colored pepper.
- Squeeze lime juice on top.
- Sprinkle little salt and pepper over it.
Recipe 4: Sautéed Veggies
Ingredients
- Broccoli – 1 medium
- Kale leaves – 3 or 4
- Red cabbage – 1 small
- Bok Choy – 2 small bunches
- Capsicum – 1
- Coloured bell pepper – 1 each
- Mushrooms – 8
Method
- Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a non-stick pan.
- Add the cut veggies.
- Stir fry till half done and crunchy.
- Top with little salt and pepper.
Recipe 5: Cucumber and Mint Smoothie
Ingredients
- Cucumber – 2
- Mint leaves – ½ cup (can add more)
- Salt – ½ tsp
- Water
- Ice cubes
Method
- Blend all the ingredients together with little water
- Garnish with cut mint leaves
Recipe 6: Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- Palak leaves and tender stems (chopped) – 1 bunch
- Garlic – 3 or 4 flakes
- Onion (chopped) – 1 medium
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat a non-stick pan with little olive oil.
- Add garlic, onions and sauté.
- Fry till onions are translucent.
- Add palak and cook.
- Cool and blend well.
- Add water and heat.
- Add pepper and salt.
Recipe 7: Doodhi soup
Ingredients
- Lauki (doodhi) – 100 gms
- Garlic flakes – 4 or 5
- Peppercorns – 4
- Salt – ½ tsp
- Water – 1 glass
Method
- Wash and cut lauki into pieces.
- Take the pieces, peppercorns, garlic, salt and water in a pressure cooker.
- Cook till the lauki pieces are very tender.
- Cool and blend to form a smoothie.
- Drink warm.
Recipe 8: Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- Capsicum – 2
- Spring onions – 6 stalks
- Tomatoes – 2
- Celery – 1 bunch
- Cabbage – 1 small
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Chop vegetables.
- Stir fry in little olive oil.
- Add water to the vegetables and cook them.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe 9: Tomato Salad
- To cut pieces of tomato, add little salt and pepper
- Mix well
- Eat chilled
Recipe 10: Tomato Smoothie
- Blend tomato in a mixer with little water.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Chill it and Drink.
Recipe 11: Pan Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – 100 gms
- Garlic-green chili paste – 1tsp
- Lime juice – 1 tbsp
- Salt – to taste
Method
- Add all the ingredients to the chicken breasts.
- Keep aside for 30 minutes.
- Add ½ tsp oil to a non-stick pan and heat.
- Place the chicken pieces on the pan.
- When it is lightly browned, turn them over to the other side.
- Brown the other side too.
- Sprinkle few drops of water, cover with a lid and cook till done.
Recipe 12: Skim Paneer
(500 ml makes 100 gm paneer)
Ingredients
- Skim milk – 500 ml
- Lime juice or white vinegar – 1 or 2 tsp
- Mint or coriander leaves (finely cut) – 1 tbsp
Method
- Heat milk to boiling.
- Take off the fire.
- Slowly add lime juice or vinegar till the milk curdles.
- Keep aside for 15 minutes.
- Sieve through a fine strainer.
- Pour some fresh hot water to wash away the taste of vinegar or lime.
- Let it drain off.
- Discard the water.
- If you want flavored paneer, add mint or coriander leaves to the paneer at this stage.
- Mix well.
- Using a metal spoon apply pressure on the paneer and squeeze out all the water.
Recipe 13: Chicken/Skim Paneer/Vegetable Masala
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts/skim paneer/mix of green vegetables – 100 gms
- Tomato – 1
- Onion (medium) – 1
- Ginger-garlic-green chili paste – 1 tsp
- Lime juice – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Chili powder – 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp
Method
- Rub salt and lime juice on the chicken pieces.
- Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat ½ tsp olive oil in a non-stick pan.
- Add finely cut onion, salt and fry till onions turn translucent.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes and fry till the mixture becomes pulpy.
- Add red chili powder, turmeric powder.
- Add little water.
- Add the chicken pieces.
- Cover and cook till done.
- Add garam masala.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Cover for 10 minutes.
- Eat with brown rice.
Recipe 14: Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
Ingredients
- Stir fried veggies – 1 medium bowl
- Pan roast chicken – 100 gms
Method
- Shred the chicken.
- Add shredded chicken and stir fried veggies in a pan.
- Mix well.
Have a look at the other weight loss diets such as Paleo diet, Gluten free diet plan, and Dr. Atkins low carb diet.
If you need some other weight loss methods and tips, check our Weight loss page!
That all about the detailed GM diet meal plan. Hope you like this article and workout this weekly plan to lose your weight. The dishes are specially chosen to provide you a complete GM diet benefits. Try this diet and give me comments.
