Table of contents:
- What is the oatmeal diet?
- How do you go on an oatmeal diet?
- What are the benefits of eating oatmeal?
- But be aware of the risks too
Diets that restrict certain foods, such as low-fat or low-carbohydrate diets, often fail because you will usually reduce your calorie intake sufficiently to lose weight. Eits, don't give up just yet. Maybe it's time for you to change your diet style with an oatmeal diet. The oatmeal diet is considered an easy way to cut belly fat without having to suffer from hunger. How to?
What is the oatmeal diet?
As the name suggests, the oatmeal diet is a type of diet that requires you to regularly eat oatmeal, aka oatmeal or oatmeal. The basic concept is to consume oatmeal as a substitute for the usual main course of the day. For example: You have breakfast with oats porridge, then have lunch as usual with rice and side dishes, then have dinner closed with a bowl of oats porridge.
But eating oatmeal alone as a substitute for a large meal is unlikely to directly lead to weight loss. You should eat oatmeal to replace large, usually high-calorie meals while reducing your total daily calorie needs.
In general, adults need about 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day to lose weight effectively. To lose 1 to 2 pounds per week on the oatmeal diet, you need to reduce 500-1,000 calories each day, either by eating smaller portions or exercising more. But be careful not to cut calories too much, as this can slow down the body's metabolism.
How do you go on an oatmeal diet?
The typical oatmeal diet lasts two weeks. You will be required to eat oatmeal three times a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the first 7 days. During this time, you should only eat whole wheat porridge instead of instant oatmeal.
After the first week, start eating less of your oatmeal to one or two times a day coupled with one low-fat heavy meal, with a total calorie per day of no more than 1,300 calories. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake during this week, and it's okay to eat instant oatmeal.
If the thought of two whole weeks of eating oatmeal is hard for you, there is another oatmeal diet strategy that only requires you to eat oatmeal twice a day for six straight days.
What are the benefits of eating oatmeal?
Oats are whole grains, which are complex carbohydrates, so they take longer for the body to digest. It can help you eat less by slowing down digestion, giving you a longer full effect. You will get a total of 28 grams of carbohydrates from a bowl of plain oatmeal.
Whole grains are also generally lower in calories than other refined grains, such as instant oatmeal, which can help you reduce your daily calorie intake. A 250 gram bowl of plain oatmeal cooked in water only contains approximately 160 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. This low caloric value is obtained from the high fiber content of wheat itself. A bowl of oatmeal that you eat will provide 4 grams of dietary fiber from the total daily needs of the body of 25 grams.
People who eat a lot of fibrous foods report faster weight loss and lower waist circumference, said a 2010 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Oatmeal also contains 2 percent of the recommended daily amount of calcium and 6 percent of iron.
Other benefits of eating oatmeal include a lower risk of heart disease and colon cancer. Whole grains like oats can also help reduce blood pressure and aid digestion.
But be aware of the risks too
If followed properly, the oatmeal diet can help you succeed in your weight loss plan because it keeps you feeling full longer thanks to its high protein and complex carbohydrates content. But there are some risks that must be considered when on the oatmeal diet.
The oatmeal diet is restrictive. It's natural to feel bored of eating that same food for almost two whole weeks, especially when all you eat is porridge. This boredom can dilute your willpower, which in the end may make it difficult for you to commit to losing weight, if you are tempted to give up or do cheat days over and over again.
Additionally, the oatmeal diet is a very low calorie, low fat diet. Some doctors may consider the total calorie intake from this diet to be too low to be considered a healthy diet. Therefore, you may need to compensate by slightly increasing the number of calories.
The key is to mix your oatmeal porridge according to the serving size per one meal. If you don't pay close attention, the wrong oatmeal diet will actually make you fat. Brew the oatmeal with a little skim milk or lowfat yogurt instead of plain hot water, and add a few slices of fruit or other toppings to the top of your oatmeal pulp. For a large meal during the second stage, eat a high protein diet, such as grilled chicken breast, lean meat steak, or a fish diet.
As a distraction, choose a snack that is low in calories after dinner. Keep eating lots of fruits and vegetables as long as you diet as a snack between meals. This strategy can help you stick to a strict monotonous diet such as the oatmeal diet.
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