Dubai
Gulf News reader Aruna Shamkuwar, a homemaker based in Dubai, admits to having tried the GM Diet. The US-based General Motors Corporation reportedly developed the diet to help its employees lose weight and feel healthier.
She said: “I have tried the diet plan three to four times and find it to be very effective. I never felt it affect my health negatively. In a week, I would lose at least three kilogrammes of weight. When I’m not dieting, I regularly meditate, do yoga, aerobics, weightlifting and jogging. I eat a heavy breakfast, then a light lunch and dinner is an apple or a banana. With my diet regime, everyone says I look 20 years younger than my age.”
The GM Diet is a seven-day eating plan that has been reported to bring weight losses of upto four kilogrammes in a week. It not only reduces weight, but is said to put the body through a detoxification process. The contents of the diet are mostly water, fruits, vegetables, milk and soup.
Priyanka Chandanani, an assistant professor based in Dubai, has also tried the same diet several times.
She said: “It helped me lose 3.5kg the first time. And then I lost some more weight when I tried the diet again. More than the weight loss, the diet helped me control my urge to eat. I started eating lesser junk food post the diet.”
Maheen Jafri, a senior processor at a Dubai-based bank, has experimented with various diet plans and was quite satisfied with the results.
She said: “I have tried the GM Diet, the Military Diet and the juice fast. They all did show results as I managed to lose weight. With the GM Diet, I managed to lose 2kg, but you have to be consistent with this diet. Once you finish one round, you leave a three-day gap and then start another round. But, I chose to control my food portions so I could maintain the weight. For the Military Diet, I lost 2kg, too, but that diet has the most short-term results. I am sure it was just water weight.
“The juice fast was the most effective in my experience and the best diet. The way I went about it was make a smoothie of two vegetables and two fruits of my choice, the leafier the vegetable the better. I would blend them together and add water and then drink it whenever I was hungry. Within two weeks, I saw my waistline reduce and I felt fresh!”
The Military Diet, or the three-day diet, is a fast way to lose weight. The plan consists of food combinations that are designed to burn fat and increase your metabolism. A juice fast is a method to detox in which the dieter consumes only fruit and vegetable juices to obtain nutrition, while abstaining from food consumption. The diet may last anywhere between three days to several weeks.
Jafri claims to have noticed some negative effects after following the GM Diet and the Military Diet.
She said: “I started feeling weak because of the limited food intake. But, the juice fast was good. I never felt any negative effects as the fruit and vegetables were fulfilling all the needs.”
Sanjay Gupta, a sales engineer based in Dubai, was intimidated by the various fad diet plans he found and decided to create his own.
He said: “I have been practicing a diet in a diffrent sense. It is a lot disciplined and natural rather than something prescribed by any dietician. In two years, I have lost 20kg. I have a heavy breakfast, a lighter lunch and then a very light dinner. I call it the 100-50-25. My snack is just a cup of green tea. Additionally, I am a vegetarian. But, my diet has never had any negative effects on my health. When we consume a lot of food, I think it stays in our body like garbage. Thus, a natural way of cutting down on the food we eat is better than completely giving up food items for a few days. My diet was supported with regular exercise and yoga.”
Syed Amjad Ali, a Sharjah-based entrepreneur, was put on a diet plan due to his health issues.
He said: “I had a heart bypass, or coronary artery bypass surgery, at the age of 62 and my weight was 87kg. I was told that the ideal weight for my age and height was 85kg and so I was given a diet chart for three months by the surgeon, which involved white meat, vegetables and fish — all boiled or grilled. To my surprise my weight went down to 78kg, but I felt weakness while getting up in the morning and otherwise.
“I consulted my doctor six months after the surgery, who advised me to avoid all roasted and fried foodstuff only, while I can consume home-cooked meals with minimum salt. But, I had to make sure I was consuming half the amount I felt like eating. This ‘diet plan’ did work very well for six years and there were no negative effects. Rather I was active in looking after my business, which involves frequent travelling.”
