According to statistics, 8 out of 10 dieters claim that the 6 Petal Diet helped them lose maximum weight.What is special about this miracle food, why is it called the most optimistic and psychologically comfortable?In this article, you will get comprehensive answers to questions about losing weight, and you will also find a sample menu for each day of the diet.
The diet is designed for 6 days, each of which is represented by its own "petal":
- the first day (petal) fish;
- the second vegetable;
- the third is meat;
- the fourth is cereals;
- fifth - cottage cheese;
- the sixth orchard.
The principle of this nutritional system is based on the separation of proteins and carbohydrates.Three out of six days are designed to consume only protein-containing foods, and the remaining three carbohydrates.This division has a physiological basis.The human body is designed in such a way that carbohydrates can only be fully absorbed when consumed together with protein.Eating nutrients separately leads to the fact that the body cannot fully absorb them and is forced to absorb energy from fat reserves.
Key questions
Who is the author of this nutrition plan?
The author of the system is a Swedish female nutritionist, Anna Johansson.Although no documentary evidence has been found that the Swedish woman was involved in the development of the Petal Diet, the program is considered professional and knowledgeable.
What do petals have to do with this?
The idea of the petal diet is a psychological representation of the nutritional system.The author suggests expressing this in the form of a large chamomile flower, where each petal symbolizes a separate diet day.By tearing off a petal a day, slimmers gradually get closer to their goal.This serves as an important motivational element and promotes a positive attitude towards food restrictions.
What agenda do you have to follow?
You can eat according to the classic scheme with breakfast, lunch and dinner.No need to give up snacks;Petal nutrition is already low in calories, so there is no need for further starvation.
Is it possible to switch days?
This is forbidden.Each of the six days of the diet prepares the body for the next phase of weight loss.By rearranging the feeding days, it completely upsets the whole pattern on a physiological level.
Why is the fish day first, when the body is not yet hungry?
The task of fish in the diet is to "sleep" the alertness of the body, saturate it with protein and fats, forcing it to actively burn calories.
How to deal with such bland food?
Natural spices, fresh and frozen herbs, cinnamon, lemon juice and ginger help make dishes brighter and tastier.You can sweeten the food with a sugar substitute or a teaspoon of honey, but only as a last resort.
How often can you eat on such a program?
The six-petal diet can be repeated periodically, but no more than once a month.The body needs at least 4 weeks to restore energy balance and replenish vitamins and minerals.
What do doctors think about the Swedish diet?
Doctors strongly recommend consulting them when planning any diet.In case of obesity, endocrine diseases and indigestion, it is dangerous to limit yourself in food.
Do you need to count calories?
Not required, but recommended.The recommended energy value of food for an adult dieter is 1200-1400 kcal.
What is the difference between the 6 and 7 petal diets?
The "7 Petals" diet includes the last "fasting" day.At the end of the cycle, it is forbidden to eat any food and only drink water and drinks.
Who is the diet suitable for?
The original diet successfully combines two factors: calorie restriction and psychological motivation.Therefore, the petal diet can be safely recommended to anyone who:
- does not find internal motivational opportunities and willpower for food restrictions;
- you want to lose weight quickly without extreme physical exertion;
- does not tolerate hunger and low-calorie fasting days;
- she likes to plan her meals and doesn't "take care" of preparing complex diet meals.
With the six-petal diet, you can get rid of 500-800 g of excess weight per day.The total weight loss at the end of the diet cycle is at least 3 kg.
You can lose much more weight with a diet, but for this you need to go through several "chamomile" cycles.There are cases when men and women managed to lose 15-18 kg.
Who is not suitable for the diet?
The "6 Petals" diet is designed for healthy people who have no complaints about their health and do not suffer from chronic diseases.But in reality it is almost impossible to meet a person without a "chronicle".
There are several groups of people who are strictly prohibited from dieting:
- diabetics - they must receive the optimal amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat prescribed in the dietary table No. 9;
- adolescents - the growing body needs fats, which are not provided by the nutrition of petals;
- pregnant women - in case of rapid weight gain, targeted fasting days in the 2nd and 3rd trimester can be recommended for pregnant women;
- lactating women - their diet should be balanced, but hypoallergenic;
- patients with gastrointestinal diseases - in the acute stage, "fasting" days and a gentle fractional diet are prescribed;
- patients with liver and kidney diseases - a large amount of protein in the diet means an increased load on these internal organs.
The Swedish diet includes a complete absence of sugar, so it will be extremely difficult for those with a sweet tooth to eat such a diet.In their case, we can recommend the original chocolate diet.You should eat only dark chocolate throughout the day, dividing the bar into several meals.
Advantages and disadvantages of the diet
The benefits of the nutrition plan recommended by Anna Johansson are:
- optimal duration - in 6 days, the body does not have time to exhaust itself, weight loss occurs smoothly but noticeably;
- lack of overeating - you don't want to eat large portions due to the monotony of food throughout the day;
- the simplicity of the dishes - the daily menu contains simple and familiar products that are accessible to everyone;
- sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals - the diet contains vegetables and fruits rich in useful nutrients;
- lack of "hungry" days - the diet can be considered soft and gentle;
- varied menu - no feeling of hunger, no need to eat the same food every day.
But dieters should also pay attention to those "traps" that are not without diet:
- with rapid weight loss, the skin becomes flabby and the muscles lose their tone;
- on protein days, a person may experience weakness caused by a lack of carbohydrate compounds;
- rapid weight loss can be stressful for the body and disrupt normal metabolic processes;
- it is not suitable for the period of hypovitaminosis, when the body is weakened;
- Chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, which do not interfere with dieting for a long time, may worsen;
- the diet does not guarantee significant weight loss - 20% of those who lose weight do not lose more than 2 kg within 6 days.
What to eat and what not to eat
The basic basis of the diet is the alternation of protein and carbohydrate-containing foods every two days.Days 1, 3 and 5 will be protein days, days 2, 4 and 6 will be carbohydrate days.It is forbidden to mix the days with each other, otherwise effective weight loss will not work.
Important!On the first day of following the mono-diet, a rapid burning of fat ballast can be observed.In the following days, the achieved results are consolidated and the body adapts to a new metabolic system.
The "white" list includes the following products:
- vegetables that do not contain a large amount of starch - zucchini, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, leafy greens, beets, allspice (parsley, coriander, basil, dill), celery, sweet peppers, broccoli, cauliflower;
- almost all fruits and berries - apples, pears, oranges, tangerines, pomelo, grapefruit, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, strawberries, lemons;
- low-fat dairy products - kefir, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, sour cream, yogurt without fillers, whole milk;
- meat - only diet chicken is allowed, without skin and tendons;
- certain types of cereals - buckwheat, oatmeal, unpolished rice, bran, sprouted grains;
- seafood and low-fat fish - bream, pike, pike, hake, blue cod, cod, trout, salmon;
- bran or wholemeal bread, rye crackers, crisp bread, sunflower seeds, nuts and seeds.
There are no strict restrictions on drinks.Rosehip decoction, herbal decoctions, natural freshly squeezed fruit juices, homemade compotes, mineral water - you can drink it all.If possible, limit or completely eliminate black tea and coffee in favor of chicory drinks and green teas.Drinks containing grated ginger, mint leaves and lemon slices help to quench thirst.
The main taboos of the six-petal diet are the following:
- all types of fat - butter and vegetable oils, margarine, mayonnaise;
- fast food category food - sandwiches, hamburgers, any fried food;
- vegetables with a lot of starch - pumpkin, potatoes, beans;
- fast food - sausage, deli meats, basturma, ham, smoked ham, boiled pork, canned goods;
- meat - veal, pork, beef, rabbit;
- flour products - pies, pies, dumplings, dumplings, pancakes, buns, pasta;
- all sweets - chocolate, candy, gingerbread, jam, halva, marshmallow, cake, marshmallow, jam;
- cereals - corn, millet, wheat, barley.
Sugar in any form is prohibited - it cannot be added to food and drinks.In order for the food not to look lean, you can lightly salt it, flavor it with spices and natural spices, without flavor enhancers.Sometimes vegetable oils are an exception - you can consume no more than one teaspoon of olive or sunflower oil per day.
Menu Description
Considering the extensive list of products of the "6 petals" diet, creating a menu will not be so difficult.But you have to be patient because you only have to eat one type of product all day.
Day 1 - fish
The first day, which contains only fish, is designed to provide the body with a sufficient amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated acids.This is the same healthy fat that cannot accumulate in the subcutaneous tissue in the form of cellulite and extra pounds.The proteins found in dietary fish fill you up well, block the feeling of hunger and are well absorbed.
What you can cook on a dead day:
- salmon fillet, pollock, trout, hake with herbs in a steamer;
- fish steak with garlic dressing, baked in foil;
- fish soup with herbs and sea salt;
- fresh seafood cocktail.
The total amount of fish products should be 300-500 grams per day.
Day 2 – vegetables
On the vegetable day, the amount of food is limited to 1-1.5 kg.But in essence, you can eat as many vegetables as you want - they don't give you many calories, but they contain a maximum of vitamins and microelements.Vegetables rich in fiber (carrots, beets) give a feeling of satiety, and at the same time, by increasing peristalsis, they promote a high-quality cleansing of the intestines.
What you can plan for a vegetable petal:
- roasted carrots, sweet peppers, cabbage and onions;
- eggplant and zucchini grilled or in the oven with spices;
- boiled cauliflower or broccoli, seasoned with lemon juice and herbs de Provence;
- vegetable tomato soup with basil.
Important!The six-leaf diet cannot supply the body with all vital substances.That is why doctors constantly forbid eating according to the diet.
Day 3 – Chicken
Chicken is a favorite of the diet.It contains easily digestible protein and a whole complex of minerals - magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium.The amino acids in the product are only used to strengthen the muscles and are not transformed into subcutaneous fat.
Recipes of the day:
- steamed chicken breast slice with egg and dill;
- chicken fillet fried in foil with spices;
- cooked meat in the form of a steak.
A maximum of 0.5 kg of chicken meat can be consumed on this protein day.
Day 4 - cereals
At this stage of the diet, only those types of cereals that do not lack bran are suitable.This ingredient belongs to slow carbohydrates - it takes a long time to digest and requires high energy consumption.In order to increase the dietary value of cereals, they should be soaked in water overnight and boiled or steamed in the morning.
What you can cook:
- buckwheat porridge with added bran;
- "Hercules" muesli with nuts or seeds;
- rice porridge with herbs and sprouted wheat grains.
The total amount of dry cereal should not exceed one glass.
Day 5 - cottage cheese
On the fifth day, you need to buy 500 g of dietary cottage cheese, the fat content of which does not exceed 3.8%.The so-called cottage cheese product is not suitable for the petal diet - it contains hydrogenated fats and additives, which are not beneficial.Cottage cheese, like all protein products, neutralizes hunger well and promotes cell renewal.
Sample menu for this protein day:
- baked cheesecake with semolina and cinnamon;
- whipped cottage cheese with sugar substitute and two tablespoons of brewed coffee;
- cottage cheese dessert with natural yogurt.
On this day, all medium-fat milk drinks are allowed - kefir, milk, ayran, yogurt.
Day 6 – fruits
The fruit day of the Swedish diet is considered the tastiest and liveliest.You can eat any fruit except bananas, grapes and dried fruits - they contain too many calories and sugar.Fruits and berries have antioxidant properties, prevent premature aging and remove toxins from the body.The product performs the "final" cleansing of the body and prepares it to leave the diet.
On the fruit day, you can use your imagination and combine the products as you like.Salads, smoothies, fresh juices, freshly squeezed juices, baked fruits with cinnamon and cardamom - all this will be suitable for the last dietary "petal".
How to get off the diet
A smooth exit from the diet helps to maintain the results of diet nutrition.The calorie content can be gradually increased, from 1200 kcal to 2000 kcal.After the "petals" are gone, it is better to eat the same foods for a week, combining different types of proteins on protein days and different types of carbohydrates on carbohydrate days.
If someone plans to continue losing weight, it is worth switching to a balanced diet.It should contain proteins, carbohydrates and fats, but with low energy value.At this stage, do not forget about physical exercises and lymphatic massage.These procedures help to tighten the "thin" skin and strengthen the muscles.
Conclusion
The Swedish meal plan is reliable because it was created by a professional nutritionist.The strict alternation of days, the lack of fat in the diet and an important motivational point make the diet effective and popular.But you should keep in mind that this program is designed for quick and short-term results.Dieters should eat rationally and not overeat at the end of the diet to prevent the lost pounds from returning.