Update on General Motors diet

I recently received several text messages from friends who took the plunge and survived a week of sacrifice to do the seven-day General Motors diet. I initially wrote about the diet in this column titled “Starting right in 2009” last Jan. 6. After a week, I lost 10 pounds, thanks to the program developed by General Motors in conjunction with the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and Johns Hopkins Research Center.

Auty Villarama, an investor in the company that is Puma’s exclusive local franchisee, said he shed off 16 pounds in a week and is ready to do a second take. It is advised to rest three days before you repeat the diet. Basketball coach Djalma Arnedo said he burned 10 pounds of holiday fat. Movie action star Ronnie Ricketts and wife Mariz made copies of the column that detailed the day-to-day diet stipulations. They were particularly excited to do the diet because of the emphasis on fruits and vegetables which the celebrities enjoy.

Others who texted comments about the diet were SBP executive director Noli Eala (who lost about four pounds up to Day 5 when he quit because eating six whole tomatoes and a cup of rice isn’t a thrilling proposition), Ernest Villareal, Bobong Velez, coach Allan Gregorio, Sunny Ku and Ronnie Litiatco.

There is a scientific explanation to the step-by-step process of doing the diet. The program is designed to achieve a weight loss of at least 10 pounds a week and to flush out impurities in the system. The effectiveness of the diet is that the food you consume is supposed to burn more calories than it contributes to the body in caloric value. What you feel in the end is an abundance of energy and an improved disposition, according to General Motors.

By the way, I am in no way connected with General Motors or those who formulated the diet. I thought of sharing this diet because it’s healthy and doable. To achieve maximum results, it is suggested to drink at least 10 glasses of water a day during the program.

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Here’s a rundown of the day-to-day program once again.

Day 1. Eat all fruits, except bananas. If you limit your consumption to melons, you could lose up to three pounds on the first day. There are no restrictions as to how much fruit to eat. This puts your body on the start mode for the diet. Fruits will be your only source of nutrition, providing what you need to sustain life except total balance and variety.

Day 2. Consume all vegetables, raw or cooked. For your complex carbohydrates, start the day with a large baked potato for breakfast to give energy and balance. You may add a pat of butter on the potato. Vegetables are virtually calorie-free and provide essential nutrients and fiber.

Day 3. Take in a mixture of fruits and vegetables – any amount, any quantity but no bananas and no potatoes. You get carbohydrates from the fruits. This prepares the body to burn excess pounds.

Day 4. Eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. The bananas are for potassium and sodium. You will notice a loss of desire for sweets.

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Day 5. Consume one cup of rice and six whole tomatoes. Also, drink 12 glasses of water to cleanse your system of the uric acid you will be producing. For those who are 39 and below, you may add beef to the diet for iron and protein, the equivalent of five quarter-pounders. The tomatoes are for digestion and fiber. The beef, however, is optional but the tomatoes are mandatory.

Day 6. Restrict yourself to one cup of rice and all the vegetables, raw or cooked, you want for vitamins and fiber. For those who are 39 and below, you may repeat the Day 5 menu.

Day 7. Eat one cup of rice and all the vegetables you want plus drink a glass of fruit juice.

If you get hungry on any day during the program, you may fill up with a “wonder” soup whose ingredients are 22 ounces of water, six large onions, two green peppers, three whole tomatoes, a head of cabbage, a bunch of celery, four envelopes onion soup mix, herbs and flavoring as desired. You may substitute some ingredients for asparagus, peas, corn, turnips, green beans or cauliflower but never lima, pinto or kidney beans. Vegetables may be taken in the form of a salad without dressing except malt, white or wine vinegar, squeezed lemon, garlic herbs and no more than one teaspoon of oil.

As I mentioned previously, consult your doctor before taking this diet to make sure your body is primed for the program. If your body isn’t prepared to go through with the seven-day regimen, you should consider other alternatives to lose weight.