Millions of people all over the world start diets every day, some to lose weight, some to bulk up muscles, and others to simply feel better about themselves and the way they eat. Diets are meant to be combined with exercise routines for the dieter to see the best possible results.
What Is The Oatmeal Diet?
There is a diet on the market today that is gaining in popularity based on its ability to help people lose weight. The Oatmeal Diet is not for people who are looking to lose weight quickly, as this diet is geared more for people who want to lose weight over time. This is something for people who are just now getting into the diet scene and want to lose weight slowly and carefully. It can also be good for people who are more into exercising, as this diet requires a good bit of exercise in addition to the actual diet.
With the Oatmeal Diet, there are three different stages that you go through during the course of the diet. Once you have completed one stage, you move on to the next stage. Once you have completed all three stages, you start over at the beginning. It is a rotating diet that you use over and over again to keep your body from getting used to the food that you are eating.
By continuously changing the exercising that you are performing and changing up your eating habits on a regular basis, you are helping to keep your weight loss from stalling out. Any diet that you try will tell you that you want to keep changing your routine on a regular basis to make sure that you continue to lose the weight until you hit your target weight. Once you have hit your target weight, you will want to begin a program that will allow you to maintain your weight without gaining or losing any more weight.
The Oatmeal Diet is a good diet to consider simply because of what eating oatmeal can do to your body. Not only can it help you to lose weight, it can help lower your cholesterol and can also help to lower your risk of getting certain types of cancers.
There are three stages to the Oatmeal Diet. By following the stages in order, you will be able to maximize your weight loss goals.
The Oatmeal Diet Stage One
This first stage will probably be the most difficult for people who are used to eating a variety of food on a daily basis. For this stage, you will eat only oatmeal for the first seven days. One-half cup of oatmeal is recommended for each meal, for three meals a day. For those who eat instant oatmeal, go ahead and throw those out now. Instead of instant oatmeal in the first stage, you will need to purchase whole oatmeal.
The creator of the diet also states that you should not eat granola bars for the first seven days. You can, however, mix skim milk with your oatmeal for a different taste. This will help with keeping your taste buds engaged during these seven days and will help you to not become bored with the plain oatmeal. The suggested calorie consumption for your first week should be between 900 and 1200 calories a day.
The Oatmeal Diet Stage Two
Once you have completed the first seven days, you will begin stage two. In stage two, you can begin to add other foods into your diet along with the oatmeal. You should still have half of a cup of oatmeal at all three meals, but you can add a morning snack and an afternoon snack.
The suggested snacks are fruit and vegetables, eaten halfway between breakfast and lunch, and halfway between lunch and dinner. Instant oatmeal can be substituted for whole oatmeal in this stage, but granola bars are still not permitted. Your suggested calorie intake each day should be between 1000 and 1300 calories total.
The Oatmeal Diet Stage Three
This is where is can become tricky for some people. You are now in stage three and are able to resume eating regular foods. However, you should still be eating at least one meal of oatmeal and one snack of oatmeal every day. You should also limit the amount of fat you have in your diet by keeping a close eye on what types of food you are eating. By stage three, you should have a better idea of what types of food are good for you and what you should be eating. You can contact a nutritionist or your regular doctor to find out what you should and shouldn’t be eating.
Once you have reached stage three, the creator of the diet does have some suggestions for you in regards to what you should include in your diet. Skim milk, berries of your choice, celery, lettuce, spinach, and chicken breasts are just a few of their suggestions. You will need to make sure that you are constantly choosing to eat healthy, otherwise, you will not see the results that you want to.
Once you are back on a regular diet, remember to keep eating the oatmeal at least once a day in the form of a meal. For most people, they choose to eat the oatmeal in the morning for breakfast. This way they are full for the morning and are much less tempted to snack or eat a large lunch that can throw off the rest of their day.
Final Thoughts
Always remember to consult with your medical doctor before you begin any new diet routine. You will want to make sure that you are healthy enough to make these types of changes. Also remember to add at least 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine, though the oatmeal diet recommends that you exercise at least three times per week for 45 minutes to one hour.
Do not feel like you must jump straight into an exercise routine. If you have been out of the exercise routine for a while, take the extra time to ease back into it. This will help you prevent any injuries, and will help keep you on track for better success.
