English diet 21 days: pros and cons
The English diet is built on an alternation of protein and vegetable days. This allows you to activate metabolic processes in the body and get rid of excess weight. The calorie content of foods that are allowed to be eaten is not high, but at the same time, the person will not experience painful bouts of hunger. The most difficult in this regard are the first fasting days of the diet.
The diet lasts 20 days. Moreover, the 21st day is the time to get out of it. During this period, it will be possible to lose from 7 to 10 kg, and weight loss will take place without harm to health. The average daily calorie content is 1000 kcal.
Content:
- Principles of the English Diet
- Sample English diet menu
- Permitted and prohibited foods of the English diet
- Recipes for the English diet
- Advice
- Getting out of the English diet
- Pros and cons of the English diet
- Contraindications
- Nutritionist reviews and comments
- Conclusion
Principles of the English Diet
The main principle of the diet is a constant change of protein and vegetable days. You will need to alternate them every 2 days.
The first stage of the diet involves two fasting days. The menu is based on low-fat milk or kefir 1% fat (2 liters per day). Before going to bed, you can drink a glass of tomato juice.
When the unloading is complete, it is necessary to adhere to the protein menu for two days, then two vegetable days follow. It is important that the diet starts with protein foods. You need to eat 4 times a day, the last meal should happen at 19-00, but not later.
Fasting days are designed to give the body a break from digesting food.
It is very important to drink enough fluids during your diet. Allowed drinks: green tea, water, herbal teas, milk drinks, vegetable juices. You will need to give up coffee, carbonated drinks, black tea, alcohol and tobacco. The daily rate of water is 2 liters. This recommendation must be impeccably followed in order to be able to remove toxins from the body.
Most of the calories a person should receive during the lunch break, and not at breakfast. This is the main difference between the English diet and other methods for losing weight. The first meal is always light food, and lunch is heavy. It is intended to replace dinner.
Sample English diet menu
The diet is designed for a fairly long period of time - 21 days. This improves its efficiency. Thanks to the diet, you will be able to lose weight and fix the result. Nineteen days are devoted to a diet, and two days to unload. This will allow the body to smoothly adapt to the upcoming process of losing weight.
The protein diet is successively replaced by the vegetable one. It is best to plan your menu in advance to avoid eating prohibited foods. The first two days of the diet are rightfully considered the most difficult, but they are very important, as they prepare the body for the upcoming diet change.
In the future, it will be necessary to constantly repeat the third, fourth, fifth and sixth day of the diet. The last, 21 days of the diet are like the menu of the first day.
| Diet day | What to eat |
| Day one - unloading the body | Low fat kefir (1.5 l) |
| Apple (1 piece) | |
| Day two - unloading | Low fat kefir (1.5 l) |
| Apple (1 piece) | |
| Day three - protein |
Breakfast: Green tea (glass) Honey (teaspoon) Grain bread (one slice) |
|
Afternoon snack: Milk (0.2 l) Nuts (0.1 kg) Honey (teaspoon) |
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Dinner: Green peas (2 tablespoons) Ukha without potatoes (0.15 l) Boiled fish fillet (100 g) Grain bread (one slice) (one slice) |
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Dinner: Hard cheese (50 g) Boiled chicken eggs (2 pieces) Kefir (0.2 l) |
|
| Day four - protein |
Breakfast: Green tea (glass) Honey (teaspoon) Grain flour bread (one slice) |
|
Afternoon snack: Kefir (0.2 l) Nuts (0.1 kg) Honey (teaspoon) |
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Dinner: Green peas (2 tablespoons) Meat soup without potatoes (0.15 l) Boiled veal (0.1 kg) Grain flour bread (one slice) |
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Dinner: Hard cheese (50 g) Nuts (0.1 kg) Kefir (0.2 l) Boiled fish (0.1 kg) |
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Fifth day - vegetable |
Breakfast: Green tea (glass) Apple (2 pieces) |
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Dinner: Vinaigrette (0.15 kg) Vegetable soup, except potatoes (0.15 l) Little vegetable (2 tablespoons) Grain flour bread (one slice) |
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Dinner: Salad (tomatoes + cucumbers) (0.3 kg) Honey (½ teaspoon) Green tea (glass) |
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| Day six - vegetable |
Breakfast: Green tea (glass) Orange (2 pieces) |
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Afternoon snack: Herbal tea (0.2 l) Fruit (0.2 kg) Dinner: Grated apple and carrot (0.15 kg) Vegetable soup without potatoes (0.15 l) Olive oil (2 tablespoons) Grain flour bread (one slice) |
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Dinner: Tomatoes with cucumbers in salad (0.3 kg) Honey (½ teaspoon) Berry tea (0.2 l) |
Menu options for protein days:
| Breakfast |
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| Afternoon snack |
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| Dinner |
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| Dinner |
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Menu options for vegetable days:
| Breakfast |
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| Afternoon snack |
|
| Dinner |
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| Dinner |
|
Permitted and prohibited foods of the English diet
| Product group | Allowed Products | What you can eat in small quantities | Prohibited foods |
| Fruit |
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| Vegetables |
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Peeled potatoes |
Potatoes in other forms |
| Spices and condiments |
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Sugar and salt |
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| Cereals |
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Other cereals | |
| Milk products |
All dairy products with 0% fat |
All low fat dairy products |
Butter |
| Seeds and nuts |
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Other nuts |
Any seeds |
| Protein-rich foods |
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Cheeses |
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| Flour products | Dried black bread and whole wheat bread. |
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| Sweets | Honey |
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| Other products |
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||
| Beverages |
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Skim milk and kefir |
|
Recipes for the English diet
Fish in a green coat with mustard
To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:
- 0.5 kg of fish;
- Spices for fish;
- Dill, arugula, dejon mustard.
The fish is salted and pepper, greased with mustard and put in a baking dish. Sprinkle with chopped herbs on top. Remove the form in an oven preheated to 200 ° C and bake for 12 minutes.
Chopped chicken cutlets
To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:
- 0.5 kg of chicken fillet;
- Egg;
- A clove of garlic;
- Salt and spices to taste.
Finely chop the breast, add an egg and garlic passed through a press to the minced meat, salt and season with spices. All components are mixed, cutlets are formed from minced meat and baked for 20 minutes. The temperature in the oven is 200 ° C.
Curd omelet with herbs
To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:
- 0.25 kg of cottage cheese;
- 2 eggs;
- Water;
- Greens;
- Black pepper and basil.
Grind eggs with cottage cheese and water, add chopped greens to them. Beat this mass thoroughly, put it in an ovenproof dish and bake at 180 ° C. Cooking time is 20 minutes.
Pureed Orange soup with carrots and pumpkin
To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:
- 0.4 kg pumpkin;
- 2 carrots;
- Salt and spices.
Cut pumpkin and carrots into cubes, boil for 7 minutes. Grind vegetables with a blender, add water if necessary, boil again. Garnish with pumpkin seeds before serving.
Baked zucchini
To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:
- Zucchini - 2 pcs.
- Hard cheese - 60 g.
- Dry herbs.
- Salt and pepper.
- Olive oil.
Zucchini is cut lengthwise into 2 parts, greased with oil, salted, pepper and sprinkled with grated cheese. Spread zucchini in a mold and bake at 200 degrees for a quarter of an hour.
Diet soup cold
To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:
- 0.4 kg of beet tops;
- One bell pepper;
- One onion;
- 0.1 kg of celery greens;
- Two boiled eggs.
Chop greens, boil peppers and onions until cooked. When the vegetables are softened, herbs are poured into the broth, your favorite seasonings are added. The soup is served cold with boiled eggs.
Vegetable stew
To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:
- 0.5 kg of cabbage;
- 1 carrot and 1 zucchini;
- One onion;
- 3 tomatoes and the same amount of garlic cloves;
- 2 glasses of water;
- Black pepper.
The cabbage is finely chopped, the carrots are cut into slices, the zucchini is diced, the tomatoes are cut into 2 parts, the beam and garlic are chopped. Vegetables are laid out in a cauldron, water is added and stewed for no more than half an hour under a closed lid.
Advice
For the diet to give maximum results, you need to exercise. Only on fasting days should you give up intensive training.
If during physical activity the state of health worsens, then the intensity of training is reduced. It is good to do exercises in the morning, go for walks.
Every day before going to bed, you need to drink a teaspoon of olive oil, which will saturate the body with fat.
During the diet, you can drink vitamin and mineral complexes. To maintain skin tone, chromium is additionally taken.
Getting out of the English diet
Diet exit rules:
- The last day of the diet should be milk.
- After completing the diet, you need to continue to eat small portions, but often.
- The adaptation of the body to the usual menu should be smooth. No more than 2 “new” foods should be introduced per week. This will fix the achieved result.
- You need to take food slowly, chew all products thoroughly. The fact is that the feeling of satiety comes only 15 minutes after the start of the meal.
Pros and cons of the English diet
Diet Pros:
- Diet products are not expensive, so it is available to everyone.
- The diet saturates the body with proteins and fiber.
- The diet is easy to tolerate.
- Dieting can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
- The diet allows you to cleanse the body.
Cons of the diet:
- The diet is very low in fat and therefore cannot be called balanced. You cannot use it more than once a year.
- During the diet, you need to take vitamin and mineral complexes.
- Possibly increased flatulence in the intestines.
- Drink plenty of water to avoid constipation.
- The diet must be strictly followed. After its completion, a long-term adaptation of the body to the usual menu is required.
- Diarrhea may develop, which is often seen at the end of the diet.
Contraindications
You can not practice a diet while breastfeeding and while carrying a baby. Relative contraindications include diseases of the digestive system, since during the diet, their aggravation is possible.
Nutritionist reviews and comments
Veronica, 27 years old: “I followed a diet to lose weight after childbirth. She let me say goodbye to 14 kg. During pregnancy, I gained 20 extra pounds, and before her weighed 58 kg. I found it difficult to completely abandon salt. The rest of the diet did not cause difficulties. When 21 days passed, I continued to eat according to the English diet menu. I want to lose another 5 kg."
The nutritionist comments: “You cannot continue the diet, you should go to the usual menu. If this is not done, then exhaustion will develop. The menu lacks fatty acids, which the body needs for its normal functioning. I recommend Veronica to switch to her usual diet, but start playing sports. The diet can be repeated in 6 months. It is imperative to drink vitamins."
Oksana, 41 years old: “The English diet seemed satisfying to me, so I decided to opt for it. I come home late, my main meal was at dinner. I could not stand the diet longer than 12 days, during this time I lost 4 kg. Then I gradually switched to my usual diet. The pounds that were lost during the diet have returned. Now I am afraid that the weight will not increase with interest."
The nutritionist comments: “Oksana has clearly mixed something up in her diet. It is quite logical that she has achieved minimal results. The diet is designed for 21 days, and Oksana interrupted the process of losing weight in the very middle, breaking all the rules. You need to leave the diet smoothly, gradually introducing familiar food products into the diet. If this condition is not met, then the lost weight will return, and in excess.
I strongly recommend all women who decide to go on a diet to realistically assess their strengths and capabilities. Diet is always a serious stress for the body, which can negatively affect health. Especially if the dietary rules are not followed."
Karina, 36 years old: “Every year I follow a particular diet. The English weight loss system is one of my favorites. For the entire time of the diet, I lost 8 kg. The very process of the hunger strike was easy for me. I used to eat in small portions, eating most of the food at lunchtime. Now, with a height of 167 cm, I weigh 57 kg - the result is excellent. The only thing that I found difficult in the whole diet is drinking milk. I just don't like him."
The nutritionist comments: “In fact, as you grow, there is no need to lose weight anymore. A hearty breakfast and light dinner are excellent eating habits. Therefore, you could choose a different diet for yourself.
For example, it is good if you manage to arrange fasting days from time to time, play sports, reduce the amount of portions consumed, and start the morning with protein products. By following these recommendations, one could get rid of excess weight even without the help of a diet."
Regina, 41 years old: “I never trusted diets and this time my intuition did not disappoint me. In 21 days, I lost only 3 kg. I followed all the rules strictly, but at the very end of the diet, when it became clear that I would not lose weight, I began to add sugar and salt to the dishes. There is no sense in all these restrictions and torments."
The nutritionist comments: “In any diet, the right mental attitude and motivation are important. If a person is pre-programmed for failure, then it will definitely overtake him. Another mistake is the abrupt termination of the weight loss program, which could not be done in any case. To maintain health, everything should be smooth and gradual."
Ninel, 25: “Thanks to the English diet, I have lost 12 kg, which I have dreamed of since childhood. At first I thought to stay on the diet for 7 days, then I increased it to 2 weeks, and then to 21 days. The most difficult thing for me was drinking milk, and also drinking 2 liters of water a day. I also did not drink oil before going to bed. Since I followed the diet, 2 months have passed and the result continues to please with relative stability. Only 2 kilos returned back."
The dietitian comments: “The result is very impressive, although water should be drunk during the diet. The same recommendation applies to taking the oil before bed. You can use both olive oil and sunflower oil. It is allowed to replace milk with kefir. Tomato juice can also be used on drinking days.
Conclusion
So, the first two days of the diet must be hungry. Every 3 hours you need to drink a glass of milk, and every 6 hours you can eat a slice of rye flour bread. In the evening, you can drink a glass of tomato juice.
When the hungry days are over, you can start the protein days. Fats from the menu are almost completely removed. This forces the body to draw fat from its own stores. Products that can be eaten on such days: cheese, dietary meat, broths, eggs, fish, kefir, tea and milk.
Then, for 2 days, you need to eat vegetables and fruits. This will saturate the body with useful trace elements and vitamins, and will also make it possible to cleanse the intestines with the help of an abundance of coarse dietary fiber.
Further sequence of days: one protein day, one vegetable day, two protein days, two vegetable days, and so on until the very end of the diet.
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
