There are countless things people do or eat in their pursuit to lose weight.Having eggs for weight loss is one that all weight watchers and fitness experts suggest.But, how about we tell you, there is a diet plan which just involves eating eggs and promises to make you drop the kilos faster?As baffling as it sounds, the egg diet plan is something which a lot of people try, and vouch for its promises to promote faster weight loss.
We explain to you how the diet works, its benefits and all you need to know about the same:
What does the egg diet plan involve?
Simply said, the egg diet plan is a novel weight loss strategy which requires dieters to consume at least one big meal of the day centring around eggs, traditionally considered to be a breakfast food.
The egg diet is also considered to be highly helpful for weight loss since it is ideally a low-calorie, protein-rich food which can help shed kilos faster and not make a person lose muscle mass.
Besides an obvious focus on eggs, the diet plan entails you to have three meals in a day, without snacking, have sufficient water intake ( and have other zero-calorie beverages).
The two most commonly followed variations of this dietplan are - an egg-only diet or a boiled egg diet.
What can you eat?
While the primary focus of the diet remains consuming eggs for weight loss, a lot of the other aspects depend on the foods you do eat.
There are variations of this diet plan which include foods like grilled chicken, seafood and steamed vegetables, but eliminate starchy, carbohydrate-rich foods.
In general, snacks and aerated drinks (which add calories) are forbidden. While one meal of the day needs to have an egg preparation, the other two meals can also have some form of lean protein.
A person can also add some form of low-carb vegetables, fruits. High-carb foods such as grains, some vegetables and fruits are not allowed. Processed foods are again a big no-no.
The diet is planned in such a way that you restrict certain foods for a few weeks time and then slowly ease back into a healthier eating pattern. There is also a variation of a diet which only allows a person to have just eggs and water.
Thre are also some interesting fad variations of this diet plan.
In an egg and grapefruit diet, a dieter is allowed to have a piece of grapefruit with eggs or some lean protein at every meal. No other fruit should be consumed.
It is usually practised for 14-21 days, no longer than that.
There is also an extreme version of the egg diet- one where a dieter survives on eggs (hard-boiled) and water for two weeks time. Since it comprises of a person solely relying on a single source of nutrition, it may not be so sustainable and can devoid you of other important vitamins and minerals.
Another form of the egg diet is the medical egg diet, wherein, a person consumes one egg with every meal, along with a piece of bread. Apart from eggs and bread, any number of low-calorie fruits and veggies can be included with this and beverages like water and black coffee can also be had.
There is also another version of the egg diet which pushes your body into ketosis to burn fat. As per this, a person is required to have eggs with fats like butter and cheese (the ratio is one egg to one tablespoon of fat), which makes the body produce ketones and lose weight. This is known as the Keto egg diet.
Having alcohol, sugary, processed foods, milk, juices, refined carbohydrate sources are also not allowed to be eaten with the diet.
Whats interesting to learn about the egg diet for weight loss is that unlike other diets, people arent encouraged to exercise during the dieting period, since a restricted diet plan could induce fatigue and may not help fuel the workout.
Are there any benefits?
A good benefit of the diet is that it restricts you from eating processed or unhealthy additives like sugar or too much caffeine, which are bad for you.
The diet has been designed to be continued for a maximum of some weeks time. Hence, the diet can be beneficial if short-term weight loss is on your mind.
The diet is also an inexpensive one since most of the ingredients in the diet are a staple, readily available foods. It also doesnt make you rely on other supplements or food brands for weight loss.
Are there any dietary shortcomings?
One of the biggest concerns with the diet is its restrictive nature. The diet solely focusses on the consumption of low-cal, low-carb foods and ditches other food groups from your meal plan. While the working of such a diet may speed up weight loss in the short run, restrictive diets aren't sustainable in the long run. Some even end up gaining weight after following restrictive diets.
Restrictions may also potentially increase your risk of nutritional deficiency and drain you of energy, which one needs to be careful about. After a while, the structure of the diet can also seem boring and prove difficult to follow so make you pick wisely.
One should also remember that eating eggs without moderation can induce digestive issues. Since the diet is devoid of fibre, having too many eggs can cause gastrointestinal problems. It can also raise cholesterol levels. The lack of carbohydrates in the diet can also leave you tired and fatigued more often since the body doesn't have good energy sources to rely on.
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Egg diet for weight loss: Health benefits, side-effects, all you need to know about it - Times of India
