Oatmeal Diet
The basic Oatmeal Diet involves replacing one or two meals a day with oatmeal.
This is good since oatmeal has a number of health benefits including
- healthy weight management
- reducing cholesterol
- and potentially lowering the risk of certain types of cancer.
Some have taken this further by eating nothing but oatmeal. This approach is a tad extreme, but most people follow the version listed below.
See also our 5 Day Oatmeal Diet Meal Plan
Oatmeal Diet Basics
One method of doing the oatmeal diet involves varying the amount of oatmeal eaten over three phases.
Phase One
- Dieters eat nothing but oatmeal for the first week.
- You can eat ½ cup of oatmeal for each meal, which may be combined with ½ cup of skim milk if desired.
- Only whole oatmeal is allowed.
- Instant oatmeal and granola bars should be avoided for the first seven days.
- Calorie consumption for the first seven days should be between 900-1200 calories per day.
Phase Two
- For the next 30 days dieters continue having ½ cup of oatmeal three times a day in addition to their regular diet.
- Instant oatmeal is now permitted.
- Calories may now be increased slightly to 1000-1300 per day.
- A morning snack of ½ cup of fruit and an afternoon snack of ½ cup raw vegetables are allowed.
Phase Three
- After 30 days you may begin to eat your normal diet while continuing with one meal and one snack of oatmeal daily.
- Dieters are advised to limit their intake of fats when returning to normal eating.
The biggest challenge to eating oatmeal (also known as porridge in the UK) is how to keep adding things to prevent monotony and blandness. See some ideas here.
Oatmeal Diet Alternatives
- Medifast- Uses meal replacements like oatmeal and shakes to promote weight loss.
- Special K Diet- Replaces 2 meals a day with Special K Cereal.
- SlimFast- Uses meal replacement shakes and bars instead of oatmeal.
- Cooking with Oats: Oat Bran, Oatmeal, and More
Oatmeal Recipe Ideas
Recommended Foods
Oatmeal, skim milk, berries, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, carrots, red pepper, celery, lettuce, spinach, chicken breast, fish, coffee, tea, club soda, sugar free pudding.
Sample 1 Day Meal Plan
4 more days of the oatmeal diet meal plan can be found here.
| Breakfast ½ cup oatmeal |
| Morning Snack ½ cup blueberries |
| Lunch½ cup oatmeal 1/2 cup low fat yogurt 1 banana |
| Afternoon Snack ½ cup raw vegetable sticks |
| Dinner 4 oz grilled chicken breast |
| Evening Snack Sugar free pudding |
Exercise Recommendations
30 minutes of exercise is recommended on 3-5 days of the week.
Costs and Expenses
The only cost for this diet is for groceries, which will probably be even less than usual because oatmeal is very inexpensive.
The oatmeal diet is similar to other Meal Replacement Diets
Pros
- Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber, which helps to promote a feeling of fullness after meals.
- A diet high in oatmeal can reduce the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol without affecting the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and has been demonstrated to be as effective as cholesterol lowering medication.
- Oatmeal is a good source of low glycemic carbohydrates and can help to promote stable blood sugar levels.
- Oats contain phytonutrients called lignans, which are beneficial for heart health.
- Oats are very inexpensive.
Cons
- Calorie intakes are below that recommended for safe and healthy weight loss.
- Lack of variety in the diet will limit the ability to obtain adequate nutrition.
- Diet involves a dramatic change in normal eating patterns, especially for the first week, which has the potential to trigger yo-yo dieting for some people.
The First 7 Days May be Difficult
Any diet that is based on a single food while excluding other healthy foods can be regarded as a fad diet that will not be supportive of the health of the dieter. It is not recommended to follow the first seven days of the version of the diet where oatmeal is the only food permitted.
However, the oatmeal diet is based on a nutritious food that can help to reduce appetite, which makes it a good source of carbohydrates for a weight loss diet. If weight loss is to be maintained over the long term it will also be necessary to pay attention to other aspects of nutrition and lifestyle.
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Started Sunday. Added fresh fruit and ground walnuts to the meal. My new friend…water. In the past, I only drank the stuff because my body needed it. Now…I can not believe how I eagerly down the bottled stuff!!
My encouragement to each and every one of you dieters is take your time so the weight doesn’t come back and please exercise. It is so important. My mother walked all her life and it paid off. She is now 84 only one knee replacement surgery and no medication!
Yes, she eats one bowl of oatmeal (except steel oats ugh) everyday!
Okej’ im 154 cm and 48.6 kg
I wanna be 46. So i started today,will let you know if it works
I plan to start this today. I love oatmeal, so I think this won’t be awful…however I do get hungry awfully fast. I am 5’4 and weigh at 118 pounds. I’m already thin, so I’m curious how effective this diet will be. I will continue to exercise moderately, every other day, and include vegetables and fruits in my diet. Does anyone know of a non-fat way to include protein into my diet, without having to buy protein powder?
Best of luck to all my fellow oatmeal-diet friends!
It works , I’ve known this secret for years Oatmeal and walking
So I am on day 3 of phase 1 and I have lost approx 3lbs without exercise. I am gonna start my exercise program on phase 2 once eating the oatmeal becomes more like second nature. The gas is horrible however….So be prepared to toot alot….Anyway I use to have problems being regular and falling asleep, it seems this diet has fixed all that. I actually seem to need less sleep to function as well….added benefit I guess….So I will be updating y’all every so often….its always nice to read other peoples experiences…..Good luck Everyone!
Correction day 5 of the diet ; )
Okay so day four of the diet….and I have average about a lb of day of weight loss but yesterday I cheated and went on a chinese food bender….: ( …..So oatmeal peeps beware….the oatmeal diet does clean you out of toxins and if you cheat, you will feel like absolute crap….I slept for 14 hours after my chinese bender, and woke up this morning at 3am…..before my cheat my sleep improved greatly and I needed less probably because my body was detoxed, once I cheated my body was back to its old sluggish self…and I found myself having trouble falling asleep and oversleeping again…food coma to the max!! So today I am hitting the gym hard and going to cleanse before I get back on the plan…..wish me luck!!
Starting today I am 5ft 3 and weigh 140lbs
My goal is to loose twenty lbs
I will post any results I get oatmeal is very filling and I am determined
Eat to live don’t live to eat
Hi! I have been trying almost all the ways how to lose weight through working out vigorously, to doing shortcuts by taking diet pills. but always, it backfires at me when I would stop exercising and/or my body became ‘immune’ to food suppressant pills. Reading this blog I realized that three years ago, I’d done this ‘oatmeal diet’ for three months, just plain oatmeal three times a day and no sodas, I lost more than 70 lbs, but since I only eat oatmeal, no veggies or protein at all, I ended up at the hospital because of malnutrition hehehe. So it freaked me out. Really to a point that I stopped eating oatmeal. But I have to say it worked, this diet helps you to feel satisfied and you feel energetic without having those hunger pangs. I’m actually doing this again (I gained weight because of my stressful work, I overeat when I’m stress) but not like before where I only eat oatmeal, I mixed oatmeal with salads or fruits. no bread or rice, a piece of chicken/beef/chicken meat per meal. Only during dinner I have plain oats. No sodas for now. I hope, I can lose 40 lbs in two months before my boyfriend arrives. lol good luck to us guys!
Oatmeal diet and 1 hour cardio (walking uphill on treadmill) 6 days a week for 3 months had me shed 58 lbs! I did take on injury and put back all the weight over a 2 year period. I finally got fed up with taking back on a sedentary lifestyle and got my fat ass back in the gym and ate to fuel my workouts and not my taste buds. 3 months, 29 lbs down and putting on lean muscle =)
Folks there’s no secret here! Burn more calories than what you put in and the weight will come off! Get off your ass and move!
Just started today. I’m 6’3 255lbs always up and down with weight Gina give this a try. Ill be strict with oatmeal for the first week if it really works then Ill continue the same way. If I don’t see results I’m looking for ill def add things into my diet plan. Trying to get down to 225lbs. Oatmeal 3 times a day sounds tough and I feel hungry I hope I can fight it and I hope I see the results I’m looking for.
I’m starting this tomorrow! I need to lose this baby weight! I’m 5’2″ 166 lbs. My goal is to be back to 110 by my30th bday which is in July. I am determined to reach this goal!
How is it going with the diet
I fizzled out. I decided to get in an exercise regime first so I didn’t have to add that all at the same time. I am on a good roll with that so! Now I will start! I love steel cut oats so this should be easy! I’ll keep posting once a week with results and feelings
Woke up this morning figured oatmeal would b the healthiest thing n the house for me to eat for breakfast. Ive been trying to diet but it hasnt been as effective. So i said hey i wonder if theres an oatmeal diet and i found you guys
so im guna try it. Im 266.1 n 5 3 lets see how this works
Hi I m sick of trying all the othr diet plans, I weigh 138 pounds. Day by day I m growing fat I eat less food. I also follow with lots of vegetable cooked in indiab styl but now I will be starting with oatmeal plan. It sounds goid and happy to check out all u people following this plan. 2/25/13 is the date I m starting this diet plan lets chech out how much effective is this.
How is the diet going for you? I’m starting tomorrow.
I started this diet 5 days ago and so far I lost 6lbs. I eat 1 cup of oats 3 times a day, no major exercise, just some walking. First 3 days were hard, but now I kind of lost interest to tasty food. I’m sure the weight loss will slow down and I will have to start doing more physical activity to maintain it. I was 221.5 when I started, my goal is to go back to 180-185 area.
hi, i am trying to reduce my weight… now i am 85kg and my height is 5.6 …. i want to reduce 10 kgs in one month …. can any one suggest me the diet sheet….thanks in advance….
Have tried everything and am sick of hitting a brick wall… This looks promising with fast results. Cant wait to see how this pans out.
I had follow a eating plan to this several years ago. My dr had urged me to increase my oatmeal which I had no problem with I love oatmeal. I will be starting a similar plan next week looking forward to a change..
i want o try this diet…is it just oat and plain water…?
When I make my oatmeal I use 1/2 water and 1/2 almond or soy milk to my 1/2 old fashioned oats. I don’t get hungry between meals and I don’t always eat my snacks. I think you will like this.
yes, you make the oatmeal with water, not milk.
Is that a half cup cooked oats to eat? When I make my oatmeal I start with one cup of liquid and half cup raw oats and cook it. That comes out to one cup cooked oats.
It’s 1/2 cup raw oats
Thanks Ted. I have started the plan yesterday. I am eating oatmeal for breakfast and lunch and having my am/pm snacks. For dinner though I am eating sensibly.
I hope to see some results by next week with this. I love oatmeal anyway, so I thought I could swing eating it for two meals a day.
Since starting on the oatmeal I’ve been averaging 2lbs/week of weight/fat loss. I workout 5 times per week, mix of treadmill and weights, 45min to an hour. I have oatmeal 4 times per day:
- 2 cups for breakfast with frozen berries
- 1 cup before lunch with one apple and cinamon
- 1 cup after lunch with 2 eggs, 1 tomatoe, and 1oz of cheese
- 1 cup for dinner with 1 cup of egg whites
I started this Oatmeal Diet (2nd week version) the weekend after New Years’ – I have lost 7 pounds and have closed in on my 4th week – with only 4 cheater meals – the weight loss is the bonus – as we all of heard it’s not your weight but your waist that is the target here – the real gain here is that you feel so much better and your belly bloat starts to diminish (lost over 2 inches right off my middle). I have less headaches and I do not have the menopausal monkey brain (still hot flashes though) – I wish I could shout this eating lifestyle out to all women – it is strict but it does work – and yes a little boring but who says excitement should come from food? Once you have committed to eating this way – have a date night out with your favorite people…
who says excitement should come from food? i love that line!!! I have been on an oatmeal/creme of weat/grits diet for just about 3 weeks and have already shed 9lbs! Didnt even know there were others doing it. Googled it and found you guys! yay! good luck to everyone!
I started reducing the amount of food intake. I always include oatmeal in my diet. I am eating more protein and less carbs. I have to drink a lot of water and cut down on other drinks. For two weeks, I lost 4 pounds without exercise.
In addition to this, I am drinking green tea with cinnamon powder and honey and I fee that this helps the cravings for food.
di, thats great to avarage 2lb loss for starting. That is where I am now after being on the diet for 4 weeks.
Keep up the good work!
2k lbs/week
I am confused about the first 7 days. How do you get 900 to 1200 calories a day. I got 615 cals. A day with 1% milk do you use a whole for each meal because then I did get 1065 calories when I do that. What are you todo to get the right calorie count with just oatmeal , milk, and water?
About 2 years ago i discovered this diet, I am now 25 and 125 lbs. before the diet i was 159lbs. So that should tell you how much ive lost.This diet is very hard at first but rewarding. I realized how much we really do need oats,nuts and greens in our every day eating regimens. Also to the person who asked if you can have fruit in your oatmeal. yes you can! When i was doing it I didnt put any sugar in my oatmeal just fruit and some milk. I was very strict on myself but it really paid off!! Yall can do it:)
Hi Guys,
I have lost 2.5kgs in 5days just by eating oats. I had oats in the morning at 8.30am (instant quaker oats with brown sugar without milk) and have lunch at 12.30pm (just vegetables*dont eat till your stomach is full, sometimes with a cup of low fat yogurt for dessert) and snack for tea time at 4.30pm (just biscuits with tea, usually oats bsicuits) and finally dinner at 8.30pm (a bowl of oats with brown sugar without milk and with sunflower seeds). Just to share that I dont snack in between these meals and I drink alot of water and this diet doesnt include exercise. Hope this helps. All the best people.
Today was my third week on this oatmeal diet. I weighed in at 251. Over three weeks a 2 pound average loss. I’m really happy with the results.
My goal for the year is to average a pound weight loss each week for the year.
I believe that cutting out the can or two of Coke and Pepsi, pastries, and other sweet cravings have taken away cravings for sweets.
More later next week.
I have started this diet but with a twist. I am eating oatmeal both for breakfast and dinner with regular milk, want to make that slim milk, add a few raisins and cinnamon; half a papaya after a couple of hours, veg soup and brown rice (also going to try a pearl millet gruel – powder and cook – can drink with buttermilk), I may have an apple, cucumber, watermelon, or some water-filled veggies if I get hungry. I drink a glass of lemon juice with honey first thing in the morning and at night. The only problem is I do not drink enough water and I need to do that. Hope it works and soon.
Hello everyone. I am male, 61 years, 5’8″ and 257 pounds. I am really sick of a lifetime of being over weight. I believe it contributes to other health concerns. My goal is to loose a pound a week (average) this year.
I am going to commit to this diet in addition to additional exercise. I like oatmeal, but it can be pretty boring, so I am going to add some variations for variety. Honey for sweetner, craisins (I hate rasins), blueberries, or some other kind of fresh berries.
The biggest change I will make is substituting the evening meal with oatmeal and not eat anything after 6pm.
This morning I weighed 256.
Good luck everyone.
Good morning everyone. I am a 39 year old male livi ng in Nashville Tennessee. I currently weigh 225lb with a 40″ waist. I had no idea that there was an actual oatmeal diet But had the idea to start 1 for myself. Like most people, I don’t enjoy the taste of plain oatmeal. Can anyone tell me if its OK to dice up one banana or one apple to mix in and still achieve a disirable weight loss with results quick enough to help maintain interest of continuing?
I will continue to update everyone of my results.
This diet is pretty strict as it is presented. Give yourself a break, make it paletable and examine your expectations. A wise person once said, “you can eat an elephant one bite at a time” (Mary Kay).
Frozen berries from the grocery store are a great addition.
I want to start this diet, does anyone knows how much do you atleast loose in the first week?
I wrote on Dec 17thth…..it’s only Dec 21st & I’m just tired of the oatmeal, it has no taste…I was always putting less than a tsp of sugar bc it’s just horrible tasteless. N e ways I love oatmeal but this diet is getting old. I’ve doing it for the past 4 days, I haven’t weighed myself but I do see my belly flatter. Guys I thing give up a bit…I’ll still be on a diet eating less but I won’t be too strict with this diet. I’ll keep u posted if I loose weight.
Have you tried steel cut oats and adding cinnamon? Maybe a packet of Truvia or Nectresse?