Oatmeal Diet

Background

A diet based on oatmeal has been promoted on the Internet as a way to lose weight, reduce cholesterol, and lower the risk of certain types of cancer. There is no specific oatmeal diet but all of the approaches that are suggested are based on incorporating varying amounts of oatmeal into the diet on a daily basis.

Oatmeal Diet Basics

oatmeal-diet One method of doing the oatmeal diet involves eating 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.

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.

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.

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 Diet Plan

Breakfast

½ cup oatmeal
½ cup skim milk
1 tablespoon raisins
½ teaspoon cinnamon
coffee or tea

Morning Snack

½ cup blueberries

Lunch

½ cup oatmeal
1/2 cup low fat yogurt
1 banana

Afternoon Snack

½ cup raw vegetable sticks

Dinner

4 oz grilled chicken breast
Large green salad
½ cup oatmeal

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.

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.

Conclusions

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.

February 9th, 2010Flora

This diet is fantastic…it really works. This is now our second week in the office and personally I
February 3rd, 2010tktmom

I have been doing the oatmeal diet for about a week. I have it for breakfast and dinner with a snack of veggies or fruit twice mid-day. I have lost 6 pounds. In addition I run for 1/2 hour every morning and do strength training every evening. Oatmeal makes you feel full and it tastes great!
February 3rd, 2010Rocka

It’s my 3rd day on diet. and what I’m doing is having a slice of brown bread for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch and 2 slices of brown bread with vegie for dinner. I might do that eat-only-oatmeal-diet if it actually works. oh and I too love oatmeal, it makes one full so easily and do bad after taste hehe just wondering, how much do we get to lose in one month after this oatmeal diet?
February 2nd, 2010Leila Storey

We’re the sales team at the Hampton Inn and everyday we eat oatmeal for breakfast and lunch and sometimes for a snack during the day. We’re on week one and we all feel fantastic and our sales are up 10%. This diet is a must for everyone…we’ll keep you posted!!
January 12th, 2010August

I’m on my 24th day of the Oatmeal Diet and after trying to get in my 34 inch Levi jeans the last 2 years (down from 38/40 waist)… I DID IT! I never thought that “Oatmeal” would make me full and that was always my problem…I always wanted to be stuffed. I also started walking every night for 60 minutes.
January 5th, 2010van stein

I eat oatmael all the time-breakfast-lunch-and 3 nights a wk. for dinner, sometimes more. Between I eat Salmon with some green veggies-carrots-ect. I just found that Irish oatmeal is awesome+you can put whatever you don’t eat in the frig. and heat it up the next day. It’s steel cut so it’s a finer granuals itstead of whole oats. I never eat instant oatmeal-too much sugar. TRY IRISH OATS. I’m 58 work oput 3 to 4 days a week @ 1 1/2 hrs. @ a time. Feel like I’m 30.
December 15th, 2009anonymous 2

hey emoticon it’s genius not genious. I thought anonymous had a great idea. I would rather eat oatmeal for breakfast, a healthy lunch, then oatmeal again for dinner seeing as it can “promote a feeling of fullness”. That’s exactly what I want when I go to bed – to be full! Your idea is not exactly what I would refer to as genius. Fruits and vegetables for dinner? That would have me midnight snacking. The only thing I’d change about lunch is I’d make sure it included something lean with a good amount of protein like grilled chicken, and I’d have some fruit along with my vegetables.
October 22nd, 2009Jim

I have eating oatmeal for a few days in a row and only oatmeal. It makes you feel like a million bucks.
October 14th, 2009emoticon

hey anonymous. since oatmeal can “promote a feeling of fullness” why dont you eat it for breakfast and for lunch, then have vegetables/fruits for dinner. genious.
September 22nd, 2009guy

enjoy starving yourself for the whole day with this. oatmeal is a great source and helps you loose weight however the portions in my opinion are stupid. 1000 to 1300 calories a day might be alright is you weigh 120 pounds….eat a grapefruit with your morning serving and a glass of water with lemon extract to jump the metabolism. and eat the least amount of food at night. oh and EXCERCISE! only has to be like a 30 minute walk or 15 minutes of strenuous activity. walking burns fat running burns carbs. i you weight around 160-200 calorie intake should be around 2000. dont try and eat something 1300 a day all that does is slow your metabolism.
September 12th, 2009shantai

i am so glad that i found this diet. i was teryong to find a diet that i can stick to. and i think i just did. i love oatmeal.
June 23rd, 2009anonymous

I’ve actually thought of creating my own oatmeal diet. I didn’t know there already was one. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to do my own form of VLCD at home without paying loads of cash for medifast and all those other expensive programs online. I just want to try my own meal replacement from home but im not sure what to use. I was thinking oatmeal for breakfast and dinner and a regular lunch of soup and salad.