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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
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 |
| Morning Snack
½ cup blueberries |
| Lunch
½ cup oatmeal |
| 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.
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.
See Also:
Cooking with Oats: Oat Bran, Oatmeal, and More
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I’m going to try this…it seems interesting
@dess- Instant oatmeal has been processed.
Why can’t we use the instant oatmeal instead of the original one?
Hey FLora, since you’ve been doing this diet can you explain it to me? I would really appreciate it. What im confused is after the week of eating nothing but oatmeal, what do you do? eat oatmeal 3x with a regular meal. Cuz, i am doing this diet but not losing. HELP
We still love this diet, it’s been 3 months and the sales team combined have lost 57 pounds!!! We’re soooo excited and happy we allcome to work in our bikini’s. Bring on the summer, we’re ready for you hot stuff!!!
hola,
nesecito saber cuales son los efectos del oatmeal en las personas diabeticas
please explain this diet to me. CONFUSED
This diet is great! One suggestion to all though. Add a multivitamin! Oatmeal does not provide all the nutrients your body needs.
I am a little confused on this diet. Ok the first seven days I eat nothing but oatmeal. After the 7 days (30 day diet) I eat three meals that include oatmeal and I can also have a a meal that contains chicken or beef? Please help me understand this, cuz I’m reading this as in the next 30 days it’s still nothing but oatmeal.
can i add a small amount of brown sugar to the oatmeal or does it just have to be plain?
i’m so happy i found this site. im going to try it tomorrow for a month. I am getting married very soon, I need to lose weight to look more beautiful! wish me luck please!
Me and my best friend were encouraged to do our doctors version of the oatmeal diet. I have to say,that his version is alot better than the ones I have read about. We are both able to do this diet and it fits our lifestyle. We both have 2 children so the convienient food is the best way to go for us. Its been a month and combined we have lost 35lbs! Go us!
The key to our success is that 2 days out of the week we have to cheat. And the only stipulation is that you have to eat the oatmeal and also control yourself.
And the 2 days have to be in a row. I don’t know if its because I have to cheat or what but,I don’t feel like I have to go hog wild. Our doctor has been doing this diet for about 2yrs. and started out over 300lbs. and is now is about 190lbs. He is mainly just maintaining his weight but this is the best diet me and my bestie have found that we are satisfied and losing consistantly. So we would encourage everyone who truely wants to lose weight and keep it off to do this diet. Like our doctor told us, as long as you keep eating oatmeal every 4hrs., the oatmeal will burn your fat and help you feel fuller longer. Good luck and God bless!
I have lost 16 pounds in the last month (tomorrow will be a month)
i work out only 15 a day every second day.
OK! I have been on this diet for about a month, as of today i have lost 9 pounds, this is with very little excersie and flavored Oatmeal, i can’t seem to eat reg oatmeal if its not flavored then i will get tired of it, if i was to actually excersie i think i will see a bigger change in weight loss. so with this being sad i really dont think it matters if its flavored or reg oatmeal… Now if your body has a problem processing sugar then yea u should try reg oatmeal… I am doing this diet beacause i recentally just had a lil girl and after 3 kids my body just is not dropping the weight like it did with my first…..
so too keep it real… this diet is the best !!!!!!
thanks for the info..i’ll try it, i’m about 120 lbs.right now..then i’ll let you know guys, how many pounds i shed off after 30 days.wish me luck
How much weight has everyone lost & in how much time?
Great posts.i m gonna start this diet right away i m 67kgs rt now,will post again once i reach 60kgs.
im gonna try this diet after my ivp and xray. it seems cool and i hope i can continue it for the rest of my life, i hate oatmeal porridge doh but if thats whati need to lose wieght then so be it.
This diet is fantastic…it really works. This is now our second week in the office and personally I
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!
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?
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!!
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.
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.
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.
I have eating oatmeal for a few days in a row and only oatmeal. It makes you feel like a million bucks.
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.
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.
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.
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.