In dietetics, there are several dozen different diets aimed at weight loss. British nutritionists offer their approach in the fight for slimness. The English diet is considered one of the most flexible and accessible. It includes the simplest familiar products and is easily tolerated by all categories of people losing weight.
From this article you will learn why the diet should not be carried out more than once a year, what benefits it can bring, and who should not practice nutrition in English.
The diet, which came to us from Foggy Albion, consists of alternating vegetable and protein days for three weeks. This fasting type of nutrition is considered part of the health system of English aristocrats, known for their slimness and leanness. The reason lies in the low-calorie diet that residents of Great Britain have followed for centuries. Twice a year they arranged a fast for themselves, which lasted exactly 21 days - this is exactly the duration assumed in the English diet. In part, it can be classified as carbohydrate-free, where the bulk of the nutrients are lipids and protein. Breakfast is as light and low-calorie as possible; those losing weight should get the bulk of nutrients for lunch and dinner, scheduled no later than 7 pm.
Main questions
How many calories are allowed to be consumed?
The diet is low-calorie, so the total number of kilocalories for an adult should not exceed 1000.
How long does the diet last?
The classic diet plan is designed for 21 days. There are reduced options - for 5, 7, 10, 12 and 14 days. They follow the same rotation of products, but mostly for two days.
Is the diet suitable for very obese people?
People with a high degree of obesity are not recommended to make their own decisions about switching to a particular diet. It is better to use the services of a nutritionist who will select the best diet plan taking into account health risks.
How to consolidate the results?
For effective weight loss, drink a glass of warm water with lemon juice in the morning before meals, and a spoonful of vegetable oil before bed. Do not forget about the last (21st) day of fasting, as well as a balanced diet after the diet.
How much weight can you really lose?
The results of losing weight on the English diet vary from person to person. Some managed to get rid of 2-3 kg, while others lost 15. It all depends on the metabolic characteristics of each person and his responsibility - how strictly he adheres to the recommended system.
How many meals does the diet consist of?
Traditionally, these are three main meals, which some supplement with an afternoon snack (at 3-4 pm) and a second dinner (at 8-9 pm). But nutritionists say that it is best to plan your last meal at 19.00, and the first at 7-8 in the morning.
Will I have to starve?
Yes, you will have to fast, but only on fasting days - the 1st, 2nd and 21st. During the rest of the period, the diet is more complete and varied, and there should be no feeling of hunger.
What to do if you feel dizzy while on a diet?
Any unpleasant sensations - dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, bitterness in the mouth - are a signal that the diet is not suitable for you. You will have to switch to a regular diet and see a doctor.
Is it possible to do without sports?
Yes, the diet from English nutritionists allows you to lose weight without additional physical activity.
What to do if you fail to lose weight?
The main thing is not to force your body and not to bring yourself to the point of fainting from hunger. Perhaps the reason for excess weight lies in hormonal imbalance, and diet cannot solve the problem.
Recipes for the English diet with photos and descriptions
The recipes are simple, understandable even to people far from cooking. They will require a maximum of 1.5 hours to prepare. There is only one rule: you need to prepare fresh food every day. You should not cook meat for a week or prepare vegetable stew for 3 days. The maximum that can be left for the next day is broth after cooking the meat. If you decide to cook only for yourself, reduce the amount of ingredients, observing the proportions. In the given recipes for the English diet, the number of servings is 6-8.
Broccoli soup
- 600 g broccoli;
- 1 liter of chicken broth or water;
- 1 onion or leek;
- 150 ml cream 10% fat;
- 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
- ½ tsp. chopped nutmeg;
- salt, pepper to taste.
Calorie content: 48 kcal.
Broccoli soup will support the proper functioning of the body while you are on an English diet; reviews from those losing weight speak of it as the most enjoyable dish on the menu. It cooks quickly, especially if you have ready-made chicken broth. If desired, you can replace it with water. This puree soup will be less caloric and more consistent with the rules of this diet. The broth can be used if you feel very hungry. The soup turns out more satisfying.
- Separate the cabbage into florets and rinse.
- Place cabbage in hot broth or water and cook for 10 minutes.
- Peel and chop the onion.
- Sauté the onion over low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Pour half of the broth into another bowl.
- Place the onion in a saucepan with the cabbage and puree in a blender with the remaining broth.
- Add nutmeg and cream, pour in the remaining broth.
- Pass through the blender again until smooth.
- Place on the fire and bring to 80 degrees, do not allow it to boil completely.
- Salt and pepper.
Zucchini stewed with tomato and bell pepper
- 500 g peeled zucchini;
- 350 g bell pepper;
- 1 large, ripe tomato;
- 200 g carrots;
- 1 onion;
- 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
- 15 g of any greens;
- salt, spices to taste.
Calorie content: 50 kcal.
This vegetable stew can be cooked on the stove, in the oven, or in a slow cooker. We will provide a recipe for a frying pan on the stove. In all other cases, vegetables are loaded into a container, mixed, poured with oil and stewed. A diet dish with zucchini contains a minimum of calories, so you can eat quite a lot of it. This recipe allows the English diet to include vegetables and fruits and vegetables in the menu almost every day. Prepares in 40 minutes.
- Chop the onion and place in an oiled frying pan.
- Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring.
- Grate the carrots using a coarse grater.
- Add to the onion and sauté with it for 6-7 minutes.
- Peel the pepper from seeds, stalks and cut into strips or cubes.
- Place in the pan and sauté for another 8 minutes.
- Peel the zucchini and chop into pieces.
- Add the zucchini to the vegetables, stir and cover.
- Grind the tomato in a food processor or blender until it becomes a thin paste.
- After 10 minutes of simmering the zucchini, stir the contents and simmer for another 4 minutes.
- Pour the tomato into the vegetables, add salt and spices.
- After 5 minutes of simmering under the lid, add chopped herbs.
- Cook for another 3-4 minutes covered.
Who is the diet suitable for?
The “aristocratic diet” attracts many people who want to lose weight with its flexibility. Unlike mono-diets with strict restrictions and monotonous dishes, the English diet is more varied. It allows you not to give up many products that a person is used to seeing for breakfast, dinner and lunch. The ban is imposed only on fatty and fried foods, flour and sweets. Separately, it is worth mentioning salt - it will have to be completely excluded from the diet to prevent edema and fluid retention.
Video
Important! Due to its salt-free composition, this type of nutrition is classified as stressful. The body cannot do without salt for a long time, so such fasting is allowed no more than once every 12 months.
The diet is suitable for anyone who finds it easier to follow a given nutritional schedule and consume foods according to a predetermined plan. The diet is well tolerated at any age and is equally suitable for both women and men. The most important thing is to survive the first two days, which are considered the most stressful and difficult.
Who is not suitable for?
Before planning any diet, it is necessary to take into account chronic diseases that may worsen due to unusual nutrition. In particular we are talking about:
- peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
- diseases of the liver and gall bladder;
- endocrine disorders (diabetes mellitus);
- pathologies of the kidneys and urinary system.
Protein products, which form the basis of the diet, place increased stress on the liver and kidneys. The cholesterol content in the blood increases, and the risk of the formation of cholesterol plaques and blood clots increases. Therefore, people prone to blood clots and cardiovascular diseases will also have to refuse the diet proposed by the British.
The English diet for 21 days is contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding. During this period, it is better to adhere to a nutritious diet, and during lactation, pay attention to a hypoallergenic diet. It is not recommended to go on a salt-free diet in hot weather, since such nutrition will not cover the body’s increased needs for fluid.
Contraindications
Not in all cases, such a diet brings benefits to the body. The English diet has certain contraindications that should definitely be taken into account:
- too low immunity;
- problems with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- presence of diabetes mellitus of any degree;
- lack of vitamins in the body;
- problems with the functioning of the heart and blood vessels;
- period of pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Have you decided to follow this method of losing weight? Then go to your doctor in advance. He will diagnose the condition of your body to detect possible health problems.
The English diet is a way to combat extra pounds that has proven itself to be the best. You can go on such a diet to see for yourself how effective it is. But you should adhere to the basic rules and principles of diet. Only in this case will you be able to avoid health problems by improving your well-being.
Benefit
Women and men who practice English-type nutrition claim that if all principles are strictly followed, they can lose up to 12-18 kg of excess weight in 21 days. On average, weight loss is about 8 kg - the more indulgences a person losing weight makes for himself, the less pronounced the result will be.
What else is good about the diet:
- serves as a good relief for the body, burning ballast fat;
- eliminates bad habits in the field of cooking;
- supplies the body with a large amount of vitamins, minerals and organic acids;
- rids tissues and internal organs of harmful deposits and toxic compounds;
- gives a lasting effect, provided that the person does not try to “catch up” during food restrictions.
Thanks to a balanced diet and a clear schedule, there is no feeling of hunger between meals. This means that the diet will be easily tolerated, and thoughts about food will not annoy you throughout the day. Many are tempted by the lack of mandatory physical activity - the weight goes away on its own due to the normalization of nutrition and metabolism.
Nutrition rules
Nutritionists warn about the need to visit doctors if you have
a person has a history of chronic diseases of the kidneys and digestive system.
You need to lose weight using the method under consideration wisely: a sharp restriction in both the quantity of food and its qualitative composition does not have the most favorable effect on the functioning of the body.
Additional stress can lead to an exacerbation of existing pathologies and a deterioration in overall well-being.
In order for the English diet to really please you with the results, you need to follow some nutritional rules:
- 60 minutes before the first meal (breakfast), you need to drink 200 ml of warm boiled water, it can be slightly salted;
- You need to drink at least 1.5 liters of plain water per day, you can divide this amount into portions and take it every hour or two;
- The last time you eat food should be no later than 18-00;
- Meals should be divided, so there will be at least 4 meals per day.
Some sources mention the mandatory use of multivitamin complexes, especially if the period of adherence to the English diet occurred in the winter.
You need to understand that such self-prescriptions are fraught with unpleasant consequences in the form of hypervitaminosis, allergic reactions, and problems with intestinal function. And all the efforts to achieve the desired result will be in vain.
If you really want to support your body with vitamins, then it would be advisable to seek advice from a therapist or nutritionist.
Watch this video about the English diet:
What you can and cannot eat
Although the English diet refers to protein and vegetables, not all vegetables and protein products are included in the list of permitted foods. All the subtleties of the diet are reflected in the principles of the diet that must be followed:
- You can eat any seasonal vegetables except potatoes. Beets, asparagus, carrots, spinach, sorrel, parsley, basil, lettuce, eggplant, zucchini, zucchini are allowed;
- Fruits are allowed to be consumed in small quantities, with the exception of high-calorie ones - bananas, grapes and figs;
- For meat, low-fat varieties of beef, boiled or in the form of broths, are preferable;
- You can eat any fish, but it is advisable to give preference to marine species with a minimum amount of fat;
- The diet must include dairy products - kefir and skim milk;
- It is recommended to avoid carbohydrates in the form of porridges and cereal products; occasionally you can eat oatmeal;
- bakery products should be presented only in the form of rye bread; you are allowed to eat several dried slices during the day;
- all kinds of smoked delicacies, sausages and sausages are prohibited, with the exception of home-made ham;
- Liquids must be consumed in sufficient quantities (about 2 liters). Its bulk should be purified still water, herbal infusions, and green tea. It is better to limit black tea and coffee to the maximum or completely abolish them for the duration of the entire diet;
- if it is not possible to give up sweets and sugar, you can replace them with honey;
- To compensate for the lack of table salt, you should use a small amount of sea salt or natural spices;
- Before going to bed, it is advisable to drink a tablespoon of any vegetable oil (sunflower, olive) to maintain intestinal function. You can add butter to your dishes throughout the day.
Important! During the diet you will have to forget about alcoholic drinks, chocolate and baked goods. Dishes should be prepared using boiling and baking methods.
It would be a good idea to include vitamin and mineral complexes in your schedule. They will help make up for the lack of beneficial compounds that the meager English diet lacks.
English diet menu for 21 days
The classic diet is designed for a full three weeks. The first days of these will be fasting days. During this period, you will have to be content only with dairy products - in 1 day you are allowed to drink about 1.5 liters of low-fat kefir or unsweetened yogurt without additives.
The entire daily dose of the drink should be divided into three meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and at the fourth meal (second dinner before bed) you can drink a glass of tomato juice. If unloading is difficult, you can add a small slice of black bread to kefir or yogurt. The same unloading should be carried out on the last day of the diet - the 21st.
At the end of the fasting days, you can begin alternating proteins and vegetables. The first three dietary days will be protein (meat/fish). But this does not mean that the menu will contain exclusively meat or fish.
Detailed menu - protein breakfast options:
- a hard-boiled egg, a slice of bread, toast or toast, a glass of fruit or vegetable juice;
- milk porridge with oatmeal and raisins, fresh juice;
- steamed oatmeal and green apple;
- coffee with milk without added sugar, toast spread with butter or honey.
Protein lunch options:
- baked zucchini or eggplant, 2-3 tablespoons of low-fat cottage cheese, vegetable salad, for dessert - citrus fruit salad without sugar;
- grain bread (maximum 2 slices), baked peas or beans, 100 g of any fruit from the “white” list;
- vegetable broth with vegetables and toast, a slice of cheese weighing 20-30 g, one apple or one pear;
- beef broth with a piece of boiled meat, 2 tablespoons of canned green peas;
- fish-based broth, a piece of low-fat cheese, any vegetables of your choice.
Protein dinner options:
- baked eggplant with aromatic herbs under a cheese coat, 1 loaf of bread, 3 apricots;
- a piece of boiled fish with a salad of leafy vegetables, kefir with steamed dried apricots;
- any bean dish, crackers, green tea, apple;
- 2 boiled eggs, a piece of homemade diet ham, a glass of kefir, dried bread;
- 2 hard-boiled eggs plus a piece of fish or meat, kefir and dried apricots.
Between main meals, you can have an additional one in the form of an afternoon snack. At approximately 15-16 hours of the day, it is recommended to drink a glass of unsweetened green (or herbal) tea. The tea drink can be replaced with milk (kefir) with a spoon of honey.
After three protein days in a row, five vegetable days are arranged. It’s much easier to create a menu for these days - no complicated recipes are needed. In 4 meals you should eat fruits and vegetables from the “white” list. Some people who are losing weight prefer to include both fruits and vegetables in one meal. Others eat separately, for example, they start the morning with apples or citrus fruits, and for the rest of the meals they prepare vegetable salads and vinaigrettes with vegetable oil. Drinks on vegetable days include herbal teas and fruit and vegetable juices.
At the end of 5 vegetable days, 4 more protein days are arranged, then 6 fruit and vegetable days and 1 fasting day on kefir.
Thus, the general diet plan will look like this:
- days No. 1-2 – unloading;
- days No. 3-5 – proteins;
- days No. 6-10 – vegetables + fruits;
- days No. 11-14 – proteins;
- days No. 15-20 – vegetables + fruits;
- Day No. 21 – unloading.
Important! It is prohibited to ignore fasting days! They help prepare the body for a new diet and exit the diet without problems.
Recipes for every day
So that the menu during weight loss is not monotonous, it is worth knowing some recipes for preparing protein and plant foods.
Chicken white meat
Cut 200 g of the main product into small cubes, add parsley and finely chopped onion. Pour the resulting mass with 100 ml of low-fat kefir and leave to marinate for 2 - 4 hours.
The marinated meat is stewed in a frying pan without adding fat for 10 - 20 minutes.
Beef broth
Place 400 g of lean meat, parsley root, 2 - 3 peppercorns in cold water, and if desired, add a head of onion. Cook until done.
If you use meat on a good, “sugar” bone for the broth, you can make the dish more concentrated and prepare jellied meat.
Chicken sausages
You need to grind 500 g of white chicken meat through a meat grinder, after boiling it until tender. Then beat the whites of 4 chicken eggs into a foam with a mixer, without stopping beating, add to them 2 tablespoons of beet juice and gelatin, already dissolved in warm water (20 g per 200 ml).
All the resulting components are thoroughly mixed, a sausage is formed by hand and placed either in foil or in a tray. Before eating, the dish must be completely cooled - 4 hours in the refrigerator is enough.
To learn how to cook sausages from chicken meat, watch this video:
Stuffed cabbage rolls with eggplants
Cut the eggplants into pieces, salt well and leave for 30 minutes. Then they are squeezed out, washed in cold water and minced in a meat grinder or crushed in a blender. Add 1 small onion and sweet (bell) pepper to the resulting mass.
The cabbage is doused with boiling water, divided into leaves, the thickenings on them need to be cut off or beaten well with the blunt side of a knife. The minced eggplant is wrapped in leaves, the cabbage rolls are placed on a baking sheet, poured with vegetable broth and stewed in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
The main rule for preparing any dishes of the English diet is not to add salt or fry foods.
English diet for 7 days
The seven-day diet in English is a less strict, “lighter” version of dietary nutrition, which allows you to adjust your weight by a couple of kilograms. The list of permitted protein foods, fruits and vegetables is the same. The only difference is the pattern of alternating days:
- days No. 1-2 – protein with the addition of kefir;
- days No. 3-4 – vegetable/fruit;
- days No. 5-6 – protein;
- day No. 7 – fasting on milk with the addition of bran (2 large spoons per day).
The last “hungry” milk day will help consolidate the results of the week’s diet and make a smarter transition to your usual diet.
How to quit the English diet
It is recommended to spend the first day after finishing the diet on dairy products. During this period, you are allowed to eat cottage cheese and cheese, drink kefir, yogurt and skim milk. During the three weeks of “exiting” the diet, it will be necessary to arrange fasting days on any product - kefir, apples, watermelon, vegetables - once every 7 days.
On the second day, you can add familiar products in small quantities - no more than one item per day. You can do it differently - continue to alternate days, arranging one protein and one vegetable per week.
In general, leaving the diet will take the same amount of time as the diet itself - 3 weeks. During this time you will have to give up heavy food and alcohol.
English diet: reviews
Maria , 19 years old: “I found a description of this diet in my mother’s notebook. I literally needed to lose 2 kg, but I liked the nutrition plan and seemed uncomplicated. That version was without the days of hunger that are indicated in modern versions. Nevertheless, I lost a fair amount of weight - instead of 2 kg, I lost 5. The results of the weight loss were good, but my health left much to be desired: my hands began to shake, and there was a bitterness in my mouth. The mistake was precisely in the absence of those very fasting days that help to gradually switch to the English diet and get out of the diet.”
Daria , 20 years old: “English is one of my very first diets, and it’s also my favorite. I first tried this diet at the age of 16 - I lost weight with my mother. The effect was amazing - we both lost 10 kg, exactly as much as we planned. The diet really helps, but in order to maintain the desired weight, you will have to change your eating habits in the future.”
Polina , 39 years old: “With a complete lack of physical activity, the diet allowed me to get rid of 5 extra pounds in 21 days. The main principles of this system for me are to drink a lot of water, eat bran to avoid constipation, and be sure to drink a spoonful of sunflower oil before going to bed. The protein days were the hardest for me - I felt dizzy and nauseated. But in the second week, my health returned to normal, and the rest of the days went like clockwork.”
The diet menu in English is balanced and has moderate variety. In many ways, it has something in common with a salt-free, low-carbohydrate diet and rational fractional nutrition. The scheme can be recommended to a wide range of people seeking to improve their health and adjust their weight. The key point is the correct start and exit from the diet, the complete exclusion of fried and fatty foods, and the use of exclusively natural products.
Time frames and results, what can be achieved
Many people are interested in the question of exactly how many kilograms can you lose if you reduce your diet to two weeks, for example? And although it is wrong to judge in general terms and promise everyone that you can lose up to 10 kilograms in a week , below you will find approximate time frames and results that you can rely on. Also, even lower, you will find a list of factors that influence how quickly weight loss will occur.
To begin with, timing and results:
- In 5 days - by 2-4 kilograms.
- In 7 days - by 4-5 kilograms.
- In 10 days - by 5-6 kilograms.
- In 14 days - by 5-8 kilograms.
- In 21 days - by 8-10 kilograms.
- In a month - by 10-15 kilograms.
These numbers are conditional and in some cases may not work as clearly and ideally as written. What could be the reason? The factor of the uniqueness of each organism has been mentioned more than once. This is a very important point that should not be overlooked. All people are different, and the body accepts changes and adapts to them differently.
Below you will find a list of factors due to which weight loss can either accelerate or, conversely, be delayed.
- Your current weight
How much you weigh before starting a diet can greatly affect your final results. If you have a few extra pounds, you will definitely lose them and a few more in a relatively short period of time. But if the situation is a little more advanced and you really need to try hard to lose weight, don't expect instant results.
The first few kilograms may go away in the first few days, but then the weight will return to normal. And you will see weight movement only after a few weeks of dieting.
Important! To avoid getting upset and giving up, try not to rely on the number you see on the scale. Observe your changes in the mirror, measure body volumes and monitor changes in health - do you feel better or worse, and so on.
- Good or bad metabolism
Yes, this factor is important at the first stage, because some people initially do not have problems with metabolism, but others do. The situation is similar to that described above - if your body quickly copes with digesting food, with a new diet you will lose weight very quickly, and, accordingly, vice versa.
- Genetics
Everything is simple here - if, according to your genetic code, you are prone to being overweight and have difficulty getting rid of extra pounds, you will definitely lose weight much longer than those girls who do not have problems at the genetic level.
- Stress resistance, endurance
These moments most often become the cause of excess weight, or rather, the lack of these skills. If you have problems at work or in the family, and you are sensitive to them, you will most likely get better (a rare case when people lose a lot of weight from stress). Accordingly, during the process of losing weight, stress can affect the rate of weight loss.