5 Day Diet

In a society brimming with diet plans, supplements, and advice, it can be difficult to separate the good from the ugly.  A much talked about option is the 5-Day Diet, which seems to offer what we love most – instant gratification.  If weight can be reduced in just five days, it may offer motivation to start a more comprehensive dieting regime as well as the immediate affirmation and boost to self-esteem.  The five day diet, however, has been open to criticism as well as acclaim; is it really safe?  Is it really effective?  Does it really work?

Five Day Wonder Diet

The Five Day Wonder Diet, or as some call it, the “Miracle Diet,” is one of the most common of five day diet plans.  The wonder diet orders a strict regime; within half an hour off waking, the dieter is to breakfast on a small portion of starch such as wheat toast or eggs.  Lunch is to be eaten before one in the afternoon, and should consist of protein such as steak or beans, and a large portion of vegetables, the same with dinner, which should be consumed before eight.  Any snack should consist of “hard chew” vegetables or fruit such as carrots or celery, which will then release sugar slowly into the body and – in the case of celery – actually burn more calories by digestion than you consume.

There’s only one problem with the five day miracle diet:  namely, it doesn’t work.  Because the approach to dieting is rather slamming and non-comprehensive, the body responds to signals by slowing down, and not by speeding up.  Although the subject may experience weight loss, this loss is water-based and not fat-based, meaning it is short lived and hardly a balanced approach.

Five Day Fasting Diet

Along similar lines as the Five Day Wonder Diet, the Five Day Fasting Diet offers an even more jarring approach – with even less effective results.  This diet suggests that users actually fast from “real foods” such as carbs, starch, fruits, vegetables, and protein completely, drinking only juice for five days.  This causes the body to go into survival mode, conserving calories as best it can in an attempt to counter the sudden loss of nutrition.  Again, there is no long-term weight loss – because the metabolism slows down, this diet can actually cause dramatic weight gain as soon as the fasting ceases.

It should be noted, however, that juice fasts and other fasting plans may be excellent approaches to another problem; many health experts encourage a juice fast as part of a colon cleanse or allergy cleanse.  In conjunction with careful physicality, a juice fast may allow your body to expunge the harmful toxins imbibed in everyday food and drink, cleansing them thoroughly from the system.  Dieters should proceed cautiously, however, and use this method only with a comprehensive understanding of the effects it has on your body.
Five Day Jump Start

This version of the five day diet is oriented mostly on getting you on track – fast.  By establishing hard-core patterns in a few days, this diet hopes to initiate a long-term pattern of change.  The food options are simple  - pick one item from each category per meal.  The categories consist of Protein, Fruit/Vegetable, and Starch, and the diet plan allows you to mix and match food items to create your meals.  The first two meals of the day might consist of 2 eggs, 2 cups fruit, and 1 cup rice or pasta with tomato sauce, or 6 oz tuna, 2 cups vegetable-based fruit, and a 1 oz biscuit; the third meal cuts out the starch category, leaving you with options like 4 oz beef and a 6 oz salad.  For more specific guidelines on the five-day diet with jump start, go to the ivillage website at http://www.ivillage.co.uk/dietandfitness/wtmngment/
diets/articles/0,,249_541380,00.html This UK site offers a comprehensive overview of a more healthy approach to the five day diet.

Like all diets, the Five-Day Jump Start emphasizes an immense need for exercise as part of a healthy weight-loss program – running, jogging, swimming, dance, and aerobics are all good activities to complement a healthy diet.  It is also important to eat regularly, and not skip meals; this will actually be counterproductive to the weight loss process.  Every time you skip a meal, your body slows down its metabolism to try to preserve calories, making up for the nutrition it thinks you’re missing.

Because this diet is less of a quick fix than other diets, and does not claim to change your body in a few short days, it may be a healthier and more realistic approach than the five day miracle diet or fasting diet.  It is still, however, merely a tool, to be used to help dieters get on the “right track” – towards a holistically healthy lifestyle. 

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