I had not heard of this until today but a few years ago there was a diet created by General Motors called the GM Diet to get or at least keep the employees in shape (to bad it didn’t help the bottom line) and this diet was really popular even outside of General Motors.
The GM Diet is one of those older diets that seems to be based on heresay and fads more than anything and you can see this in the strange ideas about drinking certain alcohols and the idea of eating until you are “stuffed” can not be at all good over the long term. Also funny is an all meat day as opposed to the fat loss 4 idiots all fruit day.
The GM Diet was originally created by GM and only for the employees and families. Somehow GM (biggest company in the world at the time) got a grant from the FDA and the Department of Agriculture to create this. Johns Hopkins was involved and the diet was approved and launched in 1985.
This GM Diet program is designed for a target weight loss of 10-17 lbs per week. It will also improve your attitudes and emotions because of its cleansing systematic effects.
This can also be used over and over again although I am not to sure about the food balance as it seems to be extreme in a few ways. The GM Diet is designed to flush your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well being. The plan is designed to lose you 10 pounds or so in a week. Has anyone tried and found this?
GM Diet Plan
During the first seven days you must abstain from all alcohol. You must drink 10 glasses of water each day on the GM Diet
Day One All fruits except bananas. Your first day will consist of all the fruits you want. It is strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day. Especially watermelon and a loupe. If you limit your fruit consumption to melons, your chances of losing three lbs. on first day are very good.
Day Two All vegetables. You are encouraged to eat until you are stuffed with all the raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large baked potato for breakfast. You may top the potato with one pat of butter.
Day Three A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. Any amount, any quantity. No bananas yet. No potatoes today.
Day Four Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.
Day Five Today is feast day. You will eat beef and tomatoes. Eat two 10 oz. portions of lean beef. Hamburger is OK. Combine this with six whole tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake by one quart. This is to cleanse your system of the uric acid you will be producing.
Day Six Beef and vegetables. Today you may eat an unlimited amount of beef and vegetables. Eat to your hearts content.
Day Seven Today your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you care to consume.
Tomorrow morning from the GM Diet you will be 10-17 lbs. lighter than one week ago. If you desire further weight loss, repeat the program again. You may repeat this program as often as you like, however, it is suggested that you are allowed two glasses of white wine in addition to the instructions on the program. You may substitute champagne for white wine. Under no circumstances are you to drink any other alcoholic beverages with the exception of beer which is allowed. Any liquor (bourbon,vodka, rum) is forbidden.
Cream drinks are especially forbidden on the GM Diet. You may have an occasional cordial such as creme de menthe or schnapps, but you must always limit yourself to two drinks.
If you wine, drink only wine that day. If you have beer, drink only beer that day, etc. Alcohol adds empty calories to your diet. However, after the first week on the GM Diet it will help your digestion and settle your stomach.
GM Wonder Soup
The following soup is intended as a supplement to your GM Diet. It can be eaten any time of the day in virtually unlimited quantities. You are encouraged to consume large quantities of this soup.
28 oz, Water, 6 Large Onions, 2 Green Peppers, Whole Tomatoes (fresh or canned), 1 Head Cabbage, 1 Bunch Celery, 4 Envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix, Herbs and Flavoring as desired.
GM Diet Additional Notes
Vegetables as may be taken in the form of a salad if desired. No dressing except malt, white or wine vinegar, squeezed lemon, garlic, herbs. No more than one tea spoon of oil on the GM Diet.
You have above a recipe for the wonder soup which can be eaten in unlimited quantities. This soup is a supplement while you are on the program and it should be a pleasure to eat. Not everyone likes cabbage, green peppers, celery etc. This recipe is not inflexible. You may substitute vegetables according to your taste. You may add any vegetables you like: asparagus, peas, corn, turnips, green beans, cauliflower, etc. Try to stay away from beans (lima, pinto, kidney, etc.), however, because they tend to be high in calories even though they are very good for you.
Beverages you may consume while on the GM Diet program :
1. Water (flavored with lemon/lime if desired).
2. Club Soda is OK.
3. Black Coffee. No cream or cream substitute. No sugar or sweetness.
4. Black Tea = Herb or Leaf.
5. Absolutely nothing else except the fruit juices which are part of day seven. No fruit juices before day seven.
How and Why the GM Diet Works
Day One – You are preparing your system for the upcoming program. Your only source of nutrition is fresh or canned fruits. Fruits are nature’s perfect food. They provide everything you could possibly want to sustain life except total balance and variety.
Day Two – Starts with a fix of complex carbohydrates coupled with an oil dose. This is taken in the morning for energy and balance. The rest of day two consists of vegetables which are virtually calorie free and provide essential nutrients and fibre.
Day Three – Eliminates the potato because you get your carbohydrates from the fruits. You system is now prepared to start burning excess pounds. You will still have cravings which should start to diminish by day four.
Day Four – Bananas, milk and soup sound the strangest and least desirable. You’re in for a surprise. You probably will not eat all the bananas allowed. But they are there for the potassium you have lost and the sodium you may have missed the past three days. You will notice a definite weight loss of desire for sweets. You will be surprised how easy this day will go.
Day Five – Beef and tomatoes. The beef is for iron and proteins, the tomatoes are for digestion and fibre. Lots and lots of water purifies your system. You should notice colorless urine today. Your allowance calls for the equivalent of five “quarter ponders”. Do not feel you have to eat all this beef. You must eat the six tomatoes.
Day Six – Similar to day five, Iron and proteins from beef, Vitamins and fibre from vegetables. By now your system is in a total weight loss inclination. There should be a noticeable difference in the way you look today, compared to day one.
Day Seven – Finished off the program like a good cigar used to finish off Victorian meals, except much healthier. You have your system under control and it should thank you for the flushing and cleaning you just gave it.
I am not sure of the value of the GM Diet but go ahead and try this and see if you are pleasantly surprised. Make sure that if you try this that you also let us all know of the results good or bad in the comments below. Maybe GM Diet will me the legacy that General Motors will be remembered for instead?
Starting the diet in 2 days and I have a quick question about the baked potato on Day 2, is it possible to sub it for a baked sweet potato? Does anyone know? Thanks!
Reading through the other posts, it looks like a baked sweet potato is an acceptable alternative. 🙂
Good luck!
So I’m finishing up Day 3… I haven’t lost any yet 🙁 I’m so disappointed. Debating on if I should even continue with the last 4 days. Has anyone else had this problem?
i think u started 2 ate morreeeee!!! be in a limit !! it will help uuuu!!! dont eat more (limted)!!!
No, sadly I have barely eaten. I dont like fruit so the first day I had 1 handful of grapes, 1/2 a grape fruit, and a few blue berries. The second day I ate the baked potato with a very thin pat of butter, 1 head of broccoli, 1 small bowl of soup and a cucumber. The third day I ate a cucumber, some blueberries, 1 head of broccoli, and 1 carrot. Today all I’ve had is one banana and it’s almost 1pm. I don’t think I’m over eating, if I am then the point of this diet must be to starve yourself!
Oh and I’ve been working out a bit each day. Ran a mile on day 1 and a mile on day 3… Plan on running another mile today as well. This morning, Day 4, I have now lost 1lb…
Reading through a lot of the other posts — it seems like several people have had this same problem. However, they end up losing after Day 4. I’d go ahead and stick it out the next 4 days, just to see what happens. After all — it’s only 4 days! 😉
Good luck!
Thanks Jennie I am on day 4 and I have hardly lost any But I am continueing till day 7 and see whats in store for meAny idea how much we can lose from day 4 to day 7
You need to eat more.
As far as I can see You were not eating enough. There is a reason to “Eat till you are stuffed” because your body doesnt shut down your metabolism. When you are eating all of these negative calories even though you are not getting enough calories your body knows that there is an abundance of food. It therefore metabolizes the fat that is stored, When you are barely eating and what you are eating is super lo calories you go into a fat storage state. I have been stuffing myself I am currently on day 5 and I have lost 7 pounds. Whatever they say I can eat I stuff my self constantly . I havent limited myself to meal times or otherwise and it works great. make sure you drink lots of water aswell. I have not Exercised at all during these days.
Hi guys,
Started the diet today just finishing my bowl full of watermelon for dinner 🙂
Was just wondering, I can not stand tomatoes what would be the substitute for it?
Also, would having a boiled egg with my salad be a big no no?
The diet doesn’t state that you can substitute for tomatoes. It says you MUST eat the 6 tomatoes. I would just find a different way to prepare them (i.e. dice ’em up and make a tomato and beef stew!). And boiled eggs aren’t listed on the protocol, either, so it’s best to leave ’em out! 🙂
Good luck!
Hi
make a tomato soup instead.it works well.Boil 4 tomatoes with 1tsp of pepper ,2 garlic pods and 1/2 a quatered onion in 3 cups water.Cool and puree’ in a liquidizer or a hand mixer.Strain ,add little sali if needed.
I marinated the beef strips in salt ,pepper vinegar and a little soy,Stir firied the beef and added diced tomatoes in the end.Tastes good .At least this is better than eating raw tomatoes.
good Luck.
I plan on starting the diet after this weekend and was concerned about the milk day. I’m lactose intolerant. Does anyone have any idea if it would be okay to use almond milk? or which milk would be best? thanks!! 🙂
Good luck to you. I am on day 4 and have lost 7lbs already. Day 3 was the toughest so far. I am lookind forward to tomorrow so I can have steak and tomatoes. The soup is very good and it will fill you up if you are hungry.
Going through a lot of the other posts, it seems like people are substituting regular milk with almond, soy, etc. I would suggest soy. 🙂
Good luck!
You can buy lactose free milk! It’s right beside the regular milk in the grocery store. I’m also lactose intolerant and this is what I use in my cereal and everything else. It taste exactly the same as regular milk, without getting the stomach cramps! 🙂
Starting today……..
I’m excited to see the results that some of you have experienced! I’ve had kiwi and a pear so far today. Yum!
Starting 135.8 (as of this morning)
Will update with loss in a week……..
134.2 this morning
Day#1 was pretty easy. DId have a slight headache but it went away with some frozen blueberries for dessert.
Day#2 so far is okay. I had a few sweet potato fries at lunch but maybe 5-7. Big salad and some guac. The baked potato in the morning was tough but the butter was SO good!
Day 3 – 134.4 I cheated a bit (we were in Cape May for the day) but other than that pretty good.
Day 4 – 134.8 expected to be up after cheating yesterday. Bananas and milk were easy for me. I actually like bananas so it wasn’t bad. I was not hungry AT ALL all day and had NO cravings!
Day 5 – 133.8 Only 2lbs down but hoping for 2 more by the end of the diet.
Hey guys, just wanted to post about my experience for anyone who is interested in doing this diet. Im a 21 year old female, and my roommate and I decided to try this diet a few days ago. Neither of us are over , and we are both in good shape, we tried this diet to lose an extra 10 lbs each. We did everything properly (ate a lot of fruit on the first day, made the special soup, and ate alll veggies on the 2nd day). Near the end of the first day we both felt extremely dizzy and light headed, so we had some soup which helped a little, but not completely. By the second day, I felt very very faint and couldnt even walk to school as I felt I was going to pass out. We were both eating tons of veggies like this diet calls for. Following dinner (we grilled some veggies with 1 teaspoon of oil) both of us felt so light headed we decided to call it quits and eat some carbs. Im a vegetarian and a celiac, so thus I eat fruits and vegetables quite often, so I don’t think it had anything to do with withdrawal from meat or carbs. But, there was definitely something that was contributing to how horrible I was feeling. I found it impossible to focus, and had almost no energy, with a massive headache that started the first evening and lasted till the second evening, and was very shaky. Another thing to mention, on the second day both of us felt, and looked VERY bloated. I’m not sure if that was part of the plan or if it wouldve gone away had we stuck it out the entire week, but it wasnt a great feeling. The diet also recommends that you workout moderately, but I can tell you right now that could be potentially dangerous. While I totally agree that a diet filled with lots of fruits, veggies, and no preservatives is great for not only losing , but also being healthy, I also think that this should be a part of a balanced diet and consumption of these food groups should not be isolated to one day. I have been on liquid cleanses, and tried many diet pills in the past and I think that this is by far the worst diet Ive tried. The best one would definitely be eating healthy, in moderation, and working out on a regular basis. It not only works the best, but it also allows you to keep the lbs off!
Jessica, I am so sorry that you outcome has been so bad from this. I am on day 7 and have not only felt great but I have seen a tremendous difference in my body. I have followed this diet to a T, the only changes I made were taking vitamins every morning and with the soup I tweaked a few things. I didn’t weigh myself when I started this because I didn’t want to be disappointed if it didn’t work, but if I had to guess, I would say I have lost about 10-12 pounds. I do absolutely agree with you that a healthy lifestyle is the most important role in -loss. I do feel like this diet helped me become more aware of the kinds of foods I was eating while teaching me to enjoy foods naturally raw and without added crap!
Well you should check with your physician before starting this program. Specially if you have diabetes, make sure you have some sugary fruit, such as a mango/apple and some sugary vegetable such as carrots/ sweet potato on the second day. It wont help u loose but its a reasonable trade-off for completing the program. You will loose and will have a happier stomach at the end, just keep your calorie levels high
in day two about to potato..how should i cook it?i mean..is it mashed potato?
I think your potato needs to be baked, or microwaved. It can have 1 pad of butter.
thank you,,:))
Does it matter what kind of milk for Day 4? Is 2% ok?
skim 🙂
Hi, I have a question about the 4th day. It says to have “limited” amounts of soup. How much is that? Also, is this the only day we can eat the soup? Wondering about the fruit juices on day 7 as well. Started my first day today and so far so good but it helps that I REALLY love fruit.
I decided to start today! I’m a bit nervous. I already lost the I gained from having my son 9 months ago, but I have about 14 lbs to get to my goal and I certainly need more energy. I hope my cup of coffee this morning wont already kill me on the first day… I only used non fat creamer and no sugar. Do you guys think I need to wait and try starting tomorrow because of that? Also what were people’s results like in the end?? Did you really lose 10lbs or more?
I’m on Day 2 and already lost 5 pounds 🙂
I’m now on day 3, well it’s almost day 4, and I haven’t lost anything 🙁 I’m feeling extremely discouraged and seriously bummed.
hey.. i am starting my day 4 … needed some guidance… well dat on day 2 night i felt extremely weak n so i cheated and ate 1 bowl of maggie with veggies like peas,onion and tomato… dats al i cheated …i do see a slight difference…. but don’t seem to have stamina to do my yoga and walk … i only did on day 1 and day 2 with walk reduced to half hour. . .day 3 and day 4 (today) i feel lethargic…. i am drinking alot of water more than i want. . .i only take 2-3 cups of green tea without sugar and 1 glass of lime water with sugar in a day with normal water .
Green tea is a horrible idea unless you’re sure it’s decaf!! (same goes for coffee, folks anything speeding up your metab. is a big no no when u severely decrease your calories!!!) Also i don’t think people realize this i a form of detox too, so if you are already healthy and in good shape, your body could be “perfecting” itself so to speak, rather than just shedding those excess pounds. All that means is that yes, there will be discomfort. consider starting on a weekend or taking a couple of days off. Ladies, make sure you’re not menstruating as the combination of that and detox can wreak all kinds of havoc on the body!!!
Starting day 7 and am down 8lbs!!!
I just started Day 5 and am dow 4lbs since starting. I was hoping for better results so far, but haven’t followed the diet to a T. On the mornings that I go to the gym, I make a protein shake with spinach and a banana because I need more in my system than veggies in order to make it through a workout. However, I have noticed that my pants are looser and other than adding my protein shake, the diet isn’t as hard to follow as I thought!
I am starting the GM diet on Monday. Any tips would be great!
It seems to be working for me. I just finished day 5 and as of this morning I’ve lost 5.5 lbs. My husband has lost 10 lbs so far. I bought way too much fruit, so if you’re getting fresh, go easy. I have stuck to this diet to a T. I have to run 20 miles tomorrow and I’m a little apprehensive as I was not able to load up on carbs tonight. Day 4 left me feeling very weak, but today my energy returned!
Good Luck!
Oh, and have some Pepcid or Tums on hand for days 5 & 6!
On Day 4. Pretty Much a Breeze. Down 8 lbs from 238 to 230 as of this morning…
Starting Day 4 – milk, bananas & soup. Weight beginning day 1, 132.5….today’s 127.5!!
My husband is doing this too and he is down 8 lbs 🙂
Here is my soup recipe and its WONDERFUL !! Not so many onions…..
3 pkgs of dry onion soup mix
1 head of cabbage-chopped up
4 carrots-cut up (wait to add in the middle of cooking if you use baby carrots)
1 can corn-dont drain just pour in
1 can green beans-don’t drain just pour in
1 can baby corn on cob
1 small can of sliced mushrooms
2 cans diced tomatoes-oregeno, garlic
1 cup of frozen okra (put in at the middle of cooking)
1/2 chopped yellow onion
add enough water to cover ingredients
you can add these spices at the beginning or in the middle of cooking :
Emeril’s Original Essence (dry spice, it has a pic of a man on bottle)
Garlic powder
Salt / Pepper
Cook on Medium heat for 2 hours or so, until the constancy of cabbage/carrots are to your liking
You can add/omit any ingredient to your desire 🙂
My husband of course said YUK when he heard what all was in it and after it cooked I made him try it and he was amazed how good it was and had NO MEAT 🙂 lol
Im on day 3 and lost 3.4 pounds, so I can’t wait till the end and see the total results !!
I am on Day 4 of my second week of doing this and LOVE it still! My pants feel huge on me! My energy level is definitely up from where it was last week, too.
Hi I am on day five and noticed when I did my morning weigh in that I gained on day 4. What gives here? Its a little discouraging to eat nothing but bananas and milk with lots of water and to actually gain a few oz of back. Makes me want to quit this diet all together I can only imagine what will happen on “feast day” if I gained back on banana and milk day. Has anyone else had this happen on this diet?
Don’t giver up! I think the gain would probably just be water , since you’ve added the milk.
I dont eat beef, what can be the replacement of that?
Brown rice is the replacement. I’m starting today, pretty excited to get this under way!
The Indian diet said that chicken breast will be a good sub for beef
A few oz?! You’re female! consider where you are in your cycle. i agree it’s probably a little water retention, use common sense on “feast day” don’t over eat and drink every oz of that water and you’ll be fine
That is probably because bananas initially make you heavier after eating them (hence the reason why wrestlers eat a bunch right before a weigh in) but after they have digested you should probably be back down in . Just stick it out and see.
How can this diet be modified for people with diabetes? I was going to try adding some DRY whole grain cereal just once a day and maybe some turkey meat as well…will it affect it that much??