Could the 13 day diet be the one for you? If you're looking to lose weight, then the 13 day diet is one of the most popular diets around right now. It's not for everyone, but this strict diet plan is commonly used as a kick starter for those looking to shed those extra kilos. Is this for you? Keep reading and we'll tell you all you need to know to make an informed decision!
What is the 13 Day Diet Plan?
The 13 day diet is what is known as a “metabolism diet plan”. In simple terms, metabolism is the rate at which your body changes the food you eat into energy and waste (“Poo” – there, we said it). The faster you can metabolise food, the less weight you will put on (and the more weight you will lose). The 13 day diet aims to change your metabolism by shocking it into working faster. So, for thirteen days you'll eat an extremely strict diet plan that will change your metabolism.
As for the origin of the 13 day diet, well, no one is sure. Sometimes this diet is referred to as the “Royal Danish Hospital diet”, but the actual Royal Danish Hospital have denied having anything to do with the regime.
Does the 13 Days Diet Work?
We can’t say from personal experience, but based on various online research, and a basic understanding of the human body, the answer is “Yes” –because you're going to be eating a lot less calories than you're probably used to. The 13 day diet promises weight loss of between six and fifteen kilos in just 13 days. However, it also promises to change your metabolism for up to two years after you have finished the diet plan. That makes weight loss easier, which is why many people choose to do the 13 day diet and then move on to eating more healthily, or even doing another, less strict, kind of diet. The Paleo diet, for example, is a common choice after finishing the 13 days diet.
The 13 Day Metabolism Diet: The Good and The Bad
Every diet has pluses and minuses. On the pro side, the 13 day diet does promise a lot of weight loss in a short time, which makes it a very motivating diet for beginners. It also doesn't require you to buy lots of special (expensive) foods or supplements, and you'll probably have most of the foods you need at home already. Of course, losing weight and feeling healthier is its own reward. But you can also expect added bonuses, such as lower insurance premiums, for example, seeing as how insurance companies view overweight customers as a greater risk and therefore charge higher premiums (which reminds us: if you’re overweight and don’t have life insurance, you better start thinking about it).
What about the negative side? Well, the 13 day diet is very strict, and you'll be eating a lot less calories than normal, which means that you'll probably be feeling pretty hungry a lot of the time and perhaps be a bit less energetic. That means that it can be tough to stick to this diet plan (we advise getting friends and family on board to help you through it). The diet is also not sustainable – and you really should not follow this meal plan for more than 13 days since it does not include all the nutrients that you need to stay healthy. Finally, with so few calories you are likely to become both tired and irritable (sounds like my ex), though these symptoms will go away once you begin eating normally again.
The 13 Day Diet Menu
The menu for the 13 day diet is very simple, and we've included an example for you here below. This particular version comes from diet-expert.org, but whichever resource you use the 13 day diet doesn't really vary very much at all. So, here's what you'll be allowed to eat on the 13 day diet:
Day 1: coffee/tea for breakfast; 1 boiled egg, 200g boiled spinach and 1 tomato for lunch; 100g beef and lettuce for dinner.
Day 2: coffee for breakfast; fat free yoghurt and 150g ham for lunch; 100g beef, lettuce and 1 fruit for dinner.
Day 3: coffee and 1 slice of bread for breakfast; 2 eggs, 1 slice of ham, spinach and tomato for lunch; boiled celery, 1 tomato and 1 fruit for dinner.
Day 4: coffee and 1 slice of bread for breakfast; fat free yoghurt and 200ml orange juice for lunch; 1 egg, 1 carrot and 100ml of cottage cheese for dinner.
Day 5: coffee and 1 slice of bread for breakfast; 150g salmon for lunch; 100g beef and lettuce for dinner.
Day 6: coffee and 1 slice of bread for breakfast; 1 egg and 1 carrot for lunch; 150g chicken breast and lettuce for dinner.
Day 7: coffee for breakfast; only water for lunch; 200g lamb cutlets and 1 apple for dinner.
Day 8: coffee for breakfast; 2 eggs, 1 tomato and 200g boiled spinach for lunch; 200g beef and lettuce for dinner.
Day 9: coffee for breakfast; fat free yoghurt and 1 slice of ham for lunch; 200g beef and lettuce for dinner.
Day 10: coffee and 1 slice of bread for breakfast; 2 eggs, 1 slice of ham and lettuce for lunch; boiled celery, 1 tomato and 1 fruit for dinner.
Day 11: coffee and 1 slice of bread for breakfast; fat free yoghurt and 200ml of orange juice for lunch; 1 egg, 1 carrot and 200ml of cottage cheese.
Day 12: 1 carrot for breakfast; 200g salmon with 1 spoon of butter for lunch; 200g beef and lettuce for dinner.
Day 13: coffee and 1 slice of bread for breakfast; 2 eggs and 1 carrot for lunch; 250g chicken breast and lettuce for dinner.
Drinking and the 13 Days Metabolism Diet
There are two things that you need to know about drinking and the 13 day diet. The first is that you can substitute any coffee for tea, if you prefer. The second is that other than the drinks included in the diet the only other thing that you may drink is water. As part of the 13 day diet you must drink a minimum of two litres of water every day! To be honest, even if you don’t do this diet, you should drink at least 1.5L of water every day – it’s healthy in so many ways! Also, give up those soft drinks – it doesn’t take a scientist to know that they're no good!
Substituting and Cheating on the 13 Day Diet
As you can see, the 13 day diet is very strict indeed, and it's about to get even stricter… There are absolutely NO substitutions allowed on the 13 day diet, you may only eat exactly what the diet plan says (although there are slight varieties of the existing plans – so chose the one you like best). You can't even have a piece of chewing gum! Should you eat anything that is not on the diet plan (and that really means anything at all), then you are required to stop the plan immediately. Once you have stopped the plan you may not try again for another six months.
This sounds pretty severe, but the plan was specifically designed to change your metabolism, and even one tiny change will prevent that from happening. And if you do have a slip up then your metabolism will need another six months to return to normal before you can try to change it again.
After the 13 Day Diet
Once you're finished with the 13 day diet (comment below if you did), you can go back to eating normally if you like (and if you've reached your target weight). Because the 13 day diet changes your metabolism you should be able to stay at your finishing weight for the next two years. However, if you haven't reached your target weight, you may then wish to switch to another diet – but, it’s important to remember that when you’ve finished the 13 day diet you must NOT do this diet again for two years. Again, this is due to changes in your metabolism..
The 13 day diet is very strict, but it also promises big rewards if done properly. This isn't the right diet for everyone, and it's going to take even more willpower than a regular diet but at least it’s for a short period! But if you're looking to kick start weight loss, or to lose a lot of weight in a short time period, then the 13 day diet could be just what you need.
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Main subject: The 13 Day Diet
