Excess weight causes a lot of inconvenience: shortness of breath, weakness, excessive sweating, increased fatigue. Diets can help you lose weight, but not all of them are effective or safe.
The ZigZag diet is an unusual menu based on carbohydrate rotation, which has already helped many people achieve ideal shape. We will consider the rules and reviews of the diet menu for the week right now.
Features of the ZigZag diet for weight loss
The principle of the diet in question is to increase and decrease the amount of carbohydrates in the diet. The alternation scheme depends on the duration of the diet, consider the scheme for 7 days (the amount of proteins and carbohydrates is indicated at the rate of 1 g per 1 kg of body weight):
- Days 1-4 are a low-carbohydrate period, during which no more than 1 g of carbohydrates are consumed. It is necessary to increase the amount of daily protein to 5-6 g;
- Day 5 is high-carbohydrate, because during this period the “Zigzag” diet menu for weight loss needs to be enriched with 6 g of carbohydrates;
- Days 6-7 are medium carbohydrate, about 4 g of carbohydrates are consumed in food, protein - 2 g.
You can alternate such days for several weeks, carefully monitoring your well-being. If you feel unwell, stop the diet and consult a doctor.
Diet history
The diet was developed 15 years ago by Hollywood film star Carla Gugino, who sought not only to lose weight, but also to consolidate the results. The ZigZag diet menu was developed over several months; after the diet was unveiled, millions of women resorted to it, including famous actresses from the USA and the European Union.
The Zigzag diet is suitable for almost everyone, with the exception of people with serious illnesses.
The essence of the Zigzag program
The principle of the diet is to alternate carbohydrate and protein foods throughout the entire weight loss period (7 days).
First, the amount of carbohydrates in the diet is reduced, but the protein content is increased, then preference is given to dishes with a high carbohydrate content while reducing protein foods in the diet, after which the level of both nutrients must be brought to balance.
Effect on the body
The digestive system does not have time to get used to carbohydrates, then it processes a lot of protein, then equally receives protein and carbohydrate nutrition. This enhances the body’s own metabolism, body volume and weight are reduced, and accumulated fats are burned. The diet is suitable only for people who are actively involved in sports.
How does this diet work?
Numerous reviews of the Zigzag diet indicate that it is highly effective. Food containing carbohydrates gives our body strength and energy, being quite high in calories and satisfying. Carbohydrate alternation helps prevent exhaustion of the body, and on low-carb days an active process of fat burning is launched.
Important
The nutritional plan does not leave the body the opportunity to adapt to the diet; it ensures effective drying, which helps get rid of fat.
How many calories are in one kilogram of fat?
One kilogram of stored fat is approximately 7,700 kcal.
To lose 500 g of weight per week, it is recommended to reduce the energy value of the daily diet by 500 kcal in relation to the recommended daily calorie intake during the week.
For example, the daily energy intake is 2500 kcal. If you limit your intake to 2000 kcal per day, this will amount to a reduction of 3500 kcal per week, which will lead to a loss of body weight of 500 g.
On a note
Remember that in most cases, proper diet and exercise are considered the best way to lose weight.
Zigzag diet menu options for the week
When creating a Zigzag diet menu for a month or a week, it is worth remembering that it should contain nutritious and healthy foods - fresh vegetables and fruits, juices, fermented milk drinks, cereals. You should stop eating sweets, fresh bread, sugar and other foods containing simple carbohydrates. The following Zigzag diet menu received positive reviews.
Low carb menu
- First breakfast. 150 g cheese, steam omelette.
- Lunch. 2 steamed cheesecakes.
- Dinner. Chicken broth, 200 g of stewed zucchini, unsweetened tea.
- Afternoon snack. Curd pancakes.
- Dinner. 200 g baked cod, salad of 1 cucumber and tomato.
High carbohydrate menu
- First breakfast. 200 g of wheat porridge, cereal bread, lemon water.
- Lunch. 1 kiwi and an orange, from which you can make a salad, complementing it with lemon dressing.
- Dinner. Milk soup with pasta, tea.
- Afternoon snack. 1 grapefruit or pear.
- Dinner. Rice porridge with a piece of baked rabbit meat, salad.
A balanced menu with equal protein and carbohydrate content
- First breakfast. Corn porridge, a glass of yogurt.
- Lunch. 1 banana or 200 g strawberries.
- Dinner. Fish soup, a piece of bran bread, an apple.
- Afternoon snack. Dietary curd marshmallows.
- Dinner. Chopped cutlet, stewed vegetables, yogurt.
Drink at least 1.5 liters of clean water, otherwise the skin will lose elasticity and the weight loss process will proceed more slowly.
Zigzag diet: plan for alternating carbohydrates by day
The nutrition in question is divided into cycles, each of which is 4 days:
- Days 1 and 2 are considered low carb. Consume 0.5 g of carbohydrates per kg of weight, and at least 3 g of protein. At the end of 2 days, glycogen is completely used up, and the body begins to use fat instead.
- on day 3 you need to consume 5 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of protein. Fats are broken down in the body, muscles and liver are replenished with glycogen.
Zigzag diet: the weekly menu includes alternating carbohydrates and proteins. - on day 4, nutrition should be balanced. On this day, carbohydrates and proteins are consumed in equal quantities of 2.5 g. This is done so that the body can replenish wasted glycogen reserves.
Important to remember! When starting the Zigzag diet, it is not recommended to eat only vegetables on carbohydrate days of the weekly menu, and only eggs and meat products on protein days, you just need to eat them in the prescribed quantity.
Advantages and disadvantages
pros
- The daily calorie content of the Zigzag diet reaches 1500 kcal, so a person following it does not experience weakness or dizziness.
- A balanced menu, thanks to which the body will not be exhausted, dehydrated, or deprived of nutrients.
- Mostly positive reviews about the Zigzag diet.
- The results are encouraging, because in just 7 days you can lose up to 5 kg, in a month – 15 kg.
- Safety and a varied diet.
- Adapting the diet to the needs of the body.
Minuses
- To obtain and consolidate the result, the diet must be followed for at least 14-30 days.
- During the period when the amount of protein in the menu increases, it is necessary to devote 40-60 minutes a day to physical activity, otherwise the skin will become covered with cellulite and stretch marks will appear on it.
- Most reviews of the results of the Zig Zag diet indicate that the drying process can lead to a significant loss or reduction in the quality of muscle mass.
Days two, three and four
Your menu should still contain a minimum of carbohydrates. In the first couple of days of such a diet, you can lose 0.5–1 kg of weight, but don’t even try to prolong your carbohydrate-free life! You will feel disgusting and even dangerous. With a lack of carbohydrates, proteins and fats cannot be fully absorbed. Their remains float in the blood and poison the kidneys and liver.
In addition, the body really does not like to waste fat tissue. Especially the female body, which naturally strives to accumulate fat in case of pregnancy. Therefore, after 4-5 days without carbohydrates, he begins to burn unused fat, and without them his metabolism slows down.
So, we spend at least 2, maximum 4 days without carbohydrates. Exactly how much depends on how you tolerate it. The principle “the longer the better” does not work here, and if you move on to the next stage on the third day, that’s normal.
Doctors' opinion
Nutritionists leave mostly positive reviews about the menu, results and caloric content of the Zigzag diet. The diet is balanced, it does not harm health, it is dominated by truly healthy and nutritious food.
Nutritionist Surzhenko Daria about diet
“A diet with alternating carbohydrate days is highly effective, helping to solve the problem of excess weight once and for all. The diet is safe; during it, metabolic processes are activated; thanks to five meals a day, a losing weight person does not suffer from hunger. The diet menu is quite balanced, I recommend combining it with sports activities: strength exercises for men, Pilates for women. Don’t forget to drink plenty of fluids; during the period of losing weight, forget about snacks, because they are the main enemy of a slim figure.”
Advantages and disadvantages of the diet
The Zigzag program has positive and negative sides. The advantages include the following:
- The feeling of fullness does not last long due to the inclusion of a variety of dishes in the menu.
- The required amount of nutrients enters the body with food and allows you not to waste muscle reserves.
- Metabolic processes are activated.
- There is no persistent addiction to mono-products.
- The diet does not harm your health. In just 1–2 weeks, 5–6 kg are lost , which do not return.
Disadvantages of the diet include:
- the need for regular active sports (running, swimming);
- danger of harming the body due to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, and endocrine system. You cannot follow such a diet if you are prone to allergies, during pregnancy, lactation, in old age, in adolescence.
A balanced diet is not harmful to health. In the first days, those losing weight lose 1–2 kg; on the 6th day, the weight may return slightly due to the accumulation of water in the body.
According to reviews, the result will be noticeable quickly, already in the first week 2–3 kg disappear and do not return, and after 2 months of following the diet the plumb line will be 7–15 kg. Nutritionists note that the diet is chosen so that no damage is caused to the body.
Slow weight loss and a balanced diet are the distinctive features of the Zigzag diet.
Zigzag diet: calorie cycle
Zigzag calorie cycling is a weight loss method designed to counteract the natural tendencies of the human body.
Zigzag diet, how to help overcome a plateau
Counting and restricting calories is a valid method of losing weight, but after a while the body can adapt to continually reducing its calorie intake.
When this happens, a weight loss plateau can occur that is difficult to overcome. This is where a zig-zag diet can help, by preventing the body from becoming accustomed to a lower calorie diet.
Zigzag diet principle
The zigzag diet involves alternating the number of calories consumed per day. A person following a zigzag diet must have a combination of high-calorie days and low-calorie days to achieve their total weekly calorie goal.
For example, if your energy needs are 14,000 kcal per week, then you could:
- Consume 2300 kcal three days a week and 1775 kcal the other four days.
- Consume 2000 kcal every day for a week.
In both cases, 14,000 kcal will be consumed during the week, but the body will not adapt and will not compensate for the 2,000 kcal diet.
Diet flexibility
It also gives you more flexibility in your diet, allowing you to plan for certain events, such as work or family events, when you may consume more calories than usual.
Eating fewer calories on other days may allow a person to enjoy these appointments or even have a "cheat day" where they eat whatever they want without feeling guilty, since they will be able to compensate for the extra calories on their low-calorie days.
Diet rules
There is no specific rule or study that shows the most effective way to rotate or distribute your caloric intake.
At the end of the day, no matter what method you decide to use to lose weight, it's important to choose a strategy that works for you.
Other methods and hikes
Calorie counting and calorie zig-zag cycling are just two methods that are quite related. They are used by many people for weight loss, but even within these methods there are many possible approaches.
Finding a path that fits into your lifestyle and doesn't disrupt the routine you stick to is likely to produce the most sustainable and desirable results.
Zigzag diet: rapid weight loss without exhaustion
How many times have we had to endure suffering for the sake of a slim figure? When we arrange fasting days, we give up our favorite foods and treats and go on strict diets. Remember how you were constantly literally attacked by thoughts of “to gnaw on something like that” - the feeling of hunger follows you everywhere, the world seems unfair and boring, everything becomes dull and interest in life almost disappears.
Trouble awaits us even after a diet. When we sharply limit our diet, eating little and monotonously, the metabolism slows down, and after the diet, when we switch to the same diet, the “pregnant kilograms” that were lost so painfully are gained again almost out of thin air.
