Losing weight in 21 days while building a healthy relationship with food and gaining self-esteem ? This is the promise of the LOVE diet, designed by doctors Connie Guttersen and Mark Dedomenico and highlighted in The Love Diet . These American dieticians started from a simple observation: to be well in your body, you must above all be well in your head. And for that, nothing is more effective than working on the emotional relationship that we have with food!
LOVE diet (re) learn to eat healthy
Before starting the LOVE diet, you must… write. The idea is to define your goals in terms of weight loss and write some kind of contract with yourself. It is then advisable to keep a food diary to identify your meals, but also your thoughts and moods.
On the diet side, it is advisable to eliminate processed products , but also those too rich in sugar, fat and salt, in order to start again on a good basis. It is also recommended to start practicing an activity if it is not already the case.
With goals set and junk food eliminated, the LOVE diet can finally begin. It takes place in 7 key stages. These different phases make it possible to gradually integrate all the food groups, in order to (re) learn to eat healthy. However, it is advisable to seek medical advice before starting a diet .
LOVE diet: the 7 key steps
- Detox
The first phase of this diet is to detoxify your body. To do this, it is advisable to consume red fruits four to five times a day. And for good reason: they are rich in antioxidants. This step must also integrate proteins , such as white meat, eggs and fish, as well as unsaturated fatty acids, which are found in particular in olive oil or even avocado .
- The vegetables
Second step ? The introduction of vegetables. These should be fresh and in season. They are recommended to be eaten raw, but they can optionally be steamed or boiled. Which foods to favor? Non-starchy vegetables, in other words those that contain only small amounts of starch, such as zucchini, broccoli or asparagus. In question ? They are lower in calories and are effective in limiting bloating and water retention.
- The proteins
This phase aims to learn how to properly manage proteins. As part of the LOVE diet, they must be consumed in greater quantity than carbohydrates during meals: it takes twice as much! It is also now possible to incorporate low fat yogurts into your diet.
- The fruits
This is the time to reintegrate the fruit, while respecting a maximum amount of half a cup per day. The goal? Limit blood sugar peaks caused by the ingestion of simple sugars. Red fruits, on the other hand, should always be consumed several times a day and at will.
- Milk and fruit yoghurts
During this phase, it is possible to consume again skimmed milk and fruit yoghurts without added sugars.
- Legumes
It is now time to consume legumes again , in other words chickpeas, lentils or even soy. Rich in fiber, they act as appetite suppressants and thus promote the feeling of satiety.
- Cereals and starches
The final step in the LOVE diet? Eat starchy foods again , such as pasta, potatoes, rice, and bread, preferably whole.
