We’ve seen numerous fad diets that target consuming one particular meals — the cookie eating regimen, the cabbage soup eating regimen, the grapefruit eating regimen. All of them declare that will help you lose a major quantity of weight in a short time, and the cucumber eating regimen isn’t any totally different.
The cucumber eating regimen is a quick-fix weight-loss diet that’s mentioned to assist folks shed kilos shortly by consuming — you guessed it — an entire lot of cucumbers. However does it work?
Listed below are the foundations, the advantages, and the downsides of the cucumber eating regimen.
What Is the Cucumber Weight loss program?
Cucumbers are naturally low in energy — an entire cucumber has simply 45 calories — so it’s no shock they’d find yourself on the middle of a fad eating regimen.
Whereas there are totally different variations of the cucumber eating regimen, there’s one widespread thread: You eat a whole lot of cucumbers. We’re speaking cucumber shakes, salads, sticks, and slices.
What Are the Guidelines of the Cucumber Weight loss program?
The precise guidelines of the cucumber eating regimen can range relying on which supply you reference. Whereas there’s a ebook aptly titled The Cucumber Diet: The Power of Conscious Eating, you could find a number of variations of the eating regimen on-line.
The primary guideline of the eating regimen is that this: Eat cucumbers while you’re hungry, together with a handful of different “accredited” meals. As a result of cucumbers are so low in energy, the concept is that you simply’ll doubtless create a calorie deficit by noshing on largely cucumbers.
What Meals Can You Eat on the Cucumber Weight loss program?
Evidently, you may eat cucumbers. Most diets haven’t any limitation on the way you eat them and the way a lot you devour, though some stricter variations of the eating regimen do restrict the quantity of cucumber you may have.
A couple of different meals are usually integrated, together with:
- lean proteins like fish, hen, and eggs
- Greek yogurt
- cottage cheese
- olive oil
- brown rice
- low-calorie greens like spinach, celery, and tomatoes
There’s additionally one 10- to 14-day protocol that entails consuming as a lot cucumber salad as you need, together with:
- two boiled eggs or 150 grams of tuna with out oil or 150 grams of hen breast
- two massive boiled potatoes or three slices of whole-grain bread
- 500 grams of natural fruit
What Meals Can’t You Eat on the Cucumber Weight loss program?
One advantage of the cucumber eating regimen: Apart from whole-grain bread, which is permitted on some variations of the eating regimen, the eating regimen cuts out most processed foods together with chips, baked items, and sweetened drinks.
However in case you have been to comply with the protocol talked about above, you’d additionally omit a whole lot of wholesome fare — like fruits and any non-approved veggies.
Can I Lose Weight With the Cucumber Weight loss program?
Sure, however it is going to almost certainly be momentary.
You’ll be able to shed extra pounds on any model of the cucumber eating regimen, as a result of there merely aren’t that many non-cucumber meals you’re allowed to eat — and which means you’ll doubtless slash your every day calorie consumption.
By filling up on largely cucumber at each meal, which has a high water content, it might be powerful to eat sufficient of the opposite permitted meals.
“You’re placing a lot bulk into your digestive system that you simply’re not going to have a whole lot of room for anything,” says Andrea N. Giancoli, MPH, RD.
However the cucumber eating regimen isn’t designed to be adopted for greater than two weeks — so it’s not a sustainable eating regimen for long-term weight reduction. Any weight you lose on the cucumber eating regimen will doubtless be gained again when you return to consuming usually.
And there are many different, healthier ways to eat cleaner with out chopping out so many meals teams.
The Downsides of the Cucumber Weight loss program
You don’t want us to let you know that cucumbers are low in energy and may be part of a wholesome, balanced eating regimen.
“There’s no hurt in consuming cucumbers with each meal, so long as it’s a reasonable quantity,” Giancoli says.
However there are a number of downsides to creating cucumbers your main meals supply. Right here’s why it is best to assume twice earlier than following the cucumber eating regimen:
1. It’s low in vitamins.
In the event you eat largely cucumbers, you’ll miss out on a whole lot of necessary micro and macronutrients. In comparison with different fruit and veggies, Giancoli says, “Cucumbers aren’t precisely swimming in nutritional vitamins and minerals.”
2. You received’t get the range you want.
Consuming quite a lot of meals helps make sure you’re getting all of the nutrients you need.
“We’re alleged to be consuming all kinds of meals — a range that offers us a steadiness of macronutrients, fiber, nutritional vitamins, and minerals and all types of different issues that our our bodies want,” Giancoli says.
3. It might sluggish your metabolism.
Extreme calorie restriction can truly get in the way in which of your weight-loss targets.
On the cucumber eating regimen, Giancoli says, “It’s going to be very arduous to succeed in your calorie wants — and when you go under your basal metabolic fee with energy, you’re not giving your physique the energy it wants simply to remain alive at relaxation.”
Which means your metabolism will doubtless decelerate to preserve power.
What’s extra, you most likely received’t have the power to hit the gymnasium, and figuring out often goes hand in hand with wholesome weight reduction you may preserve.
4. You’ll doubtless achieve the burden again.
As is the case with loads of different very low-calorie fad diets, you’re most likely going to place any misplaced weight proper again on.
With extended calorie restriction, the human physique can go into hunger mode: “Your physique’s like, ‘You’re not giving me what I want; I have to do one thing about that and use much less power and burn fewer energy,’” Giancoli says.
When you go off a restrictive eating regimen, research shows that physique weight usually returns to and even exceeds what it was initially.
The Last Verdict
So does the cucumber eating regimen work? Within the brief time period, perhaps — however it’s not the healthiest method to weight reduction, and it’s undoubtedly not sensible or sustainable.
However you may nonetheless take pleasure in cucumbers as a part of your wholesome consuming plan — like in a crudités platter or a Greek salad.
