Throughout my life, I've shared this weight-loss method with everyone I've ever heard complain about extra pounds. I've posted it online on various forums and in my blogs. It always generated excitement, with many people immediately starting to tone their figures, and I've never heard a single negative comment. Those who faithfully followed all the recommendations truly did lose weight.
There was criticism and mixed opinions, including a distrustful, “Nonsense!” But among the commentators were doctors who acknowledged that this “non-diet” was entirely beneficial—you might not lose much weight, but at least you'll improve your health.
And the best part is, you can eat as much as you want, without having to exercise (and I'm a lazy person). That is, there's no need to starve yourself, like on some diets.
This “non-diet” can be repeated when you suddenly relax and overeat again while on vacation, for example. Three times in my life, over the course of several years (after giving birth and after prolonged, filling holidays), I lost 8 to 12 kg, astonishing my friends, husband, and colleagues with the sudden change for the better.
We moved to Belarus when I was only nine years old. My great-grandmother was a person “in the know”: she worked with herbs and had some clairvoyant powers. She lived to be one hundred and twelve. Oh, by the way, she died, you could say, by accident—she fell off a porch and broke her hip. Well, things didn't work out, so to speak…
So, the first plant she found somewhere in the forest, brought back, and planted in the garden was rose hips . Following our family tradition, started by my Praskovya Matveyevna, I still always keep a decanter of light rosehip infusion on the kitchen table. Both we and the children drink this miracle drink every day, sip after sip, instead of water. For whatever reason, no one in our family ever gets sick (pah! pah! pah!). The only time we get to the clinic is when we need a certificate for the pool or school.
Then, about twenty years ago, while on a business trip to Germany, I happened to overhear a discussion on local TV about a healthy lifestyle, specifically weight loss. A healer-type old man was blabbering in his native German about rose hips and “non-dieting.” I, who had gained a lot of weight at the time after giving birth to my second child, listened attentively and wrote it all down. Later, I heard Larisa Dolina on some show say she'd lost dozens of pounds using the same, or at least similar, methods.
Ladies and gentlemen, without claiming authorship or any other proof other than my word of honor, I'll share this with you. I hope to hear positive feedback within ten days.
So, let's discuss the main points:
♦ Limit yourself as much as possible in sugar and salt, at least for these days.
♦ You can drink coffee, tea, and water. Drink coffee and tea without sugar; it's better to add honey. A rosehip infusion is a must . Don't buy overdried, colorless berries from pharmacies. For your own sake, run to the market, buy beautiful red berries, and brew 10-15 berries in a 1.5-liter thermos. No need to crush or grind them. Don't make the infusion too strong ; rosehips are a diuretic. You can drink the infusion both hot and cooled. It's sweet, so adding sugar is completely unnecessary.
♦ Eat as much as you want. Of course, it would be better not to eat in the evening. But Grandpa German didn’t say anything about that. So I ate.
♦ Don't break the main principle: if you have chicken or cottage cheese on your menu today, please don't eat even one small apple, ice cream, or sunflower seeds. Don't frighten your stomach or irritate it.
♦ Alcoholic beverages, except for a glass of dry or semi-dry red wine, are excluded.
♦ You must exclude bread and cereals from your diet for all 10 days.
♦ The amount of weight you lose naturally depends on your body's needs. If you're already slim and risk losing a few pounds without a balloon, don't complain like, “I only lost 3 kg!” Of course, the heavier you are and the more excess weight you carry, the more weight you'll lose.
♦ I don't gain any weight after I stop the “non-diet.” But, of course, I hope (like the German healer who authored this weight-loss recipe) that you yourself will want to stick to this diet in the future.
So, nutrition:
Day 1. Hard-boiled eggs.
Day 2. Boiled chicken.
Day 3. Cottage cheese.
Day 4. Boiled or baked fish.
Day 5. Fruits (except bananas and grapes), individually or in salads.
Day 6. Vegetables (I always make vinaigrette, season with a little vegetable oil).
Day 7. Boiled beef, veal, or lamb. Can be steamed with spices.
Day 8. Cheese.
After the 8th day, you usually don’t feel like eating at all.
Day 9. Only kefir.
Day 10. Only rosehip decoction.
You can change the days (or even come up with your own product), and you can only drink the specified drinks.
I also cheated in this way: I cooked soup for the whole family using meat, chicken, and fish, with spices and salt, and then I took out “my own,” leaving the family with only the delicious broth.
If you're suddenly invited over, or a group is coming over for a barbecue, on this day, for example, make yourself some boiled meat or poultry, drink red wine – no one will even notice you're on a diet.
I wish everyone good luck and health!