The Stillman diet is a diet containing high protein and low carbohydrates. It was introduced in 1967 by a physician named Irwin Maxwell Stillman in 1896-1975.
Stillman introduced a book called The Doctor’s Quick Weight Loss that first time advertised as the Stillman diet in 1967.
This diet comprised of lean beef, chicken, veal, turkey, eggs, fish, and no fat cottage cheese.
This diet also allowed spices, herbs, salt, tabasco sauce, and pepper.
Use of butter, condiments, dressing of fat ingredients were not allowed. While on this diet, a person can consume only non-caloric soft drinks, coffee, tea, with 8-glasses of water.
During the Stillman diet, it is recommended to consume six small meals every day in place of 3-large meals.
How the Stillman Diet and Weight Loss
Table of Contents
The Stillman diet assists in weight loss because it recommends having 6-meals every day in place of three large meals. This diet keeps your metabolism firing and cells active. It also requires to drink 8-glasses of water every day. Drinking enough water helps to eliminate the toxins from the body.
While on Stillman diet, you will require to consume more protein, moderate carbs, and a moderate amount of fats.
Carbohydrates get breakdown into glucose in your body. If you eat more carbs, they will become excess and accumulate as fat. Following a low carb diet helps to utilize the protein and alternative sources for energy.
The Stillman diet is divided into 2-phases for better weight loss result. Each phase has different requirements in the diet. You need to follow these requirements strictly for better results.
Here is the Stillman Diet Charts for Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Stillman Diet Chart – Phase 1
During the diet of Stillman, the phase-1 require to skip all types of carbs, including fruits, veggies, pasta, rice, bread, and alcohol.
Here is the diet plan of week-1.
-
Breakfast (8:00 – 9:00 am)
- Consume 1-cup green tea with 2-boiled eggs
-
Pre-Lunch (10:30 – 11:00 am)
- Consume 1-cup black coffee (sugarless or creamless)
-
Lunch (12:30 – 1:00 pm)
- Eat chicken breast (Poached) with herbs.
-
Post-Lunch (3:00 pm)
- 1-cup black coffee ((sugarless or creamless)
-
Evening Snack (5:00 pm)
- Consume 1-cup green tea and 1-boiled egg
-
Dinner (7:00 – 8:00 pm)
- Lean cut beef or Fish with tabasco sauce or spices.
Phase-1: How This Works
Green tea contains zero calories, which assist in the metabolism of the body. It also prevents free radical accumulation. Eating boiled eggs provide enough protein.
Consuming one cup of black coffee before having lunch helps to suppress your appetite. Then, having light lunch with lean meat or poached chicken containing herbs provide the best flavour and cut down your carb consumption. It may make you feel hungry, but you suppress hunger with coffee.
Again, in the evening consume green tea with boiled egg as a snack to prevent hunger pangs. In the dinner, consume full of protein food with lean beef or fish containing spices or sauce.
Stillman Diet Phase 1 -Foods to Eat
- Proteins – Fish, Chicken breast, Veal, Eggs, Lean cuts of beef, and turkey.
- Beverages – Green tea, Black coffee, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and water.
- Others – Herbs, spices, tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper.
Phase 1 – Foods to Avoid
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Oil
- Rice
- Condiments
- Bread
- Butter
- Pasta
- Aerated Drinks
- Alcohol
- Artificially Sweet Drinks
Phase 1 – Diet Supplements
You need to ask your dietitian or doctor to find out if you need any supplement while following the Stillman diet. Typically, you can take minerals and vitamin supplements in every two days to assist your body and prevent the risk of sickness.
Stillman Diet Phase 1: Workout Plan
While following phase-1 of the Stillman diet, you will require to do meditation, stretching, and yoga. But avoid going to the gym, running and another rigorous workout. Here is the routine to follow.
- Neck rotations – 1-set of 10-reps
- Shoulder rotations – 1-set of 10-reps
- Arm circles – 1-set of 10-reps
- Wrist rotations – 1-set of 10-reps
- Waist rotations – 1-set of 10-reps
- Ankle rotation – 1-set of 10-reps
- Meditation or Yoga
- Stretch
Stillman Diet: How You Will Feel After Phase 1?
After completing the Stillman diet first phase, you will lose more water weight. It will help to activate your metabolism, develop lean muscles, and mobilize the fat. It might also make you fatigued and tired all the time. Performing meditation, yoga, and stretching exercise helps to prevent the tiredness.
Stillman Diet Chart – Phase 2
While following the second phase of the Stillman diet, slowly you will require to introduce carbs into your everyday diet.
-
Breakfast (8:00 – 9:00 am)
- Consume 1-cup green tea containing lemon juice with 2-boiled eggs.
-
Pre-Lunch (10:30 – 11:00 am)
- Eat half apple and one cup black coffee
-
Lunch (12:30 – 1:00 pm)
- Veggies and Grilled fish (without skin)
-
Post-Lunch (3:00 pm)
- Consume ¼ cup watermelon and ¼ cup carrots
-
Evening Snack (5:00 pm)
- Eat one multigrain biscuit and Green tea
-
Dinner (7:00 – 8:00 pm)
- Consume Mushroom soup or Chicken stew
How This Works
During the second phase, green tea containing lemon juice assists in weight loss. Adding eggs are the best source to get enough protein and make you the active entire day. Eating half apple pre-lunch provide carbs and fruit sugar.
Eating veggies and grilled fish can be more filling. Having black coffee post-lunch helps in weight loss and suppress your appetite.
Eating fish with its skin has more fats so, eat grilled fish without its skin. Fish is one of the lean protein. Consuming some veggies with grilled fish provide all vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals, and complex carbs.
Having half-bowl of fruits post-lunch as snack provide filling till next meal and nutrients. Including green tea in snack time suppresses the hunger hormones. Eating multigrain biscuits provide dietary fiber that helps in weight loss.
Lastly, mushroom and chicken in the dinner provide proteins and nutrition in the dinner.
Stillman Diet Phase-2 – Foods to Eat
- Protein – Chicken breast, fish, mushroom, egg, lean cuts of beef, turkey, veal, and duck.
- Veggies – Eat all veggies, but in limited quantities.
- Fruits – Grapes, Peach, pluot, guava, plum, apple, pear, orange, lemon, grapefruit, muskmelon, and watermelon.
- Beverages – Consume black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, and black coffee.
- Others – Spices, Herbs, salt, tabasco sauce, and pepper.
Stillman Diet Phase-2 – Foods to Avoid
- Fruits – Banana, Mango, and jackfruit.
- Dairy – Milk, yogurt, and Full-fat cream.
- Beverages – Consume Soda, alcohol, and packaged fruit juice.
Phase 2 – Diet Supplements
While on phase-2 you will be consuming more nutritious foods in comparison to phase-1, but after that, if you get weakness, talk to your doctor if you need supplements.
Stillman Diet Phase 2: Workout Plan
While following phase 2 of the Stillman diet follow the workout plan given below.
- Neck rotations – 1-set of 10-reps
- Shoulder rotations – 1-set of 10-reps
- Arm circles – 1-set of 10-reps
- Wrist rotations – 1-set of 10-reps
- Waist rotations – 1-set of 10-reps
- Ankle rotation – 1-set of 10-reps
- Mountain climbers – 1-set of 10-reps
- Scissor kicks – 1-set of 10-reps
- Jumping jacks – 1-set of 10-reps
- Meditation/Yoga
- Stretch
Stillman Diet: How You Will Feel After Phase 2?
As your complete phase-2, your body will look slimmer, less weight, and you will feel confident about your appearance. Following a better lifestyle helps to get boost mental strength and physical health.
How Much Weight Loss Can You Expect While Following the Stillman Diet?
If you regularly follow the diet and workout plan, then you may lose 7-10 pounds. However, follow this diet for an only short time of period because continuing the diet more than the required time can cause weakness. Here are some other foods to include in the Stillman diet.
Other Foods to Eat
While putting more attention over proteins in everyday diet, you must be thinking about what exactly you need to consume. The diet suggests to include some essential foods. These foods will provide enough proteins such as lean meat, low-fat cheese, hard or soft-boiled eggs, Chod, haddock, low-calorie gelatine. Other foods include shrimps, oysters, and lobsters.
Other Foods to Withdraw
-
Added Flavor Foods
The Stillman diet is suggested to remove carbs and fatty foods such as ketchup, salad dressings, mayonnaise, and similar foods that provide added flavors to your dishes. However, you can consume herbs and spices as flavors.
-
Fat-Rich Foods
The Stillman diet reduces the intake of fatty foods such as dense skin poultry, margarine, fried foods, greasy foods, sauce, tartar, gravy, and total fat dairy products.
-
Sugary Foods
The sugary foods are restricted while following the Stillman diet. You need to avoid the molasses, syrup, white sugar, sugar cane, corn syrup, different types of refined sugars, natural sugar, fruit juices, candy, sweet dessert.
-
Starchy Foods
The Stillman diet also reduces the starchy food intakes, including legumes, whole wheat, white bread, dried potatoes, barley.
-
Vegetables and Fruits
The Stillman diet also does not allow some specific vegetables and fruits such as lettuce. But, generally, you have to consume veggies and fruits to get nutrition.
Ketosis
The Stillman diet leads to fast weight loss as it restricts the carbohydrates that quickly breakdown the fats into energy. Additionally, the body uses extra energy to break down the proteins and digest the carbs easily. It uses more calories during metabolism. The body utilizes the fat for generating energy named as ketosis.
Ketosis leads to the production of a material called ketone bodies that are acidic. Building ketone bodies in the blood cause a serious problem called ketoacidosis. It is essential to drink sufficient water to manage the ketones level in your blood. The symptoms and signs of ketoacidosis include nausea, loss of appetite, smelly breathing, fast breathing, and vomiting.
Stillman Diet – Side Effects
Make sure to notice these side effects during your diet and immediately talk with your doctor.
- Malnutrition
- Digestion problems
- Kidney stones
- Weak bones
- Fatigue
- Muscle pain
- Weight loss
- High blood cholesterol levels
The Stillman diet is for those people who wish to have quick weight loss. This diet helps to kickstart for fat mobilization. Make sure to follow this diet under the guidance of your doctor. You need to take 2-weeks of a break before continuing this diet again.
Considerations
There are two benefits of the Stillman diet: it is easy and gives quick results. According to Trivialibrary, the Stillman diet helped people to lose 7-15 lb in the first week of the diet. They were also able to lose 5 lb every week.
Stillman also recommends using changing to a calorie counting program once the people reach within 3lb.
However, having limited food will not provide a balanced and healthy diet. Stillman’s diet has less fiber as you won’t be eating fruits and vegetable and or more carb. Therefore, if you feel weakness, your doctor may advise taking supplements for sufficient nutrition.
Why is the Stillman diet not popular?
In the above information, we saw the Stillman diet gives impressive results, but the diet remains unpopular after 1967.
Dr. Stillman’s approaches to losing weight are similar to the Atkins diet that involves eating more meat. The excess meat consumption is the main reason the Stillman diet remain unpopular.
Many medical experts and doctors help in eating more meat are unhealthy.
Moreover, Dr. Stillman’s diet contains low fiber. Most of the western people do not get sufficient fiber from their foods.
Additionally, another reason is the food restrictions. Most of the people lose their interest in diet and does not follow the diet. This diet requires regular exercise to get an effective result. Generally, people love to eat carbs, and low carb diet may make uninteresting. Even though there are different low carb diets, but the Stillman diet is specifically strict.
What scientific studies tell about the Stillman diet?
There is trustworthy research that supports the Stillman diet for losing weight. As this diet plan requires to eat smaller and frequent meals with fewer carbohydrates, it will result in weight loss.
Once your body processes the low foods, the lean protein will not breakdown and prevent fat storage. Therefore, you can lose some pounds with this diet. All you need to do is to follow the Stillman diet strictly.
Stillman Diet: Risks and Cares
People who are looking for a short and easy diet plan helps to lose weight. The Stillman diet is an attraction for short diet choice. As this diet focus on protein consumption, it does not include more essential foods.
This diet may lack essential vitamins. Therefore, you can have an option to consume vitamin supplements, which can balance your nutrients. Make sure to take supplements under expert guidance. Consuming eggs, lean meat, and cheese can be helpful for weight loss, but it is not nutritionally sufficient for a long time.
Sufficient hydration is also essential to prevent constipation. This diet contains low fiber and results in ketones, which are substances that breakdown and accumulate over the liver. Drinking enough water promote bowel functions and flush unwanted things from the liver.