The Copenhagen diet, also known as the Danish or 13-day diet, is a short-term eating plan, the main characteristics of which are narrowness and rigidity. Its supporters claim that it allows you to lose 6 to 10 pounds in just 13 days. Losing a lot of weight so quickly is not healthy; moreover, it makes it almost impossible to maintain the results achieved in the long term. Most of the pounds lost on this diet result from the loss of fluids, not fat. Prescribed meals also force you to eat large quantities of foods rich in cholesterol and proteins, which are potentially harmful to health. The shock caused on the metabolism is such that this diet should never be repeated before two years have passed. Although some claim that it was devised by the "Royal Danish Hospital" (also referred to as the "Royal Danish Hospital Diet"), in truth it has no connection with this medical institution. If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, maintaining the results achieved over time, follow a balanced diet and exercise regularly. Remember that before embarking on any radical diet plan, it is very important to seek the advice of a doctor.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Follow the First Week of the Diet
Step 1. Drink two liters of water a day
The Copenhagen diet subjects the metabolism to a considerable shock, so it is good to think carefully before deciding to follow it, evaluating your health conditions in detail. If you are sure you want to do it, you need to provide your body with the right amount of water. It is strongly recommended to drink two liters of water a day during the entire diet period.
Step 2. Follow the instructions for the first two days of the diet
If you decide to experiment with this diet plan, it is of the utmost importance to adhere to it extremely strictly. The reduction in the number of calories consumed will be very marked, so you may feel weak and fatigued. On the first day, at breakfast time, you won't be able to drink anything but coffee sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar. For lunch you will have to eat two hard-boiled eggs accompanied by 400 g of boiled spinach and a tomato. For dinner you will have to eat 200g of beef accompanied by 150g of lettuce seasoned with lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Also on the second day of the diet you will have to have a very reduced breakfast, drinking only a cup of coffee sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar, like the previous day.
- For lunch, the diet requires you to eat 250 g of ham and a low-fat yogurt.
- Dinner is identical to that of the previous day: 200 g of beef and a side dish consisting of 150 g of lettuce. Again, you can dress the salad with lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
- If you are feeling extremely exhausted due to the sudden drop in calories, consider carefully whether to continue or stop the diet.
Step 3. Take on the third and fourth days of the diet
Even during the third day you will be forced to consume a very small number of calories. You will be able to add a slice of toast for breakfast, while for lunch you will have to combine the same ingredients of the previous days, eating two hard-boiled eggs, 100 g of lean ham and 150 g of lettuce. The dinner instructions indicate that you will only be required to eat one tomato, some boiled celery and one serving of fruit, for example choosing between an apple, an orange and a pear.
- Even on the fourth day you will have to stick to the same meager breakfast as the previous day, based on coffee sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar and a slice of toast.
- For lunch you will have to eat only a low-fat yogurt, accompanied with 200 ml of orange juice.
- At dinner time you can bring to the table a hard-boiled egg accompanied by a carrot and 100 g of cottage cheese.
Step 4. Continue the diet on the fifth and sixth day
The fifth day begins with the same austere breakfast: a coffee sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar and a slice of toast. The day will continue with a lunch of boiled fish, no more than 150-200 g, for example salmon. During the fifth day dinner you will have to eat 250g of beef with a side of celery.
- On the sixth day you will be required to respect the same breakfast as the previous day.
- For lunch you will need to eat two hard-boiled eggs and a carrot.
- Dinner on the sixth day requires you to bring to the table 300 g of boiled chicken breast (without skin) accompanied by 150 g of lettuce.
Part 2 of 3: Follow the Second Week of the Diet
Step 1. Continue with the same rigor, respecting in detail the instructions relating to the seventh and eighth day
You have been following the Copenhagen diet for a week, most likely feeling noticeably tired and hungry. The seventh day begins by forcing you to skip breakfast, you are allowed to drink only one cup of unsweetened tea. Things will get worse because you will be forced to skip lunch too, the only thing you can ingest is water, as always in large quantities. For dinner you will finally be able to ingest something, but no more than 200g of lamb and an apple.
- The eighth day will be slightly less drastic, but even in this case the breakfast will continue to be extremely meager: a cup of coffee with a teaspoon of sugar; toast is not allowed today.
- The instructions for lunch on the eighth day are identical to those on the first day of the diet: two hard-boiled eggs accompanied by 400 g of boiled spinach and a tomato.
- For dinner you will have to bring to the table 200 g of beef accompanied by 150 g of lettuce. You can flavor the salad by dressing it with lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
Step 2. Continue facing the ninth and tenth days
The ninth day begins by forcing yourself to skip breakfast again, you can only drink a cup of coffee sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar. At lunchtime, you are allowed to eat 250g of lean ham, served alongside a plain yogurt. For dinner you will have to stick to the same ingredients as the previous day, but slightly increasing the doses: 250 g of beef with 150 g of lettuce.
- On the tenth day you can return to accompany your morning coffee with a slice of toast. For the first time after day six, you will then return to indulging in a solid ingredient for breakfast.
- Lunch should consist of two hard-boiled eggs, 100 g of ham and a side of lettuce.
- The instructions for dinner are identical to those of the third day: nothing but a tomato, some boiled celery and a portion of fruit.
Step 3. Persevere as you go through the tenth and twelfth days
You will no doubt feel challenged by this strict and rigorous diet, but you will finally begin to see the finish line. The eleventh day begins with the usual breakfast of coffee, a teaspoon of sugar and a slice of toast. For lunch you will have to eat only a plain yogurt, accompanying it with 200 ml of orange juice. The instructions for the eleventh day exactly replicate those of the fourth, so for dinner you will be required to bring to the table a hard-boiled egg, a carrot and 200 g of cottage cheese.
- On day 12, you will have to start the day by eating a carrot for breakfast, followed by 200g of boiled fish for lunch. If you wish, you can flavor the fish with lemon juice and a small amount of butter.
- At dinner time you will have to eat 250g of beef with celery as a side dish.
Step 4. Complete the diet on day 13
The last day also begins with the usual breakfast now known: a cup of coffee accompanied with a slice of toast. For lunch you will need to eat two hard-boiled eggs with a carrot. The instructions for the thirteenth and final day of the diet require you to skip dinner completely.
Part 3 of 3: Staying Healthy While Dieting
Step 1. Monitor your health during the diet
The Copenhagen diet requires you to drastically reduce the amount of calories and nutrients you consume, while also forcing you to skip meals several times, which can be extremely damaging to your health. If you decide to follow this diet plan, it is important to carefully monitor the signals transmitted by the body.
- If you find that you are constantly feeling sleepy or feel dizzy frequently, consider stopping your diet and opting for a more balanced approach in the future.
- Since no doctor would recommend following such a drastic and deficient diet plan, the accompanying medical advice is almost non-existent.
Step 2. Be extremely cautious about exercising
The rigidity of this diet means that you will most likely not have the energy or enthusiasm to do even a little moderate-intensity exercise. While it is important to try to stay active, it is good to avoid putting any strain on during the two week diet. Just do some light physical activity, such as walking at a leisurely pace.
- The fact that, in all likelihood, you will not be able to exercise while dieting highlights its extreme character, as well as its exclusively short-term nature.
- Eating a diet that prompts you to exercise will also help you burn fat without compromising lean muscle health.
Step 3. Understand this is not a long-term solution
The nature of this diet dictates that most of the pounds lost are made up of liquids, not fat; consequently it will be almost inevitable to take them back quickly. The truth is that, on balance, it will be a very demoralizing experience, which fully highlights the unreliability of the results brought about by a diet as severe as that of Copenhagen.
- Recognizing that this is only a short-term remedy will help you understand the changes the body will undergo.
- You can use the diet to start a new, healthier lifestyle.
- The self-control and discipline developed during the diet period can help you persevere in your attempt to follow a healthier lifestyle.
Step 4. Set the right goals
The Copenhagen diet does not allow you to remedy a wrong lifestyle, or to embark on a healthier one. During the thirteen days that you follow the diet plan, you will be able to lose weight quickly, but without achieving any positive long-term goals in terms of well-being and health. Try not to focus solely on the pounds lost, instead aiming for changes that lead to lasting benefits. The Copenhagen diet should be considered only as a stage on a much longer journey.
- Following this diet should be just the beginning, followed by a long period of commitment to achieving longer-term goals.
- Be specific and realistic in setting your goals. You will always need to be able to measure your progress. Avoid imposing goals that are clearly impossible, the fact of not being able to reach them would only demotivate you, pushing you to stop trying.
Advice
- Keep busy. When you get bored, the desire to eat something becomes more pressing.
- Do not exercise during this diet.
- Because it does not allow you to meet your daily vitamin needs, the Copenhagen diet is not suitable for children, adolescents and pregnant women.
- Drink water regularly.
Warnings
- The Copenhagen diet can lead to a dangerous nutritional deficiency.
- See a doctor to help you formulate a more balanced diet plan.
- This diet could do more harm than good.
- Possible side effects: irritability, acute weakness, fainting episodes, hair loss, alterations in the structure of the nails, skin disorders, dull complexion. The causes are entirely attributable to a nutritional deficiency.
