Watermelon Diet for Weight Loss | Why You Should Give It a Try!

With summer just around the corner, many people are looking for ways to shed some pounds before they hit the beach. And starting from now, you’ve to consider the watermelon diet for weight loss. Watermelon has been shown to be an effective way of losing weight and getting your metabolism back on track.

Watermelon is a low-calorie food that helps boost your immune system making it great for those who want to lose weight or prevent illness during the hot season. In this blog post, I will discuss how watermelon can help you lose weight and why you should give it a try!

What is the Watermelon Diet?

The watermelon diet is an effective short-term way of losing weight especially for individuals who want to get rid of that stubborn stomach fat. Watermelon has become a popular fruit all over the world and for good reason as it’s been shown to be extremely beneficial for our health.

While it is possible to lose weight by cutting out carbs, fats, and protein for a short period of time with the watermelon diet, I don’t recommend going overboard. 

I suggest doing this kind of drastic diet for 3-5 days or 7-10 at most because losing weight does not mean putting your health at high risk! So, be careful when trying this type of extreme measure. You can also mix in other fruits if you’d like but keep them separate from any watermelons used during those few days as that’s what makes up the “watermelon” part of this specific fruit-based plan (not everything else).

How does the Watermelon diet for weight loss works?

1. Watermelon is a low-calorie food that helps boost your immune system making it great for those who want to lose weight or prevent illness during the hot season.
2. Watermelons are high in water content with 93% of their total composition being made up from this delicious liquid! It’s also an excellent source of vitamin C, containing 44% of our recommended daily allowance per 100 grams.
3. The fiber content in watermelon prolongs your satiety and decreases your food intake.
4. Watermelon contains a special nutrient called citrulline which converts into arginine once inside our body and has been shown to reduce blood pressure levels as well as improve cardiovascular health overall. Citrulline can also increase muscle mass in men and women by creating protein synthesis within the muscles themselves helping you stay toned when you’re on the beach or looking for a photo shoot of you’re a bodybuilder.

Is the Watermelon diet for weight loss Healthy?

Here are some of the health benefits that encourage you to try watermelon diets:

Low sugar content

Watermelon contains only half the amount of sugar per cup than in a banana and offers even more nutrients.

Low-fat Content

Watermelon has almost zero fat (0.2gm /100 gm) or cholesterol and is fiber-containing food which makes it extremely healthy for a weight loss diet plan. It has around 11.2g carbs also, so it’s a really good choice if you’re one of those who prefer to go on a low-carb diet as well! ^[1]Watermelon, raw Nutrition Facts & Calories (self.com)

Energy booster

Watermelon boosts your energy levels because eating watermelons helps you stay hydrated throughout the day by replenishing lost fluids faster than drinking any other beverage available out there. In addition, its reach in:

• vitamin B-1, which helps to convert food into energy. ^[2]Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Information | Mount Sinai – New York
• Vitamin B6, Which helps in the hematopoiesis process. ^[3]Vitamin B6 – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Note: hematopoiesis is a process in which your body produces red blood cells (RBCs) from different organs.

Low calorie

Another factor that supports the watermelon diet for weight loss is its extremely low caloric value, with 30 in total for the same quantity as stated above! With all these benefits it makes sense to make watermelon an ideal food choice if you are trying to lose weight.

Helps the digestive system

Watermelon’s small fiber content helps the digestive system by supporting peristalsis by stretching the intestinal wall.

Immunity booster

It’s a great source of Vitamin C which has some effect on lowering blood pressure and boosts immunity. Studies show that Watermelons contain phytonutrients antioxidants such as and lycopene which have been associated with many benefits and helps to provide prophylaxis against heart diseases and cancer cells. ^[4]Watermelon lycopene and allied health claims (nih.gov)  ^[5]Watermelon consumption increases plasma arginine concentrations in adults – PubMed (nih.gov)

Sense of fullness

Watermelon is an extremely hydrating fruit. Its water content is above 90% which will fill you up quickly, and each slice of the delicious red melon has 5 percent of your daily fiber intake – promoting satiety so that you feel full for a longer time period.

Muscle recovery booster

Watermelon’s muscle recovery abilities cannot be neglected. Watermelon is high in L-citrulline, which makes it an excellent snack to help your body recover after a workout. L-citrulline breaks down into another essential amino acid called arginine that promotes blood circulation and relaxes blood vessels. In fact, eating 2 cups of watermelon before doing a physical workout was proven to reduce muscle soreness significantly. ^[6]Influence of L-citrulline and watermelon supplementation on vascular function and exercise performance – PubMed (nih.gov)

Erectile dysfunction treatment

Here is a video by Dr. Michael Greger M.D. FACLM shows how the citrulline content of watermelon helps in solving impotence problems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMLiOPgyLik

Watermelon Diet Rules For Success

If you want to watermelon diet plan success, then you need to stick to the watermelon diet rules. Below are some watermelon diet tips and watermelon fast weight loss diets guidelines that will help you stay on track for your watermelon diet journey.

Plan your Diet

Not all diets are created equal. Every diet should be planned and prepared accordingly, and make sure that it fits your lifestyle as well! Ask yourself if you’re willing to limit food intake by cutting off from eating anything but watermelon in a 5-7 day span. If not, then maybe this isn’t right for you at the moment! You will notice people struggling with these kinds of diets because they lack energy during their work shifts and end up falling short of their goals (which is totally normal). So think things through before making any rash decisions about trying out new weight loss strategies like just drinking/eating nothing but melon.

Drink lots of water every day

water keeps you full so you eat less, flush out toxins from your body, and helps the watermelon diet to be more effective.

Take it easy

Never rush on a diet overnight. Don’t treat your body like a “thing”, you need to prepare it for the upcoming changes.

For example, let’s assume you used to eat 4 meals per day and decide one morning – for no reason at all! – to do an Overnight Diet; I can assure you this will end up failing by Day 2 because your body will surely react in some negative ways (elevated blood pressure levels etc.). Instead of doing such thing as jumping into something new like this without any preparation first or warning anyone else about what we are planning so, they could join too if wanted., instead just plan out when exactly would be the best time range for starting your watermelon.

Don’t start cutting off the carb diet, before teaching your body how to deal with it gradually.

Remember watermelon is a diuretic

It will make you pee a lot. Because of this watermelon diet side effect, the watermelon diet rules state that drinking cranberry juice or grapefruit juice (especially unsweetened) will help to augment watermelon’s water loss effect. So, you maybe want to avoid drinking them during your Watermelon diet.

The Amount

Make sure that you eat the right amount of watermelon every day for your watermelon diet plan to be effective. Following the 1:10 rule, A 70-kilogram person would need 7 kilograms of fruit each day!

Other Fruits

I don’t recommend eating other fruits during your watermelon diet — you should only eat watermelon for water loss to get the maximum effect of watermelon weight loss. However, if you’re craving them, don’t be afraid to take some from time to time.

Prepare your meals

Meal prepping is a great way to start your weight loss journey. The first thing you’ll need to do is:

1) decide if you want the watermelon-only diet or eating one meal with protein such as lunch/dinner.

2) prep accordingly by either buying already cut-up pieces of watermelon for snacks throughout the day, or buy food that’s ready-to-make like chicken breast & cubed butternut squash. Just don’t buy carbs.

What Health Risks should you consider while Eating Watermelon?

For Children

Watermelons should not be eaten by children under age two due to the potential for choking hazards. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until they’re at least four years old before introducing watermelon into their diet.

For Pregnants

Watermelon is also not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. As watermelon diet is a low protein diet that is not ideal for having a baby.

Diuretic Effect

Watermelon is a diuretic, which means it can cause increased urination that could potentially flush out nutrients and electrolytes.

Water intoxication

Though watermelon is very hydrating, drinking too much can cause a dangerous condition known as “water intoxication.” Water intoxication occurs when the body has an imbalance in electrolytes caused by over-hydration. Symptoms of this include swollen legs and fatigue – even weakened kidneys if left untreated!

Diarrhea and bloating

Watermelon is known for promoting smooth digestive function, there is evidence that the sorbitol contained in sugar-free chewing gum can lead to diarrhea and bloating.

Avoid it if you’re alcoholic

Drinking too much alcohol is bad for your liver. The high lycopene in watermelon may further damage the already-stressed organ when it’s paired with booze.

High Potassium content (Good and bad)

Watermelon is an excellent source of potassium, it contains about 112 mg per 100 gm. It is essential for maintaining electrolyte function. It keeps the heart healthy, strengthens bones and muscles, as well as aids in iron absorption. However, If you consume too much potassium, it can cause heart problems as your pulse rate becomes weak and irregular.

Different ways to incorporate watermelon into your diet

Now that the watermelon diet for weight loss has become popular, there are a number of watermelon recipes to choose from. Some of these watermelon recipes are more fad-like than others.  

Detox water

Detox water recipes often include watermelon because it has low sugar and high water content and is full of water-soluble nutrients. Watermelon detox water recipes require watermelon to be blended with other fruits and vegetables and then infused into the water for some time, usually overnight.

Watermelon juice

Watermelon juice recipes are also popular watermelon diet recipes. These have watermelon blended with water or ice in a blender. There are watermelon juice recipes that also add mint or ginger for flavor.

Watermelon feta salad

1. It’s as easy as it sounds, just cut some cubes of Feta cheese.
2. In a bowl, add your watermelon piece with the feta cheese and enjoy the taste of sweet and sour!

Watermelon smoothies

As an old man once said, Everything sounds good in smoothies! Watermelon smoothies for weight loss will add a nice touch to your overall diet. Just make sure to lower the sugar content or you can use stevia sugar instead.

Watermelon-ceviche seafood

 A delicious recipe that can be added to your watermelon diet for weight loss. Shrimp and lobster ceviche tastes even more tropical when it is served with crunchy fresh watermelon. The sweet juicy flavor of the fruit adds a nice contrast to seafood that has been marinated in lime juice, red onions, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic.

Just Grill it!

While there’s a variety of recipes, grilled spicy watermelon is still a healthy way to add to your weight loss routine.

Watermelon Diet Meal Plans

A Short term -5 day- meal plan

Here are a few options to choose from for the 3 main meals:

Breakfast

• Toast slice and watermelon slice + Green tea or black coffee in breaks.
• 2 slices of watermelon + a cup of green tea.
• 3 Slices of watermelon

Lunch

Lunch is the protein time:

• 150 gm of boiled lean meat + 150 gm brown rice with one slice of watermelon.
• 100 gm of boiled lean meat + 2 slices of bread + 1 slice of watermelon.
• 50 gm pasta mixed with tomato sauce + 3 slices of watermelon.

Dinner

1. 3 medium-sized baked potatoes + 2 slices of watermelons.
2. Salad and watermelon until full satiety.

Please note: Eating a melon alone does not guarantee permanent weight loss as the body will eventually get used to it. The effects are temporary and fade out after some time (plateau). To keep our bodies interested, we must exercise for 20 minutes each day.

A 10 Day meal plan

After 3 days of only eating watermelon, you can eat oats or cheese with toast for the rest of the 10 days. In between meals, have some more watermelon as your midday snack. For lunch and dinner each day you should be having salad, boiled chicken breasts or fish.

ِ A quick Watermelon diet for weight loss success story

Here is a success story by NAT in The wow lifestyle:

He tried a 5-day meal plan in January, I did it and it was amazing” said. His problem was that the diet looks like if you were drinking only water with some sweetness added. However, a couple of his friends had their protein intake added in the launch.

Frequently asked questions and answers on Watermelon diet for weight loss

Can you really lose weight by eating watermelon?

There are many benefits to eating watermelon. For example, it is one of the best fruits if you’re trying to lose weight because a 100-gram serving contains only 30 calories and an amino acid called arginine that can burn fat quickly.

When should I eat watermelon to lose weight?

Red fruit is best to eat first thing in the morning, but not with a glass of water! Make sure that your stomach is empty before eating red fruit for breakfast or else all those great nutrients will pass right through unabsorbed. An optimum time is 30-45 min after eating watermelon.

What happens if I eat watermelon every day?

If you eat too much watermelon on a daily basis, it could leave you feeling nauseous and bloated. The American Cancer Society claims that this fruit is rich in lycopene and eating large quantities of it every day may lead to these uncomfortable side effects.

Does watermelon burn belly fat?

Watermelon isn’t a kind of fat burner. However, Watermelon is a hydrating fruit that contains lycopene and amino acids. Eating it on a regular basis will help increase the body’s fat-burning potential, allowing your muscles to remain lean while you burn away excess pounds.

Can Watermelon be a meal for weight loss at night?

There are some foods that you should avoid before bed because they can cause sleepless nights and digestive issues. For example, tomatoes and watermelons may be healthy but eating them before going to sleep is a bad idea as it might lead to sleeplessness or stomach problems such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, etc.,

Why It Doesn’t Work Long-Term?

1. While the watermelon diet might seem to make sense, it is not a good idea for long-term weight loss. To lose as much weight on this plan requires cutting your daily caloric intake down very low which tricks your body into thinking you’re starving and that saves fat by slowing down metabolism. Even if you eat a normal, healthy diet, it still takes your body time to recover and recognize that you’re no longer in danger of starvation.
2. You can’t sustain it for so long. You will body will gradually lose its nutrients. As a result, When you return to your normal caloric intake, your body will adjust to gain the weight back.
3. One type of food cannot provide all the nutrients your body needs. Watermelon is a good source of vitamins and minerals, but it also consists mainly of water which does not fill you up or give you energy for long periods like other foods do. For example, what if I replaced my meals with only fat-free brownies? That would be unhealthy because they are low in carbohydrates that our bodies need to function properly too! Allowing yourself one kind of food every day can lead to fatigue and preventable health issues such as obesity or diabetes over time since your stomach will continue craving more types of nourishment from different kinds of fruits/vegetables rather than giving into its cravings for fatty snacks high in sugar content instead.

A personal opinion: As tempting as it may sound, the watermelon diet is not a good option if you’re looking to lose weight in a healthy way. You will end up losing unhealthy amounts of weight that won’t be sustainable in the long-term and a lot of fatigue between gaining and losing pounds which isn’t healthy either. The only way to effectively lose weight permanently is with an exercise plan alongside a regular eating schedule because those are two things you can stick to indefinitely whereas fad diets aren’t something anyone could sustain for life.

The Bottom Line

Watermelon is a delicious fruit that provides many health benefits. Watermelon has been shown to help prevent obesity because of its high water content which helps you feel full and satisfied without eating too much food, which makes the watermelon diet for weight loss an effective option.

Watermelons are also rich in lycopene, an antioxidant found mainly in tomatoes that have been linked with reduced risk for heart disease and cancer. 

If you need some inspiration on how to start incorporating more watermelon into your life, take a look at these ways above! When should you eat them throughout the year? Fall when they’re fresh off the vine – we hope these ideas have helped get you inspired about adding more watermelon goodness into your daily routine.