Written by Mia Davis
The watermelon diet sounds extremely interesting, especially for someone like me, who hates the restrictions diets usually bring. Sure, eating nothing but watermelon for a few days is not ideal, but it beats having broccoli on my plate. So I looked into the watermelon-only diet to see if and how it works, and here is what I found.
Summertime is great, but it also often catches us with a few extra pounds we haven’t managed to get rid of in due time. On the other hand, it’s also hot, and consistent meals don’t sound that appealing anyway, so a quick diet doesn’t seem that difficult. That’s why the watermelon diet is quite tempting; it promises to make you feel full and stay hydrated while eating something light and delicious. But does it really work?
What Is the Watermelon Diet?
The watermelon diet is a fast diet that’s supposed to help you cleanse your body while also boosting your weight loss. It’s a mono-diet, so you must eat nothing but watermelon for every meal. There are a few versions of the diet, and the duration isn’t always the same. It can help you lose a bit of weight, but it’s not recommended for everyone.
Since watermelon is essentially a cocktail of water and vitamins, this diet plan also promises to remove toxins from your body. As you will see below, many benefits come from eating watermelon, including inflammation reduction and improving your overall wellness. If you add reducing water retention and losing a bit of weight, it sounds pretty attractive.
How Long Is the Watermelon Diet?
You’ll find a few different versions of the watermelon diet if you do a bit of research. Some sources recommend eating watermelon for three days for weight loss. I have even found versions of 5 or 7 days, but that doesn’t sound healthy at all.
Any diet that keeps you on a low level of nutrients can be harmful, especially if you follow it for too long. A safe version can be trying the watermelon diet for 1 day. If you have ever followed the Rina diet (the 90-day diet), you know that you have days when you’re supposed to eat only fruits and vegetables. So you can try to do a watermelon fast one day a week, for instance.
You may also be interested in The Dissociated Diet – Does this Classic Diet Really work?
Health Benefits of Eating Watermelon
Before getting into the watermelon-only diet to see if it’s worth trying, here’s what you should know about the tasty watermelon. It’s healthier than you may expect. Indeed, 92% water sounds like there isn’t much else to it, but that’s a wrong assumption.
The sweet and refreshing watermelon actually contains little sugar, a vast amount of water and is low on fat. It’s not as rich in nutrients as other fruits, but it does bring you a good amount of vitamin C (10% of the daily recommended value).
It also contains 4% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A, not to mention quite a few minerals: calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Lycopene is another excellent addition – an antioxidant that can prove very helpful in keeping your heart healthy and preventing cancer.
So the watermelon diet may not be based on the king of fruits, but the red and juicy treat can bring many benefits for your health. Take a look below to see a few of the advantages of eating watermelon – either for weight loss or as a healthy addition to your daily menus:
Fun Fact
When you think about eating watermelon, it’s the fruit’s flesh that comes to mind. But did you know that the rinds and the seeds are also great for your health? Sure, we’ve all had a few watermelon seeds, usually unintentionally or because we’re too lazy to remove them. But, little did we know that we were actually eating the part of the watermelon that has the most nutrients.
Watermelon seeds are rich in minerals, protein, and fatty acids. That means they keep your skin elastic and clear, they prevent hair loss, keep your blood sugar under control, prevent your bones from deteriorating, and also keep your energy levels optimal.
As for the rinds, they don’t seem appealing at all. But there are things you can try so you can eat them without noticing the taste. You can slice it thinly and add it to a stir fry or a stew, for instance. Or you can try pickled watermelon; every layer of it is delicious, including the rinds.
Ok, but Can I Lose Weight by Eating Watermelon?
Your watermelon diet results will depend on a few factors, like your original weight, previous eating habits, water retention issues, and so on. You can lose weight with the watermelon-only diet, but don’t expect miracles. That’s true for most mono diets, especially short-term ones.
The truth is eating watermelon exclusively for a few days (under no circumstance should you try it for longer) will help you lose some of the water your tissues were retaining. And it will give your digestive system a break from the previous menus.
So it can help you change the numbers on your scale a bit. But for consistent fat loss, the watermelon diet isn’t enough. You’ll need the classics – long-term healthy eating habits and at least a bit of exercise.
Watermelon Diet Pros and Cons
Now that we’ve dealt with the question ‘Does the Watermelon Diet Work?’, let’s dissect the diet itself. If you’re still not sure whether the watermelon diet benefits are worth the monotonous meals of this diet plan, the table below can help you decide:
| THE WATERMELON DIET | |
| PROS | CONS |
| Short-term and easy to follow | No protein and fat intake |
| Not a challenge taste-wise | Not suitable for long periods |
| Reduces your appetite | The yo-yo effect can be significant |
| Great for restoring your hydration level | The weight you lose is mostly water, not fat |
| You can eat as often as you want | Countless trips to the toilet |
| No quantity restrictions |
When Should You NOT Eat Watermelon?
There’s no reason to avoid watermelon altogether, but moderation is essential. Some people may have unpleasant effects from eating too much watermelon, especially if they suffer from specific health issues.
There are two reasons to keep an eye on how much watermelon you add to your diet: potassium and lycopene. Both great sustainers of the overall health, these two elements can cause some problems when the recommended dose is exceeded.
If your potassium level is already high, don’t try eating watermelon exclusively. The watermelon diet is not a good idea in this case. Hyperkalemia (too much potassium in your blood) can lead to heart problems and issues with muscle control.
Lycopene can also cause problems if you go over the daily recommended dose, which is 30mg. The unwanted effects are bloating, diarrhea, indigestion, and nausea. Still, you would have to eat a significant amount of watermelon for days in a row to experience these side effects.
Sugar is another thing to keep in mind when eating watermelon, especially if you have diabetes.
The watermelon diet is not a good idea for people with diabetes because it affects blood sugar levels. Diabetes requires a very balanced and closely monitored diet, so mono diets and crash diets, in general, are not recommended.
The Watermelon Diet – Good or Bad?
That’s the central question – is there a clear relation between the watermelon diet and weight loss? Can you lose weight by eating just watermelon? And, more importantly, is it safe?
Combining an extremely high water percentage and fibers makes watermelon an excellent option for losing weight. But the watermelon diet means you must rely on that combination alone for a few days, which can be a bit challenging.
Since it’s such a short diet and you consume so much water, it’s actually more of a cleanse. Your kidneys will be grateful, and so will your skin. And yes, you can use the watermelon diet to lose weight. If you have no health problems, watermelon fasting won’t do any harm.
What really matters is what you do once you finish the watermelon diet. If you go back to eating everything you crave, the yo-yo effect will turn the tables. But if you take it easy and start adding healthy food while watching the calories, you can keep that weight off and even lose some more.
The watermelon diet is a quick fix when you’re feeling puffy or need to fight water retention. But for efficient fat loss, don’t cut corners. You need a balanced diet, physical activity, and, most of all, consistency.
Another weight loss plan you may be interested in is The Potato and Yogurt Diet
FAQs on the Watermelon Diet
Is watermelon Keto?
Watermelon is Keto-friendly. During the Keto diet, you need to reduce your carbs drastically, so many fruits don’t make the cut. However, watermelon isn’t one of them. Along with berries and avocado, watermelon can be a tasty treat that won’t knock you out of ketosis.
To get an idea of how Keto-friendly watermelon is, let’s analyze it closer. You get about 7.5 g of net carbohydrates in 100 g of watermelon. By comparison, avocado has about 8.53 g, and blackberries have about 9.61 g.
Is watermelon good for kidneys?
Watermelon is very good for your kidneys due to its diuretic properties. Eating watermelon can help you address water retention and get rid of excess salt from your body.
In fact, a 2014 study has shown that watermelon is just as helpful as furosemide. So if you are battling water retention or simply want to make sure your kidneys work properly, a short watermelon diet now and then can do the trick.
Is it good to eat watermelon at night?
Eating during the night is not a good idea in general, and watermelon is no exception. Your digestive system needs a break, so allow it!
Eating watermelon at night can cause bowel irritation because your digestion works at a lower level than during the day. The sugar in the watermelon is also a bad idea at night time because it will affect your weight loss. Not to mention you will disrupt your sleep with multiple trips to the toilet.
Does watermelon help you lose belly fat?
A short-term watermelon diet can help you lose a bit of weight, but it won’t target your belly fat in particular. In fact, it won’t really induce fat loss in general. Instead, what it does is help you get rid of excess water, which will show on the scale.
Is watermelon good for weight loss? Yes! Whether you try the watermelon diet or simply enjoy the occasional watermelon treats, it will help you lose weight. But if your goal is to lose belly fat, you need protein, not just water and fibers.
Can diabetics eat watermelon?
People with diabetes can eat watermelon, but small portions and not very frequently. It’s because watermelon has a glycaemic index of 76, which is high. That means that you would have to watch everything else you add to your plate that day very carefully.
If you have diabetes, you can enjoy a bit of watermelon now and then, but not regularly. Check with your doctor if you are considering eating watermelon daily.
How much weight can I lose just by eating watermelon?
It isn’t easy to estimate how much weight you could lose with the watermelon diet because many factors influence the result. For example, it depends on how much you weigh before the diet, how much water your body retains, how active you are, and even how much watermelon you eat.
I tried the watermelon-only diet for two days, and I lost about 2.2 pounds. I thought it was a good result but didn’t push the diet for several days because I was afraid I wouldn’t feel well. But losing those two pounds helped me find the motivation to keep watching what I eat and find a long-term strategy to reach my weight loss goals.