All credit goes to Ria Majumdar at Boldsky.com

Claims like "lose weight in 7 days" or "get 4 tones lighter skin with this home remedy" always end up ringing all the warning bells in our head. But sometimes there is a grain of truth in the most-preposterous of claims. Take for example the GM diet plan. This unconventional and extremely strict diet claims it can help you shed up to 15 pounds (or 6.8kg) of weight in just 1 week with simple ingredients from your local supermarket. And although the true origin of this diet is unknown (and is definitely not something the General Motors developed for their employees and dependents), it has a startlingly successful track record, which is the reason why it is one of the most popular low-carb diets in history!

The GM Diet: Simple, Straightforward, but Not Easy The 7 day GM diet has a theme for each day. And while the diet does not tell you how much of each food group you should eat every day, it does restrict you to only fruits, vegetables, juices, soups, and proteins (like meat or cottage cheese). The idea behind this is to train your body's metabolism, reduce your junk food cravings, and detoxify whatever damage you have done to date. Plus, if you manage to stick with it through all 7 days, you also train yourself to stick to your goals and continue eating healthy. We will cover each day in more detail in subsequent articles in this series, but for now, here's the breakdown of all 7 days of the GM diet.

Day 1: Fruit Day (Minus Banana) The first day is the most difficult in this diet plan. This is because you are only allowed to eat fruits all day long. All fruits except bananas. The idea is to eat multiple times a day and keep some fruits handy so that you can munch on them whenever you get hungry. This is because fruits fill up our stomach fast (as they are rich in fibers), but their low-calorific value makes them perfect for keeping your calorie intake to just 1000 - 1200 throughout the day.

Day 2: Vegetable Day On Day 2 of the diet, you are only allowed to eat raw or cooked vegetables. And since potatoes are full of carbs, you are only allowed to have it during breakfast so you have enough energy to keep going the rest of the day.

Day 3: Fruits + Vegetables Day You can only eat fruits and vegetables during the third day, except bananas and potatoes.

Day 4: Bananas + Milk Day This is another grueling day as you are only allowed to eat bananas and milk. And since bananas are known to induce bowel motions, it's better if you take a day off on the 4th day or start your diet such that this day falls on a holiday.

Day 5: Proteins + Vegetables Day If you are a non-vegetarian, you can rejoice because the 5th day of the GM diet allows you to eat a cumulative 500g of meat (any kind) throughout the day. Just remember to drink more water as meat is known to increase your body's uric acid level and thus, cause gout.

Day 6: Protein + Vegetable Day Day 6 is similar to day 5, except you are not allowed to eat potatoes.

Day 7: Brown rice + Fruits & Vegetables The 7th and last day of this grueling diet allows you to eat only fruits, vegetables, and brown rice. But while it may sound unappealing when broken down in the ingredient form, this combination is known to produce some really delicious courses.