I get it. You’ve been trying to lose weight for months, but for whatever reason, you’re just not getting there. Time constraints, endless cravings, stress eating, you name it.
Or you see that picture of yourself and finally realize you picked up weight. You’ve somehow glossed over needing to buy larger clothes or the muffin tops.
Panic, regret, frustration, and embarrassment kicks in. I’ve been there too.
In those moments, you just want the weight off. There are so many diets out there, and a lot of them are dangerous or ineffective fly by night fad diets.
But what about the cucumber and egg diet for weight loss?
In the spirit of honesty, I will mention that I’m vegan, so I didn’t try this diet myself.
But, I’ll be checking it out to give you my honest opinion backed up with scientific facts. Could this be the diet that gets you in shape? Let’s find out.
What is the Cucumber and Egg Diet?
There appears to be two different versions of this diet. The first version consists of eating just cucumber and eggs. Appetizing, I know.
The second version has some variation. Mainly you eat egg and cucumber, but you’re allowed to add a piece of fish, or snack on some fruit, make a green salad or put your egg on toast.
Beverage wise, you’re allowed to drink water and unsweetened black coffee and tea. In some of the variations, you’re allowed to add milk to your coffee or tea.
The whole point is to keep your calorie intake pretty low. This is the main reason you’ll lose weight on this diet. The egg and cucumber provide some necessary nutrients.
Most people only do this diet for a week or so. In that time, it’s claimed that you will lose at least 4 lbs. The most I’ve seen claimed is 10 lbs.
Pros
- Cucumber and egg both have health benefits as part of a healthy balanced diet
- It’s an easy way to keep your calories low
- It will encourage you to stay hydrated thanks to the water and cucumber which is water-rich
- You receive more protein than on other very restrictive diets such as simply juicing veggies
Cons
- The calorie content may be too low
- If you eat only egg and cucumber, you will be missing out on important nutrients
- This isn’t a sustainable diet, the only way to lose weight and keep it off is a lifestyle change
- This doesn’t teach proper healthy eating
- Losing so much weight in such a short time may have a negative impact on your health such as a slow metabolism, nutrient deficiencies, and muscle loss
- Eating more than seven eggs in a week is not recommended due to the saturated fat content
- The macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrates) are not balanced, it’s extremely low carb even by keto standards if you just do the cucumber and egg. How many cucumbers can you eat day in and day out? That is the question.
What are other people saying?
This video explains how to do version 1 of the diet. Just egg and cucumber.
The guy also recommended doing it for two weeks, although, in the second week, he recommended adding in other foods which is version 2.
From the comment section, people who tried it were very impressed with the amount of weight they lost. As mentioned, when you’re eating barely any calories, you are bound to lose weight.
The main thing they complained about was either getting tired of cucumber or getting tired of eggs. Coincidence? I think not.
Surprisingly, no one claimed to be overly hungry. This may be due to the protein and fat content of the eggs.
A few wisely pointed out that most of the weight lost was likely water weight and that they would gain the weight back as soon as they ate regular food again.
There was a query about constipation. And to be fair, the fiber content of this diet is likely to be fairly low. It’s not surprising that some people will end up backed up. Excuse the crude expression.
A few mentioned either that they were quite gassy or that they worried that this diet would make them gassy, and in a smelly way too. Hello there eggs!
The Benefits of Egg
Eggs are actually very nutritious. According to Nutrition Data, one large boiled egg contains:
- Vitamin A: 6% RDA
- Folate (the natural form of folic acid): 5% RDA
- Vitamin B5: 7% RDA
- Vitamin B12: 9% RDA
- Vitamin B2: 15% RDA
- Phosphorus: 9% RDA
- Selenium: 22% RDA
This is in addition to zinc, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, and choline.
RDA stands for recommended dietary allowance or the minimum intake for health based on a diet of 2000 calories.
So while you will be missing out on nutrients since you’ll be eating 4- 6 eggs a day, you will at least be taking in a fair amount.
A large boiled egg contains only 77 calories but has 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat. Most of the fat is unsaturated fat. The protein and fat content will keep you fuller for longer.
What’s more, is that the yolk of the egg contains the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. Both are good for your eyes.
The Potentially Bad Side of Eggs
It has been said that eggs do not raise cholesterol levels. This isn’t the case for everyone.
For example, I am prone to high cholesterol. It runs in my family.
Even eating only two eggs a week, and maybe two or three bacon (with the fat cut off) for a Saturday breakfast and lean meat and 2% milk during the week, my cholesterol was too high.
My husband ate worse than me, exercised less, ate fewer fruits, and his cholesterol levels remained well within the healthy range.
What’s more, is that some of the studies may have been flawed or the results skewed or presented in a favorable light due to funding. Unfortunately, money talks.
An in-depth review of the studies, particularly those funded by the egg board, revealed that eggs do raise cholesterol levels albeit less than cheese or sausages.
Be sure to get your cholesterol levels checked once or twice a year to find out whether you have a cholesterol problem.
The Benefits of Cucumber
These refreshing fruits, yes, cucumbers are actually fruits, not vegetables, provide some important nutrients too.
According to Healthline, a 300g raw and unpeeled cucumber contains:
- Vitamin C: 14% RDA
- Vitamin K: 62% RDA
- Magnesium: 10% RDA
- Potassium: 13% RDA
- Manganese: 12% RDA
A 300g cucumber only contains 45 calories. It contains no fat but has 2g of protein, 11g of carbs, and 2g of fiber.
Cucumbers are great for hydration. 96% of cucumber is water. Hydration is important for weight loss as it clears waste from the body and aids fat burning and digestion.
Cucumber is also full of antioxidants that help to fight against free radicals that over time may lead to illness and premature aging.
Be sure to eat the cucumber with the peel on to reap all these benefits.
Who Is This diet For?
This is for people who want to jump-start their weight loss or who want a quick fix. But note that it will likely be a temporary fix.
Egg and Cucumber Diet Plan
I am going to go with a shorter plan here, 3 to 7 days maximum. This is because this diet is very low in calories and you will end up lacking nutrients if you go too long.
You can boil, scramble or fry your eggs, but you shouldn’t use any fat or oil to fry or scramble.
Version 1
- Breakfast– One cucumber and one egg
- Lunch– One cucumber and one egg
- Dinner– One cucumber and two eggs
Add an extra egg if you find one isn’t enough.
If you do want to follow this diet a little longer, go to version 2 for the second week.
Version 2- 3 Days
Day 1
Breakfast: Cucumber salad and two eggs
Lunch: One slice of wholewheat toast with egg and cucumber
Dinner: Two eggs and green salad with cucumbers
Day 2:
Breakfast: One egg and a cucumber smoothie
Lunch: A green salad including cucumber with two eggs
Dinner: One serving of fish with cucumber and one egg
Day 3:
Breakfast: Cucumber, 1-2 tablespoons of hummus for a dip, and one egg
Lunch: One slice of wholewheat toast, one egg, green salad including cucumber
Dinner: Three thin slices of chicken breast, one egg, and cucumber salad
If you prefer to go longer, you can structure the meals roughly the same way.
If you need to snack in between, eat one fruit, for example, one peach or an apple. You can also eat 10 grapes or two plums or two kiwis.
FAQ
How can I make my cucumbers taste more exciting?
Add herbs and spices such as dill, thyme, or a little paprika or cayenne pepper for some kick. Pepper goes well with most veggies or salad ingredients.
You can try lemon juice, vinegar, or a little bit of plain yogurt too. To keep the calories down, use low-fat yogurt and only a tablespoon or two at a time.
Make sure the sodium content is low. Foods that have most of the fat content removed, such as dairy, often have a higher sodium and sugar content to improve the flavor.
This diet is low in potassium, so I would recommend keeping your salt intake very low. Maybe a dash or two at each meal.
How can I make egg and cucumber taste good together?
Mustard, as long as it’s not the sweeter varieties, is a good option. Again, herbs and spices will go well here. Experiment with the flavors you like.
Try to stay away from mayonnaise. The fat and sugar content is high and will drive up the calories.
How long should I do this diet?
If you’re going to do it, I would recommend only 3 to 7 days. Eating so many eggs in one week isn’t good for you.
You need other nutrients, and eating so few calories for too long will put your body in starvation mode and actually hamper your weight loss efforts.
This is because your body is trying to keep you alive. Women shouldn’t consume fewer than 1200 calories and men no fewer than 1500.
That’s because this is how many calories your body needs simply to breathe, digest food, excrete waste, etc. Basically, live.
Can I eat only cucumber and egg?
Personally, I would not recommend this. But, yes, you can. You won’t die or seriously harm your health if you do it just for a few days.
But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. You will still be engaging in unhealthy behavior.
Even if these foods are healthy, you need to eat a wide range of healthy foods every day to get all the nutrients that you require. Eat the rainbow. That means all different colored veggies.
It’s 100% possible to lose weight by eating a healthy balanced diet and engaging in regular exercise and getting 7-9 hours of good quality sleep.
Will I get hungry and how do I combat that?
There is a chance that you will considering the low calorie content. Having said that, when I first became vegan, I was never hungry as crazy as it sounds.
I just started realizing that I was losing weight faster than I meant to. I tracked my calories for a few days and realized that I was only getting in 1000 give or take. Sometimes less!
It was the high fiber content of everything that I was eating. Fiber is unbelievably filling. My carb intake was also higher. Our bodies prefer carbs as their primary source of fuel.
Even vegan protein sources such as beans and legumes contain carbs. It could be that my body had what it needed for fuel in that regard.
It was an interesting time learning to prepare foods in a way where I could up my calorie content to a healthy level without feeling extremely full.
The fat and protein in the eggs and the high water content of the cucumbers will likely help with satiety.
Otherwise, I would try adding more protein in the form of lean meat or fish or beans and nuts if you are vegetarian. Adding half an avocado to your salad may also help.
We weren’t designed to survive off of so few calories or only two foods for very long.
My Opinion-Does it Really Work?
If you want temporary weight loss? Yes. But if you want to lose weight for good, no.
I’ll say it again, true weight loss requires a lifestyle change. If the trouble is that you aren’t sure how to eat healthily, this isn’t really going to teach you that.
It’s better than using weight loss shakes. But the fact that you are cutting your calories so severely and leaving out so many healthy foods is what is wrong with this diet.
If you insist on following this diet, I would suggest version 2 and to keep it short. No longer than a week.
I would suggest getting a calorie tracking app. If you don’t like doing that or if it’s too time-consuming, try it for just two weeks.
Get to know how many calories are in what. Check out the macronutrient content (protein, fat, carbohydrates). Some apps help you with a plan to achieve the ratio that you prefer.
For example, low carb, high fat, moderate protein. Or a balanced diet.
Alternative?
I’ve always been a fan of cooking meals that are healthy and thermogenic.
If your interested in recipes that you can cook up forever, then check out the below link 🙂
