1

The 28 Day Diet

Eat Healthy. Feel Good. Look Fantastic!

Compiled by:
EETPLAN IDEES

www.the28daydiet.co.za
2

PLEASE
RESPECT
OUR WORK.

All layouts, graphic design and themes used in this document are the exclusive
property of Eetplan Idees and copyright is reserved.

This document is free and intended for PERSONAL USE only. Selling and/or commercial
use is strictly forbidden.

This document may, without the permission of Eetplan Idees, be shared via email,
photocopying and social media platforms where the rules of the specific platform
allows such.
This document may NOT be uploaded to any website or blog.

Taking screenshots of any part of this document and/or uploading and distributing it
on social media, email, print media or any other communication medium is STRICTLY
FORBIDDEN. This document may only be shared in its entirety.
Perpetrators will be prosecuted.

Copyright 2019 © Eetplan Idees

3

CONTENTS

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 4

History / Origin

Who are we?

What is the 28 day diet? ........................................................................................................... 5

What is the 28 day diet?

How does it work?

Who is the 28 day diet for?

The 28 Day Diet – Day 1 to 28 .................................................................................................. 7

How do you lose weight? ........................................................................................................ 8

Guidelines .................................................................................................................................. 9

Quick Recipes .......................................................................................................................... 11

Principles................................................................................................................................. 12

More Information ................................................................................................................... 14

Weight Loss Table .................................................................................................................. 15

Day Planner ............................................................................................................................. 16

4

INTRODUCTION

History and Origin of the Plan

The 28 Day Diet was compiled by a Cape Town pharmacist years ago. Due to the spectacular success of
the plan, it appeared in one of South Africa's top glossy magazines in the 1970s. The plan was then released
in Afrikaans as the "Stellenberg Apteker se Dieet".

Over the years, the plan has helped thousands of South Africans change their lives by shaking off the extra
kilograms. With the development of our apps there are also many people following the plan in several
other parts of the world (including Namibia, England, New Zealand, Australia, America, Canada and
Belgium).

Who are we
Eetplan Idees specialises in designing quality resources to help those who struggle to stay with the plan.
We are also here to distribute the plan to as many people as possible.

Due to the great demand for a well-planned recipe book with tasty ideas to make the meals interesting,
we compiled the Afrikaans version of The 28 Day Diet Recipe Book (Part 1) in 2017, which we translated to
English in 2018.

We also offer other products to make it easier to follow the plan, such as an A3 fridge card, journal, diet
plan key ring, calendar and many more.

We are constantly doing new research and designing unique products that will help to follow the plan
successfully.
5

WHAT IS THE
28 DAY DIET?

What is the 28 day diet?

The 28 Day Diet is a weight loss program designed specifically to help people lose weight and learn the
necessary lifestyle changes to maintain their target weight. The more weight you have to lose, the faster
you will lose weight.

It is a very practical eating plan that consists of all the foods we generally keep in our kitchens - nothing
strange or extraordinary.

How does the plan work?

The 28 Day Diet consists of a predetermined menu for 3 meals a day, for 28 days. You can start on any day
(not necessarily the 1st day of the month, or a Monday), as long as you follow the plan of Day 1 to 28 in the
correct order.

The first week is the most difficult, as it is the detox phase during which your body gets rid of all the toxins
and adapts to your new eating habits. Read more about the symptoms of detox and how to overcome it on
our blog.

You can repeat the 28 days for as many times as needed to reach your target weight. You can take a break
between rounds, or you can complete the rounds consecutively.

It is better not to take a break between rounds before you reach your target weight, as it will be much
harder to restart if your break is too long. If you want to take a break, a break of 1 to 3 days is recommended
before the start of your next round.

Who is the diet for?

The free 28 day diet is specifically intended for overweight and obese people who are struggling to lose
weight. The main purpose of the diet is rapid weight loss.
6

The 28 Day Diet also helps alleviate the symptoms of the following conditions:

High blood pressure

Diabetes

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)

High cholesterol

Infertility

Underactive thyroid

N.B. If you suffer from any of the above or any other medical condition you MUST consult your doctor
before following the plan. Your doctor will be able to advise if this plan is appropriate for your condition,
and he will then be able to make the necessary changes.

Because this diet is designed to lower your blood pressure, those with low blood pressure should take
this into consideration when attempting to follow it.

The diet in its current form is not suitable for those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking chronic
medication or doing strenuous exercise.

If the above categories describe you and you want to follow the diet, you can take the plan to a dietician to
make the necessary adjustments.
7

THE 28 DAY
DIET
DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4
Cereal & 2% Milk Dried Fruit Yogurt & 1 Fruit Cereal & 2% Milk
Chicken & 1 Vegetable Fish & Salad/Vegetables 1 Potato & 1 Vegetable Pasta & Tomatoes & Onions
Soup, 1 Toast & Cheese 2 Eggs, Tomatoes & Onions 3 Fruits 1 Fruit, 6 Provitas & Cheese
DAY 5 DAY 6 DAY 7 DAY 8
Yogurt & 1 Fruit Dried Fruit Cereal & 2% Milk Yogurt & 1 Fruit
Fish & Salad/Vegetables 1 Potato & 1 Vegetable Chicken & Salad/Vegetables Tuna Salad
1 Vegetable Soup, 1 Toast & Marmite 2 Eggs, 1 Toast & Tomato 3 Fruits
DAY 9 DAY 10 DAY 11 DAY 12
Cereal & 2% Milk Cereal & 2% Milk Yogurt & 1 Fruit Dried Fruit
1 Potato & 1 Vegetable Soup, 4 Provitas & Cheese Fish & Salad / Vegetables Fruit salad
2 Eggs & 1 Toast 1 Vegetable 3 Fruits Red Meat & Vegetables
DAY 13 DAY 14 DAY 15 DAY 16
Cereal & 2% Milk Dried Fruit 1 Toast & Tomato Cereal & 2% Milk
1 Vegetable Chicken & Salad / Vegetables Cucumber & Carrots Tuna Salad
Pasta & Tomatoes & Onions Yogurt & 2 Fruits Soup, 1 Toast & Cheese Fruit salad
DAY 17 DAY 18 DAY 19 DAY 20
Dried Fruit 1 Toast & Tomato Cereal & 2% Milk Dried Fruit
1 Potato & 1 Vegetable 2 Eggs & Mushrooms Chicken & Salad / Vegetables 2 Eggs & Mushrooms
Soup, 1 Toast & Cheese Fruit salad 1 Fruit, 1 Toast & Cheese Fruit salad
DAY 21 DAY 22 DAY 23 DAY 24
Yogurt & 1 Fruit Fruits Cereal & 2% Milk 1 Egg, 1 Toast & Tomato
Red Meat & Vegetables Fruit Salad & Yogurt Chicken & Salad / Vegetables Pasta & Tomatoes & Onions
1 Fruit, 6 Provitas & Cheese Fruits Mushrooms & Lettuce Soup, 1 Toast & Marmite
DAY 25 DAY 26 DAY 27 DAY 28
Dried Fruit Yogurt & 1 Fruit Dried Fruit Cereal & 2% Milk
Mixed Vegetables Fish & Salad / Vegetables 1 Potato & 1 Vegetable Chicken & Salad / Vegetables
3 Fruits 1 Vegetables Soup, 1 Toast & Marmite 2 Eggs, Tomato & 1 Toast
8

HOW DO YOU
LOSE WEIGHT?
The fundamental way in which the body burns fat is to create a calorie deficit: you eat less food than your
body needs, thus forcing your body to obtain the necessary energy by burning fat reserves. With this diet
you do it in a healthy and sustainable way.

The success of the plan is based on 3 important principles of weight loss:

1. About 5 hours between meals

The diet consists of 3 meals a day with no snacks between meals. This gives your body the opportunity to
burn your reserve energy sources (i.e. excess fat) to get energy. It also causes the optimal functioning of
your metabolism and organs involved in the digestive process, as these organs are not constantly
processing food and breaking down toxins.

2. Smaller portions
The truth is, most of us are overweight because we eat too much, eat too often, eat for the wrong reasons,
or all of the above. This success is mainly based on cutting portions so that we only consume what our
body needs to function - nothing more.

3. No sugar, no unhealthy fats and low carbohydrates

How this eating plan differs from other diets is that the plan does NOT exclude any food group. It contains
a little of all food groups (carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, proteins, dairy products and fats) in the right
amount to ensure optimal health.

Synthetic sugar, unhealthy fats and excess carbohydrates are 3 of the main culprits that contribute to
obesity.
 9

BASIC
GUIDELINES
MEAL TIMES
It is recommended to leave 5 hours between meals.
Breakfast: 07h00 - 08h00 (no later than 1 hour after you wake up)
Lunch: 12h00 - 14h00
Dinner: 18h00 - 20h00
GENERAL Drink plenty of water (8-10 glasses a day)
No snacks or snacking between meals are allowed
Do not swap meals
Do not cheat or swap out / replace ingredients
FEMALE PORTION Every meal (the entire meal) must fit into a container of 450ml
MALE PORTION
Men eat double where the plan quantifies items, eg.
2 Potatoes, 4 Eggs, 2 Slices of Bread etc.
www.the28daydiet.co.za

Each meal (the whole meal) must fit into a 600-700ml bowl
CEREAL
Allowed: Any cereal and oats eg. Weetbix (2-3), Corn Flakes, Jungle Oats, All
Bran Flakes, Special K, FutureLife (± 5 spoons full)
Forbidden: Cereal with fruit, muesli, chocolate/sugar coatings or flavours
MILK
Just enough to cover your cereal and make your tea/coffee
Allowed: 2% Milk, Fat free milk, Low fat milk
Forbidden: Full cream milk
CHICKEN
Portion: Size and thickness of your own hand palm (for men and women)
Allowed: Breast pieces are recommended, other pieces are also allowed
Forbidden: Skin, dough, crumbs
FISH Portion: Size and thickness of your own hand palm (for men and women)
Allowed: Cod is recommended. Any fish with bones are allowed
Forbidden: Seafood, dough, crumbs
RED MEAT Portion: Size and thickness of your own hand palm (for men and women), fat
trimmed
Allowed: Beef, lamb, steak, lean mince, ostrich, venison
Forbidden: Pork, organs, gizzards, marinade
 10

BREAD
Allowed: Any white, brown or whole wheat bread
Forbidden: Bread with fruit, yogurt, syrup or seeds
2 Slices of Low GI bread may be eaten where the diet mentions 1 slice
Bread must always be toasted
SOUP
Allowed: Cup a Soup LITE (any flavour)
Homemade thin soup
Forbidden: Cream, thickeners, powders, flour and forbidden vegetables

FRUIT
www.the28daydiet.co.za

Allowed: All fruit, with the following limitations:

* Banana – 1 per meal, 2 per day, 4 per week
* Grapes – 10 to 15
* Litchis – 10
* Strawberries – 5 Small OR 3 large
VEGETABLES
Allowed: All vegetables, with the following limitations:
* Potato only when the diet mentions it
* Avocado – 1 as vegetable, ½ in salad, 2 per week
Forbidden: Corncob, peas, sweet potato, legumes (except green beans)
DRIED FRUIT
Allowed: Plums, peaches, apples, apricots, pears
Alternative: 2 Apples steamed with cinnamon
YOGHURT
Portion: 175ml per meal
Allowed: Any low fat yoghurt
Forbidden: Full cream, double cream
CHEESE
Portion: Just enough to cover your bread / Provita
Allowed: White cheese eg. White cheddar, Edam, Tussers, Mozzarella
Forbidden: Soft cheeses, feta cheese
www.the28daydiet.co.za

PASTA
Portion: ½ Of your OWN bowl of raw pasta
Forbidden: 2Min Noodles

SPICES Allowed:
* All fresh or dried spices and herbs
* Spray n Cook (any flavour)
* Weigh Less salad dressing only with Tuna salad
* Lemon juice, Balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce & Tabasco

Forbidden: Oil, fat, butter, sugar, spreads

DRINKS Daily maximum: 2c Coffee/Tea and 2c Green tea

Allowed: Coffee, tea (milk allowed, no sugar), Flat Tummy Water, Apple
Cinnamon Water, non-flavoured mineral water, tap water

Forbidden: Cooldrink, juice, flavoured water, alcoholic beverages, sugar with

coffee/tea
11

QUICK
RECIPES
The following instant recipes were taken from “Die 28 Dae Eetplan Joernaal” (available in Afrikaans
only).

The journal contains the diet plan, weight loss charts, meal ideas for every day for 3 rounds,
motivational sayings on each page, space for you before and after photos for each round and much
more.
12

PRINCIPLES

Weigh
Resist the temptation to weigh every day. You run the risk of being disappointed and discouraged if the
scale does not move as fast as you think it should - and you forget about the centimetres.

Weigh on the fourth day because you will then see the detox phase results. Then weigh only once a
week. For best results, weigh in the morning before breakfast - at the same time and on the same
scale. The suggested days are as follows:
SUGGESTED
Day 1 Day 4 Day 11 Day 18 Day 25 Day 29
WEIGHING DAYS

Day 1

Day 4
Measure
Day 11
It is exactly (almost more) important to measure yourself than to weigh
Day 18
yourself. Use your weight loss chart to keep up with your centimetres.
Sometimes the scale shows that you have lost very little or even no Day 25
weight, but if you measure yourself you will find that have reduced your
centimetres. Day 29

The following factors play an important role:

 Fat mass weighs less than muscle mass.

 If you have a lot of excess fat, even the slightest loss on the scale means a lot. It is indeed better to
lose fat mass than muscle mass.
 Notice how your clothes fit. If your pants / shirts start to feel loose, this is also a sign of weight loss
even when the scale doesn't show it.
 The Fat "Whoosh" effect also makes an important contribution.
13

Cheating
Because you are doing this diet for YOURSELF, it is only you who can determine how faithfully you
can / will follow the plan.

For best results, it is not a good idea to cheat, but the guidelines below can be followed if you eat
something that is not part of the plan:

 If you cheat during the detox phase (day 1 to 7 of the plan), start over.
 If you cheat on any other day you can continue with the next meal / day.
 If you accidentally swap meals / days, it does not count as cheating. Continue with the plan.

Alcohol
Alcohol is strictly prohibited on this plan as it is counterproductive to weight loss.

 Alcohol dehydrates the body and causes water retention, which then causes your weight to
increase.
 Alcohol stimulates your appetite.
 Alcohol puts a lot of pressure on the liver and keeps it from the process of fat burning.
 Alcohol contains lots of sugar and calories. Each gram of alcohol contains 7 calories, while other
carbohydrates contain only 4 calories per gram.

Female Portion
Every meal (the entire meal) must fit into a container of 450ml.
Almost nothing is weighed on this plan, because your bowl size is
determined by volume and not mass.

Male Portion
Each meal (the whole meal) must fit into a 600-700ml bowl. In
addition, men also eat a double portion of everything that is
quantified on plan, for example:

 Where the plan mentions 1 potato, men eat 2

 Where plan 1 mentions fruit, men eat 2
 Where the plan mentions vegetables, men eat their bowl full

Meal Times
One of the key components to the success of the plan is enough time (approximately 5 hours) between
meals.

Here is a suggested meal time plan:

 Breakfast: 07h00 – 08h00 (not later than 1 hour after you wake up)
 Lunch: 12h00 – 14h00
 Supper: 18h00 – 20h00
14

MORE
INFORMATION
Do you need more information?
Please visit our website at www.the28daydiet.co.za for more information on The 28 Days Diet, such as:

Free Recipes

Interesting articles

How to overcome detox phase

Substitutes

… and much more

Are you struggling to start or stick to the diet?

How many times have you gathered the courage to start your diet?

You made the head shift.

Your shopping is done.

You're excited!

And during the first few days you fall off the bus.

WE UNDERSTAND. IT IS DIFFICULT.

Give yourself another chance and visit our Products page to see our range of resources that can help
you be successful.

www.the28daydiet.co.za/products
15
16

https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=7890522630691897147