The hand diet allows you to quickly lose several kilos in a short time. There are those who claim to have lost up to 20 kg in 3 months. It is important to underline that in reality it is not a real diet but a system for dosing portions based on the size of the hands, which differ from person to person. This method suggests measuring food portions using only your fingers, thumbs and palms depending on the food you choose. Aside from the recommendation to consume five servings of fruit and vegetables every day, there are no official guidelines on the portion sizes we should consume. Sian Porter, dietician and spokesperson for the British Dietetics Association,

Hand diet to lose weight 20 kg: how it works

To understand the amount of food to eat, use the palm of the hand, with the two thumbs, with the “ok” sign joining index and thumb, with the fist and with the two hands joined. The five fingers correspond to the number of meals to be made during the day.

Hand diet to lose weight 20 kg: the guide for weighing food

• Pasta, rice and other raw carbohydrates: The serving size should not exceed the size of a closed fist. Even for potatoes you shouldn’t exceed the dose of a handful.
• Bread: the slice must be as thick as the tip of a finger.
• Meat: the portion should not be larger than the palm of the hand (the fingers are therefore excluded). The dietician suggests eating a portion of protein with each meal to distribute it throughout the day. She also reminds you never to exceed the dose of 500 grams of red meat per week and to use other proteins such as fish, beans and legumes.
• Fish: The portion of fish can be the size of a flattened hand, including fingers. The nutritionist recommends cod in particular as it is a species very low in fat and calories and more generally white fish which despite having low amounts of Omega 3 are however rich in selenium.
• Chocolate: a portion of chocolate can be that corresponding to the extended index finger.
• Ice cream: a clenched fist of ice cream is what we can indulge in a moment of gluttony.
• Cake: a slice of cake must be really “slim”, in fact it only corresponds to the width and length of two fingers.
• Fatty fish: if you consume fatty fish such as salmon, you have to limit yourself to the palm of your hand and we recommend this type only once a week to ensure the right dose of Omega 3.

Hand diet: the correct portion are less than two fingers.

• Butter: to adjust in this case you have to take into account the size of a fingertip.
• Vegetables: depending on the type, the dose of vegetables at each meal should be the equivalent of two hands joined (in the case of raw spinach or salad, for example) or a closed fist (for example in the case of broccoli).
• Berries and strawberries: the right dose of these small fruits is the one that can be held in two cupped hands. On the other hand, a serving of normal fruit is equivalent to a punch.
• Dried fruit: if you want to munch on nuts or other dried fruit, you must not exceed the content of a palm of your hand. This is a great satiating solution rich in heart-healthy fats.
• Mayonnaise, ketchup and other sauces: it is allowed to insert them from time to time but should not go beyond the tip of two fingers.
• The pasta: the portions must correspond to the size of a closed fist.
• Ice cream: two portions correspond to a closed fist.
• Vegetables and vegetables: a ration is made up of the quantity contained by the two palms of the hands together.
• The cheese: the proper portion is equivalent to about two fingers.
• The meat: the portion must correspond to the size of the palm of the hand.
• Butter: spread an amount of bread corresponding to the tip of a finger on the slice of bread.

Hand diet: weight loss menu

The typical menu of the hand diet recommended by the British Nutrition Foundation with the right portions for each food group

• Breakfast: two wholemeal biscuits, a banana, a small glass of orange juice.
• Snack: an apple
• Lunch: one inch-sized potato; tuna with a cereal bowl of mixed salad, two mandarins.
• Snack: two oat crackers with cream cheese.
• Dinner: the amount of pasta that fits in two joined hands, three tablespoons or more of broccoli; a cup of plain yogurt.