THE DIET DELUGE
Which diet is the ONE for me? YOU? Key information to help you wade through the diet quagmire!
ATKINS
There is just so much information out there today about a huge range of diets. Atkins - the LOW CARB version has received both good and bad reviews. When it was first reported on, it was referred to as bizarre, dangerous, nonsense. Over more than one hundred years, it seems to have been reproduced with monotonous regularity under a range of names, a so called REVOLUTION in weight loss. I have friends who have successfully lost weight on the ATKINS weight loss eating regime, but none have maintained it for too long as it requires dieters to eat considerable amounts of meat, poultry, eggs, and FAT and excludes such foods as breads, cereals and in fact many vegetables. Dr Atkins rejects the FOOD PYRAMID that has been very popular in a large number of other types of diet because it is stated that refined carbohydrates are responsible for increasing numbers of metabolic disorders. Why then has it been so popular? Why does this high protein diet seem to work? It is believed that dietary protein is responsible for reducing food cravings and for creating a feeling of fullness. Dietary protein in the diet seems to be more effective at stimulating the release of a protein molecule called PEPTIDE YY which is said to decrease cravings for food. The reduction in carbohydrates in the diet is designed to encourage the burning of fat rather than glucose. This in turn leads to weight loss. Adding vitamin and mineral supplementation with ATKINS is considered vital in order to ensure that a balance is maintained. Ultimately, the ATKINS weight loss program relies on foods being whole and unprocessed. Such foods are said to have a low glycemic load and are beneficial in weight loss programs. Is this a good thing? Yes, it certainly is. But is the emphasis on high protein a good thing?
There are four stages to the ATKINS diet. The first phase - INDUCTION - is the introduction to the program and requires strict adherence to the diet for a period of about 2 weeks. During this time, intake of carbohydrates is kept to a minimum. Meat and other protein sources are the main staple and a small amount of cheese, salad vegetables etc are the order of the day. You are NOT allowed to drink coffee or tea during this phase. Many dieters will lose up to 3-4 kgs per week in this stage. This occurs because of the onset of ketosis which heralds the FAT BURNING stage. Next is the ON-GOING weight loss phase. At this stage you can increase the carbohydrate intake marginally and begin to include previously taboo food items in order to teach yourself to understand how they react with your body and the effect they have on weight loss/gain. There is a heirarchy of 9 food groups that can be included in order in the diet over time. These include acceptable vegetables, fresh dairy foods, nuts, berries, alcohol, legumes, other fruits, starchy vegetables and finally, grains. If you are not intending to include an item in your diet on a permanent basis, then you can eliminate it entirely from the table eg. alcohol. You remain in this phase until you are approaching your goal weight - then you enter the next phase. This phase is called PRE-MAINTENANCE. During this phase, you increase your carbs again by about 10% and attempt to determine the optimum level for you to be able to maintain your weight successfully. Lets face it, this is IMPORTANT - otherwise you enter that yoyo cycle again! Finally, the last phase is called LIFETIME MAINTENANCE. At this stage, you are expected to have determined ideal carbo levels to sustain your weight at the ideal level but should you begin to gain weight again, you just revert to the above phases to lose the unwanted kilos.
IS THIS THE DIET FOR YOU?
PRITIKIN
From high fat to low fat, the Pritikin diet is about as different from ATKINS as you can get. Although it may sound like it, the PRITKIN diet is not a vegetarian diet but is low-fat diet which is based, in the main, on vegetables, grains and fruits. Only 10% fat is allowed for in this diet and you are required to choose from a food range which are not "calorie dense," such as apples and oatmeal bacause they allow you to eat until you feel full and still lose weight. How "calorie dense a food is determines if it is likely to cause weight gain. The higher the density, the more likely it is to cause you to gain weight. This is because you will need to eat more in order to feel full and therefore you will take in more calories which leads to weight gain! Therefore, you need to know which foods have LOW calorie density and eat those. As suggested by Atkins, processed foods DO NOT fall into this category and therefore should be avoided. The Pritikin Diet will see you eating plenty of food packed with fibre and water to fill up your stomach. These might include vegetables, fruits, beans, and natural, unprocessed grains. These are the foods that are claimed to make you feel full and therefore satisfied!.You need to eat 3 meals a day as well as enjoying 2 snacks which are low in calories. You don't need to count calories but you will need to learn how to calculate the density of calories in your food so that you can keep it within defined limits.
CSIRO DIET
While this diet has been around for a little while, results and opinions seem to be mixed. The CSIRO diet relies on reducing fat and carbohydrate intake and increasing protein - where have we heard this before?? Apparently limited research has shown that this diet can produce results in the short term but it does not seem to be sustained. Interestingly, it appears that this diet has the funding, backing and support of the meat industry - has this had any effect on what is being promoted in this approach to weight loss? As has already been stated, protein assists weight loss because it makes you feel fuller for longer - reducing those cravings that see you reach for the biscuits or other less than healthy snack foods. As well as high protein, fresh fruit and vegetables are the order of the day. Minimizing your intake of any processed carbohydrates is also essential in this approach to losing those unwanted kilos.
WEIGHT WATCHERS (WW)
This is an approach that I personally tried many years ago - at that time it was a very demoralizing program if you were unfortunate enough to have maintained or - worse still - gained any weight since the last meeting. I still remember being made, in front of the group, to get into a child's playpen and sing the following little ditty - "I'm in the pigpen, I'm in disgrace, I'm so ashamed I can hardly show my face........" and so it went on. I did not return! Others that I know in more recent times have used the WW approach and found it quite user friendly and much more supportive - well it would need to be! WW is based on a points system which assigns points values to varius foods. Stick within the assigned points and the assumption is you will lose weight. I'm told that the meetings are much more supportive and helpful and for some, provide the support they need to continue the challenging task of achieving and maintaining ideal weight, health and fitness levels.
LOW GLYCEMIC DIETS
These diets are almost the exact opposite of the ATKINS and CSIRO diets in that they require
the dieter to reduce fat and increase carbohydrates - not just any carbohydrates though - low GI
carbos are required. The assumption behind this approach is that if you reduce the high GI carbs, you will reduce the
blood sugar levels and
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