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YOUR FAT CAN MAKE YOU THIN DIET PLAN
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WHAT IS THE YOUR FAT CAN MAKE YOU THIN DIET?
This book just could prove to be the saving grace for someone who has had trouble losing on other low carb plans. I have no doubt whatsoever that following this plan religiously will lead to weight loss, and that is something that cannot be said of all low carb plans, due to the fact that some of them do not restrict calories, and for some people, calories most certainly do count.
Now, that said, I must profess my doubt that I myself would be able to stick to this plan for any length of time due to the severe restrictions which the author has imposed on *both* food choices and calories... and in my opinion, if a plan is not live-able for life, the chances of it working long-term are slim. However, for someone who has no problem maintaining their weight on a more liberal low carb diet but who has "stalled" and is frustrated and ready to go the extra mile in an attempt to jump-start their weight loss again - well, this could be the answer. The author also raises a couple interesting points that I have not heard before and which I found very interesting.
The plan basically boils down to caloric restriction in conjunction with carb restriction. The carb restriction and the emphasis placed on remaining in ketosis is supposed to control appetite to such an extent that the calorie restrictions will be easy to comply with. The plan calls for 800-1200 calories per day and less than 40 carbs. In other places, they refer to this as the 1000 calorie/35 carb plan, that presumably being the average. No mention is made of subtracting fiber, although a high fiber intake is encouraged based on the premise that fiber reduces serum and tissue cholesterol. You are encouraged to keep your saturated fat intake very low and to restrict consumption of red meats and cheese and other foods that are known for containing saturated fats, due to the supposed detrimental effect of saturated fats on blood lipids (cholesterol). It is recommend that no more than ten percent of fat calories come from saturated fats, and he says that your fats of choice should be polyunsaturated and monosaturated. Nowhere, however, is there any actual science presented to support this outdated theory, and this is one of the big problems that I personally have with this particular plan. You are encouraged to not eat nuts until you reach maintenance, due to their high caloric density. You are instructed to not add any fats to your diet and to choose only very lean meats and fish. Remove all visible fat before cooking. No frying - broil, boil, bake, grill, and steam instead. No added butter on your veggies.... or added fat anywhere. Women are permitted a daily total of 7 ounces of protein (fish, poultry or lean meat) in addition to one egg or two ounces of low-fat cottage cheese - men are permitted a "whopping" ten ounces. Both milk and yogurt are completely eliminated, with no mention of the carb adjustment for yogurt that many other low carb authors have advocated. Supplements are mandatory (a multi and calcium). In place of suggesting potassium, the author insists that a total of 1 tsp. of salt daily in foods will take care of any diuretic electrolyte imbalance caused by the effects of ketosis. Exercise is stressed as essential, a minimum of three days of cardio workouts per week, building up to five days per week.
You probably understand my assertion now that this plan will result in weight loss, PERIOD, if followed exactly.... with those kinds of severe dietary restrictions, how could it NOT??? The big question is - is this plan realistic? Can it be followed by the average dieter?
I find fault with the fact that this doctor obviously views carbohydrate restriction STRICTLY as a temporary weight-loss mechanism, and nowhere does he promote long-term carbo restriction for the purposes of good health. If you are a low carb advocate for health reasons, forget this book. If, however, you are interested in low carb merely as a means to achieve weight loss, and are struggling with that aspect, then you probably should read this book.
On to the points I found interesting ~ I will include direct some excerpts here:
"Serotonin .. is the most important of the forty known neurotransmitters
in the regulation of both appetite and sleep. It's helpful to imagine
serotonin as being stored in a reservoir in the brain. Normally, the body
replenishes it through deep restorative sleep; however, some serotonin
is required initially at the onset of sleep to achieve a good night's
rest. .... when there are carbohydrate cravings and sleep disturbances
with a lack of daytime energy, we can conclude that serotonin is lacking.
Stress also affects serotonin. Increased stress triggers the demand for more serotonin, but less is produced because stress also interferes with deep, restorative sleep - essential to the natural production of the chemical. Patients struggling to maintain weight after a considerable loss are almost invariably serotonin-depleted. In this setting, no "diet" can succeed.... A lack of serotonin is the best explanation for the nearly inevitable relapse that accompanies attempts at maintenance; so some form of serotonin enhancement, either at the beginning of, during, or after weight loss, may be necessary to maintain your weight loss goal..... I recommend the prescription drug trazadone (a serotonin enhancer) to help you achieve a state of deep, energizing sleep. The dosage of trazadone used in this diet is very much lower than the dosage used for trazadone's original antidepressant usage. Most, but not all, patients require the use of trazadone during the diet; however, the medication is temporary. After you achieve your goal weight, your serotonin levels should be adequately restored and you should no longer need the help of medication.... When you begin to reintroduce carbohydrate into your diet after the weight loss phase, you may gradually withdraw the trazadone."
"Testing for ketones on arising and at bedtime gives valuable information in addition to the level of insulin in the system. For example, when there is little or no weight loss despite an apparent strict adherence to the program, it is helpful to know if ketones re still present. If they are, it means that fat is being burned as expected, but significant water retention is masking the fat loss. This weight plateau is fairly common in women and is often related to the menstrual cycle. Vigorous exercise, by diverting blood away from the kidneys to muscles, may decrease water excretion and add to fluid retention. Therefore, it is comforting to know that fat is still being burned and that more exercise at this time is not called for, as it may aggravate the situation.... What does it mean when Ketostix, previously showing light purple consistently, suddenly turn dark purple? It indicates that the urine has become concentrated due to water deficiency rather than increased production of ketones. The proper response is to increase water intake until the urine is more diluted..... If there is no weight loss but the urine remains positive for ketones, it means that you are burning fat as expected but replacing it with equivalent weight in water...... I regard urine ketone testing in this program as important in providing useful medical information as home blood glucose monitoring is for diabetics striving for optimal blood sugar control."
I must interject here and remind you that studies have shown that there are TWO major bodies of ketones produced by the body and that the strips only show one type. Consistent negative readings do NOT necessarily mean that you are not in ketosis; I reiterate my own long-term assertion that these strips and this type of testing is not necessary for the success of the majority of people who attempt to low carb - but if you find that they do work for *you* as a means of verifying ketosis, then they may prove to be helpful to you, especially when testing the introduction of a new food to the diet.
The chapters on maintenance state that "A balanced diet will provide approximately 30 percent of calories from fat, 40 to 50 percent from carbohydrate, and 20 to 30 percent from protein."
WHAAAAAT?
This is where I got downright angry and formed a very negative opinion of this book overall. This doctor has no apparent understanding or appreciation of the health benefits that come from sustained, long-term restriction of carbohydrates. In my opinion, he has merely jumped on the low carb bandwagon for commercial reasons, advocating low carb only as a temporary means for weight loss, and combining this with the same humdrum, heard-it-all-before-and-it-still-isn't-right low fat CRAP we've had shoved down our throats for way too many years already. And even he won't pretend that his own plan is manageable unless his patients are routinely drugged with anti-depressants. I find that to be quite disturbing. I got so angry while thinking about this that I put off writing this review for more than two weeks after I finished the book. But it is not my job to merely endorse the books I agree with. I consider it my responsibility to at least *attempt* to dispassionately critique both the good and bad points of all the books which I review. So I have genuinely tried to do that, but I can't help feeling the way I do about this book. Having said all of this, I must remind you that I am NOT A TRAINED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. I am merely a well informed lay-person who has achieved long-term weight loss as well as made dramatic overall health improvements through the applied principles of a low carb Way of Life. You should weigh any and all opinions that I present accordingly, perform your own research in this area, and decide for yourself what to believe, and how to proceed in your own best interests.
YOUR FAT CAN MAKE YOU THIN DIET ARTICLES
Can Fats Make You Thin? - A negative take on this diet.
Cooking TLC's Review - Your Fat Can Make You Thin Diet Explanation and Review
"Your
Fat Can Make You Thin!" - A few paragraph about the
book and how it explains the newly discovered connection between Obesity
and Type 2 Diabetes.