The visceral fat (belly fat) properties of MUFAs have been featured on Dr. Oz. For a recap of the show go to the fan page called drozfans. This recaps each show. He did a game as to which item burned belly fat (such as prunes or olives?) the answer was of course always the MUFAS. When this book came out there were few studies on MUFAs and old school docs scoffed. Now after numerous studies it is accepted science in medical journals and, yes, even on the Dr. Oz show. While this already has a great rating and almost 300 reviews I know that one more positive won't change that...but knowing the science behind it and how it blew my mind in my own fast weight loss, there is no doubt I'm adding my positive review to the pile.
First off, I study the major medical changes in diets. That means, I scoff at the "university studies" you see in the news or magazines with "shocking" news that was only done in limited time on a limited number of people, not using things like a hyperbolic chamber to measure caloric expenditure etc. Some diet news is simply not regulated and only done to MAKE the news.
However, there are other medical studies that are accepted as fact and have changed dieting as well as updated medical journals of physicians...because they are done as long as an 8 year study with almost a thousand people or with major medical controlled studies at, for example, Johns Hopkins University.
These I discuss with clients and these go into the medical journal as fact and working.
And this book took ALL of them into each meal.
I am small, I work out often, I have never been able to go over 1,300 calories per day however when I want to lose weight. And I'm always hungry...so much so that I used to break my meals into 6 small meals to rev my metabolism and keep up energy. I know how to lose weight so when I kept hearing about this I said it would work on heavier people due to the 1,600 calorie per day intake...with my small frame and short height...that doesn't coincide with what I know I need 1,200-1,300 for 2 lbs per week.
So why does this diet of 1,600 calories a day amaze me?
1. They combined ALL the major medical studies of recent years into ONE diet whereas other diets simply incorporate part of the principals. Those who believe this is simply about adding MUFAs (monounsaturated fats) or counting calories are completely missing the mark. That is one small component of this diet and no, you cannot eat anything you want as long as you add a MUFA regardless of what anyone tells you. It's the combination of components that does the major work in fast weight loss on this diet...which is why the very book tells you not to go over the 1,600 calorie per day limit.
2. For the first time I can remember, regardless of my constant running around or even when I worked out hard, I was NEVER hungry. I can honestly say I don't ever remember not being hungry in between meals. I said "no way can I now cut down to 4 meals per day when I am used to 6 small ones to keep me going for the last several years." I thought it would take an adjustment. There were times, however, I didn't feel like I even needed to eat! I was always perfectly satisfied.
Why?
3. Here's part of the rest of why it works: It's not just a 1,600 calorie per day diet. Try that on your own with eating out or frozen meals and you simply won't get the same results...even if you add a MUFA each time. It'll help, but not the crazy fast loss you are likely to see on this diet because of a few things...
*** It's a low glycemic diet...Your blood sugar won't spike and drop. High glycemic diets (simple starches, white flour, sugars, white bread) aren't always more calories, but they are high glycemic so your body digests the food quickly and you are left with none in between meals, dropping your blood sugar and playing havoc with your metabolism and hunger. Which brings me to:
***Like the "volumetrics diet" it stacks up the meals with low-glycemic veggies. These not only keep you full, but these kind of veggies take as many calories to digest as are in them, so you actually essentially fool your body into eating less calories while eating more food. That's one of the reasons you'll see a faster loss on this kind of diet. The fiber in these kind of veggies also is another component of keeping you full. These veggies are low starch, high water, high fiber. (red and green bell peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbace, broccoli, mushrooms, celery, onions, etc.) Your plate will have a huge serving via these recipes. And you'll likely aquire a taste and cravings for things full of energy and good things for your body even if you add things you hadn't thought of before; the ideas in the book will change the way you think of eating.
***A MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acid) is added with every meal. Large diet plans like Weight Watchers incorporated adding a MUFA as part of the requirement when several studies (undisputed) not only showed the health benefits of these good fats (olive oil, olive, avocados, dark chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds etc.)when added to the daily food intake, but that participants over an 8 year study who incorporated these into the same diet intake as the other diet participants lost MORE weight overall but specifically from their belly fat. Meaning you can't eat a whole cake and add an avocado and lose weight but if you are dieting, counting a MUFA into your 1,600 calorie intake will create a greater loss and specifically in one area in addition to having loads of other health benefits.
***The diet consists of all-natural, "whole" foods and whole grains. Major diet plans have also taken in this as fact after massive studies now show that we actually have a greater loss with the same amount of calories if we don't eat processed foods and artificial ingredients within that caloric intake. This is why diet plans did a rehaul, including Weight Watchers, to build points and suggestions of what to eat around this way of eating. America has not begun taking in more calories. There was an EXTREME upward trend in weight gain when artificial ingredients that are cheap for manufacturers but harder on our bodies, were introduced into most grocery store foods. Countries who shun these have far less obesity. Why do we know this helps you lose MORE weight in the belly area?: A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that a calorie-controlled diet rich in whole grains trimmed extra fat from the waistline of obese subjects. Study participants who ate all whole grains (in addition to five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy, and two servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry) lost more weight from the abdominal area than another group that ate the same diet, but with all refined grains. And this is one study among many. Note: vegans and vegetarians can get the pocket guide for substitutions but most recipes are pretty easy to sub on your own if needed.
"Eating a diet rich in whole grains while reducing refined carbohydrates changes the glucose and insulin response and makes it easier to mobilize fat stores," says study researcher Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, a distinguished professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University.
"Visceral fat is more metabolically active and easier to lose than subcutaneous fat, especially if you have plenty of it and the right conditions are met, such as the ones in our study."
***4 meals per day rather than 3, and 4 hours apart (I eat at 7am, 11am, 3pm and 6 or 7pm)Why? This keeps your metabolism revved because you don't have any blood sugar dip and also stops cravings as the food digestion takes about that long.
***You are asked to journal your food and hunger during the first 30 days. All studies show that people totally aware of what they are taking in can lose up to twice as much weight and keep it off as compared to those who aren't as mentailly aware.
***The components of these meals are high fiber. This keeps you full in between meals and digests slowly. AND up to 10% of all calories we eat at each meal go through our bodies undigested (can be as low as 5%)...BUT the more fiber you eat, the higher this number climbs. Update the same day I posted thie review from Science Daily: A FIVE YEAR Medical Center obesity study was recently completed: According to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the way to zero in and reduce visceral fat is simple: eat more soluble fiber from vegetables, fruit and beans, and engage in moderate activity. The study found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years. In addition, increased moderate activity resulted in a 7.4 percent decrease in the rate of visceral fat accumulation over the same time period. SO Flat Belly was on the cutting edge...one more reason this diet results in greater losses than usual, especially around the belly.
***The diet has a limited caloric intake. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose one pound. Meaning that we have to expend more than we take in by that amount ot lose a pound. That may mean 500 fewer calories per day to add up or 100 calories per day to take longer to lose that pound...but you can't eat as many calories as you want regardless of the above mentioned weight loss boosters. But here's the thing...because this is so full of the aforementioned "goodies" of weight loss boosters, you are eating a heck of a lot of food in this 1,600 calorie per day diet so even little people lose a lot of weight and big people lose a GREAT deal of it faster.
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