The Diet Wave

Words by Katherine Castillo Eustaquio
Published in Action & Fitness Magazine March 2009 issue

Summer is just around the corner. Have you crossed out everything on your list yet? Brand new bikini? Check! Sun block, sunglasses, flip-flops? Check! Rowdy beach buddies? Check! Bikini body? Oh no!

But wait! Hold you horses! Don’t shred that red hot swimsuit just yet. God forbid, do not kill yourself on the treadmill either. By hook or by crook, you still have enough time to get the bikini body you’ve always wanted.

Diet fads have been around for ages. While some say that the word diet is, basically “die with t”, some of these weight loss trends actually work for a great deal of people. With discipline, perseverance, and patience, the right diet can do wonders not only for your self-confidence and physical appearance, but also for your general health.

Check out these diet fads and choose which regimen can help you put the “hot” factor this summer.


THE ATKINS DIET
Diet Concept: Limit your carbohydrates, lose weight.
The Atkins Diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet introduced by Dr. Robert Coleman Atkins, an American physician and cardiologist. His premise is that overweight people consume too many carbohydrates. When our bodies burn fats and carbohydrates for energy, carbs are always the first to go. So if you’re on Atkins Diet and you lower you carbs intake, your body will burn stored fats faster, thus the weight loss.

When you start the Atkins Diet, you start counting only the net carbs or the total carbohydrate content minus the fiber content of the food. This reflects the grams of carbohydrates that influence your blood sugar. Reducing carbohydrates can be a radical move to most people, particularly those who are a big fan of fast food. It means saying bye-bye to good old comfort food like pasta, bread, potatoes, sugary baked goodies, and so much more. You start eating more proteins—chicken, lean beef, veal, eggs, shellfish, turkey, and green vegetables.

The Atkins Diet gained popularity in 2003 and 2004, and because of its success, it remains one of the most popular and most successful diet regimens today. It not only promises drastic weight loss, but also a healthier heart and sharper memory.

The Atkins Diet consists of four phases for optimal balance—induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance, and lifetime maintenance. With an initial intake of 20 net carbs, each phase is specifically designed to slowly incorporate healthy carbs to your diet for lifetime maintenance.



MONTIGNAC / GLYCEMIC INDEX DIET
Rationale: Avoid high GI (Glycemic Index) carbohydrates to lower blood sugar level, reduce risks of heart failure and diabetes, and lose weight.
Invented by Frenchman Michael Montignac, the Montignac Diet makes use of the Glycemic Index, which ranks carbohydrates according to their effects on the blood glucose level after consumption. Carbohydrates are categorized as follows: high GI, medium GI, and low GI.

High GI carbohydrates such as donuts, lasagna, and waffles, when combined with fats, will eventually become stored body fats. Eating low GI carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, certain pasta, and skim milk will help you lose weight and keep your blood and insulin levels stable. The Montignac Diet also prevents diabetes and heart failure.

It became popular in the 1990s and was included in Forbes Magazine’s “10 Diets that Work.” What’s good about the Montignac Diet is that it allows you to indulge in certain non-boring food and drinks without making you feel that you’re on a strict diet.

MACROBIOTICS DIET
Rationale: Consume food that are balanced energetically (between yin and yang) to promote physical and emotional wellness.
Practiced by well-known celebrities like John Travolta, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, and Gwyneth Paltrow, the Macrobiotics Diet is a low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian diet that consists of vegetables and whole grains, vegetable protein, and less meat.

Founded by George Ohsawa, the Macrobiotic Diet emphasizes the healthy benefits of eating organic food that nourish the mind, body, and spirit. The diet sheds unwanted fats, lowers blood cholesterol, helps prevent cancers and heart diseases, balances blood pressure, and improves physical wellness. It limits meat, eggs, alcohol, caffeine and dairy products that allegedly damage one’s mental wellness.

3-HOUR DIET
Rationale: Eating frequently improves your metabolism, thus helping you lose weight.
Yes, you can actually lose and avoid extra pounds by eating frequenty! Introduced by renowned fitness guru, Jorge Cruise, the 3-Hour Diet’s secret is meal frequency. Eating every three hours keeps your blood sugar level consistent. It also heightens your metabolism, which is essential for weight loss. Lastly, it increases your energy level, muscle mass, alertness, and helps eliminate abdominal fat.

Junk food can also be consumed but the key is to combine all the food groups and drinking eight glasses of water per day. Most people take on this diet because it does not restrict the everyday food we are all accustomed to—carbohydrates, caffeine, sugary food—but at the end of the day, the 3-Hour Diet provides very little claim in proper nutrition.

SONOMA DIET
Rationale: Lose weight by enjoying good food.
Instead of depriving one from sinful food, the Sonoma Diet revolves around the idea of celebrating and eating appetizing meals in the appropriate amounts. Using a combination of Latin America, Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines, the Sonoma Diet’s secret is the consumption of low-calorie, flavorful food with excellent nutritional value.

Unlike other strict diets, there is no complicated calorie counting involved in this the Sonoma Diet. Simple instructions for the right combination of food and the proper amount of servings help manage your weight and improve your overall health. The Sonoma Diet focuses on the “ten power foods”—almonds, bell peppers, blueberries, broccoli, grapes, olive oil, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, and whole grains.

ZONE DIET
Rationale: Control your hormones to lose weight and improve general health.
Developed by Dr. Barry Sears, the Zone Diet balances the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. If they are consumed in their proper ratio, they help balance the hormones (insulin, glucagon and eicosanoids) to control hunger, helping you get proper nutrition in just a few calories.

No food is forbidden in the Zone Diet, but one is advised to consume more lean proteins, healthy fats, and good carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables in proper amounts. Unlike other crash courses in weight loss, the Zone Diet is very successful in the long-term elimination of excess fat and the improvement of overall health.

HOODIA DIET
Rationale: Suppress your appetite to lose weight.
Hoodia Gordonii is a cactus-like, medicinal plant that grows in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa. It contains a chemical compound that signals to the brain that the body has been fed, thus curbing one’s appetite. Hoodia products are used as appetite suppressants. However, they only play a small part in the entire weight loss regimen. They do not burn fats, develop muscles, or improve metabolism. They simply make the body feel full so you won’t eat as much as you are used to.

The normal consumption of Hoodia is 2 capsules a day, taken an hour before meals with one full glass of water. Successful dieters who continuously shred unwanted fats do not rely on Hoodia supplements alone. With balanced meals and regular exercise, Hoodia pills prove to be a powerful addition to your weight loss regimen.

FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT
Rationale: Eating for pleasure.
Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, tackles the diet and lifestyle of French women who maintain a slim and healthy figure without depriving themselves from sinful and flavorful food. Guiliano claims that the secret is eating slowly, taking time to savor the texture and flavor of food, chewing everything thoroughly and stopping when one feels satisfied.

The diet basics are quite simple:

• Eat breakfast to keep your metabolism at a steady pace.
• Prepare food at home to have more control over what you’re consuming (fast food take outs are usually high in fat, sugar, and salt).
• Eat more seasonal fruits and vegetables.
• Drink more water.
• Indulge in breads and chocolates but in moderate amounts.
• For light snacks, opt for natural yogurt.