Craving those carbs??
Written: Jun 20 '00 (Updated Jun 21 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Effective for weight loss
Cons: Being on the diet may not necessarily reduce your carbohydrate cravings, may have to watch your fat intake in addition to carb intake
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| saprswife's Full Review: Carbohydrate Addict's Diet |
On an ongoing pursuit to lose some of the weight that I put on before my son was born I have - very briefly – tried a few diets. Now, before I go any further let me define briefly. 4 hours is brief. 2 days is an eternity. Catch my drift on how long I am active on any 1 diet?? For awhile I tried my hand at the Aktin’s diet but found that it was definitely one that I would be unable to live with for long periods of time. Then I read about the Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet and decided that this would be a plan both my husband and I could handle.
For those of you familiar with the Aktin’s Diet you will see some familiarities. The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, however, is not nearly as severe as you will soon see. The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, developed by Drs. Rachel and Richard Heller, is based on the premise of controlling and balancing the level of insulin in one’s bloodstream. This is done by severely limiting a person’s carbohydrates for 2 of their 3 daily meals.
The Basics:
For the first two weeks you eat three meals a day: 2 Complimentary meals and 1 Reward meal. Complimentary meals are your low carb meals. Fruits, sugars, some vegetables, and all grains are out of the question. You can eat low carb vegetables, meats, cheeses, and eggs.
With your Reward meal you can eat anything you wish. And, yes, that does include dessert. However, there is a slight catch. You need to eat your Reward meal in a 1 hour timeframe.
Most people tend to eat their Complimentary meals for breakfast and lunch and their Reward meal for dinner. These can be switched around, however, to best fit your needs and lifestyle.
You are also encouraged to record your weight in a log daily. Weights tend to fluctuate so to best gauge your progress, daily weighings are important.
Different Plans for Different People:
After your first two weeks you have the option to continue with the eating plan you are currently on or change it depending on how much weight you have lost in the first two weeks. If you find that you are losing weight too fast you have the option of adding a Complimentary snack (a mini Complimentary meal) to your eating routine.
On the contrary, if you have not lost any weight or even found that you gained weight, you have several options. The most severe is to reduce your Complimentary meals from 2 to 1 and to have a large salad preceding your Reward meal. The other option is to have both Complimentary meals and to simply add that large salad to your Reward meal.
Because you are comparing you weight loss from week to week, you can change your eating plans accordingly depending on your needs and weightloss goals.
The food:
Eating your Reward meal should come naturally. As stated earlier, you can eat anything you’d like including the grains that are prohibited in the Complimentary meals. The Complimentary meals are a bit tougher, but with some creativity it is easy to provide variety so one does not become bored. I found breakfast to be the most difficult since I cannot stomach eggs for breakfast. Instead, I eat hotwings, chicken wrapped in lettuce leaves, or celery stuffed with cheese.
Other considerations:
- No snacking. With other low carb diets, most notably the Atkin’s Diet, you are allowed to snack. It is strictly prohibited on this diet, however.
- Alcoholic beverages can be consumed as long as it is with your Reward meal (or in that 1 hour time frame).
Drawbacks?
Drs. Heller claim that your carvings for carbohydrates will diminish while on the diet. I didn’t find that this was the case for either my husband or me. It was easier to resist the temptation to cheat, however, for we knew we could eat the forbidden food that night.
I also found that, contrary to what the book states, you cannot eat any type of allowed food for your Complimentary meals. For instance, high fat bacon or even high fat foods in my Reward meals cease my weight loss. This may be different for some people, but for me I also have to watch the fat intake a bit.
To learn more about the diet, Drs. Heller have quite a collection of books surrounding their diet and theories. Some are general books while others are geared toward teens and the elderly. They also have a cookbook filled with low carb recipes.
If you’ve found yourself jumping off the Aktin’s diet because of its severity but like the low carb lifestyle, the Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet may be right for you.
Check with your doctor before beginning any type of diet program.
Recommended:
Yes
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saprswife
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Location: Washington State
Reviews written: 75
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