Monday, March 14, 2011

Day 72 - The Carb Lover's Diet

The Carb Lover's Diet was created by Ellen Kunes and Francis Largeman-Roth, editors of "Health" Magazine, according to Every Diet. Their diet book is focused on dispelling the "myths" surrounding the carbohydrate, saying that it isn't the cause of obesity and, if picked right, that carbs can actually help you to lose weight. They talk about research showing some carbohydrates can actually increase the metabolism as long as they contain resistant starch.


Their book teaches that if we are taught how to chose our carbohydrates better, then we will get the ones with this starch in it; causing us to feel fuller and more energetic, and to boost our ability to burn fat.


The diet begins by having participants limit themselves to 1200 calories per day for seven days, consuming these calories in four small meals. Supposedly, this will help you to get rid of bloating and lose an average of about six pounds.

Next, dieters participate in a 21 day "carb immersion plan" where you can eat 1600 calories a day, consumed in five small meals. In addition to this, you are allowed a treat one time a week.

Along with this set organization of calories and meals based on a daily plan, the carb lover's diet also has five big rules to follow:
1. To eat at least one resistant starch food at every meal.
2. 25% of the calories from each meal should consist of resistant starch with the remainder from lean protein, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables.
3. Pay attention to portion sizes.
4. Avoid deprivation by including your favorite foods in moderation.
5. Create a power pantry.

So what are these resistant starch foods? The Carb Lover's Diet suggests eating foods like whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, whole grain cereals, granola bars, brown rice, oatmeal, potatoes, bananas, beans, peas, peanuts, apples, broccoli, cucumbers, Greek yogurt, steak, salmon, eggs, chicken, cheese, chocolate, and green tea, among others, that are high resistant starch foods.

Along with the dieting portion of their book, the Carb Lover's Diet also has some simple weight toning exercises to perform a couple times a week in order to speed up the results of the diet.

While this diet is good for those dieters who want to continue to eat carbohydrates, it is important to remember that some of the restriction the diet asks for is still too low for most people and especially if you are coupling the diet with working out. It is not entirely reasonable to limit the calories eaten to such a low amount as 1200 or even 1600 calories a day. Also, the diet does endorse some processed foods in their recipes.

For more information on The Carb Lover's Diet, visit the following sites:


Exercise: Today is a yoga day. I am still not participating in any workouts because I am still working on getting over whatever this sickness is. Everyday is taking another step forwards towards feeling better. I can't wait until I'm back to normal. For everyone else out there, have a good time doing your yoga workout and know that I'm jealous of you.

Eat: "Use My Pyramid". The USDA's MyPyramid provides Americans with healthy eating guidelines; by recommending us to eat more fruits and vegetables, consume three servings of low-fat dairy and three or more servings of whole grains daily, and maintain a moderate intake of healthy fats. The pyramid can be found on MyPyramid.gov and can be used and tailored to each individuals needs; based on age, gender, height, weight, and activity levels.


Relax: The season finale of my favorite show, The Bachelor, was tonight. To celebrate and relax, my mom, dad, and I all sat down with a nice glass of wine to watch the two hour finale. It was a great ending and it turned out exactly how I wanted :)

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