Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be another bestselling fad diet book, there’s a new one about to make it big. Dubbed as the “diet that’s changing diets” it’s just hit our shelves from England and has already got under the skin of many of our UK dietitian colleagues. In fact, it’s already sold more copies than the popular Dukan diet. We knew that our Sub of the months just had to investigate for you.
About our experts:
Melissa Adamski and Linda Chemello are sharing the role of Scoop August Sub of the Month. They are both Accredited Practising Dietitians who are partners in Nutted Out Nutrition practice and are passionate about providing practical and tailored nutrition advice for people of all walks of life, to help them improve their overall wellbeing. Nutted Out Nutrition is located in Melbourne CBD and you can book appointments via their website. Also make sure you “like” the NuttedOut Facebook Page or follow on twitter @NuttedOut for regular healthy tips and advice.
Spring is just around the corner in our hemisphere and this is usually the time where many people start worrying that their jeans are beginning to feel a little more snug. It is also the time for authors of fad diets to begin spruiking their crazy theories to fast, effortless weightloss. Enter: Six weeks to OMG! Get skinnier than all you friends. Looking at the title alone made us say “OMG” and when we started to read we LOL (that’s “laughed out loud”, not gave it “lots of love”).
Originally an ebook, this new bestseller is written by Venice A Fulton (yes that is a stage name) a London based personal trainer. By drawing very loosely on science, there are some very bold claims and so many clear flaws and whacky advice (icy cold showers to boost metabolism) in this diet plan. We’ve focused on 3 of the main nutrition points:
Claim: Skip breakfast
Our OMG:
The supposed theory behind this skinny tip is that if we avoid breakfast, our body is forced to tap into our fat reserves as a form of energy. The author even goes so far to say that eating first thing in the morning will instantly stop all fat burning. However, I don’t think we need to confirm to lovely Scoop readers that the studies on the benefits of breakfast outweigh this pseudo scicene. Skipping breakfast infact causes an increase in kilojoule intake over the day, increased snacking and reduced mental performance. In the long run, skipping breakfast simply doesn’t work to help maintain your weight. The secret is to have a healthy breakfast made with wholegrains, fruit and low fat dairy. A great example is Emma’s breakfast quinoa recipe we love.
Claim: Have half your meal made up of protein.
Our OMG:
The basis behind this skinny tip is that since half your body is made from protein, we need to match that through our intake. Sounds scientific? Not. While the author does encourage simple seasoning of the protein, instead of calorie laden sauces, the notion of half a plate of protein from a weight management point of view is still too much. Filling a quarter of your plate with protein at each meal will provide sufficient amounts of protein over the day. Read more practical advice in the Scoop post: The keeping it real guide to protein. The latest advice in the US My Plate guide (based on one of the most thorough and complete literature reviews to date) aims to fill half your plate with fruit and vegetables, as these are lower in calories, higher in fibre and contain a bucket load of vitamins and antioxidants.
Claim: You don’t need carbs to survive
Our OMG:
Monitoring your carbohydrate is emphasised as the most important factor in this diet – so much so that the author resorts to bold and underlined font to make this point. The fact is your body does need carbs to survive and glucose is the preferred source of fuel for your brain. Continuing on a very low carbohydrate diet can leave you with feelings of exhaustion, headaches and mood swings and can cause more complicated medical problems. It will also leave you feeling too tired to work out. The secret is to choose healthy carbs in the right portions – high fibre, wholegrain, low GI carbohydrates which will provide you with the energy and nutrients you need to remain healthy.
Editor’s comment:
Thanks Linda and Mel, it’s been wonderful getting to know you this month. Even though fad diets may seem tempting, they’re just not worth it in the long run. Short term weight loss is often fluid loss and accompanying muscle mass loss. Rebound weight gain is common and you may even drop your metabolic rate as a result of losing muscle. But you knew that didn’t you clever readers? Love your thoughts on OMG below.
