Posted on January 23, 2015 by Kate Halsall

As personal trainers, we need to keep up to date with the newest fat busting, calorie zapping, detoxifying, no food no taste diets that are out there. Not to promote them to our clients as we stand by the motive8 Nutitional Plan being the best approach for our clients but it’s good to know what other diets they may be tempted to do.

When I started to research this blog about what new diets were around, I was truly scared by the number of sites which have a “Diet Top 10”! Seriously!? And how reassuring is it really that the NHS is one such site! I only calmed down when Clean Eating was listed – although surely this is a way of life and not a diet, but hey – that’s just my opinion! As personal trainers we are obviously biased about this topic, and it was extremely hard to resist the most bizarre/wacky named diets to review.

According to one website the 5:2 diet is so 2014! Instead this year’s new diets contain all kinds of numbered diets like the 4:3 (fasting and eating on alternating days), 80/20 (you eat healthy 80% of the time and go crazy for the other 20%) and Clean 9 (the Forever Living supplement, shakes and low cal meal diet). Forget Atkins, instead there is a “Caveman Diet” which strikes me as being very similar to Paleo. The list goes on and on…

The concern with a lot of these diets is weight loss. There doesn’t seem to be any consideration with regards to what that weight consists of – is it muscle, fat, fluid and so on? These diets never say what happens when you complete it, or veer away from it – is there an “after diet programme”, do the participants just go back to eating normally, and if so does the weight go back on; or is there never an end to the diet and you have to live off supplements & shakes forever?

Actually if we consider the word diet? What does it mean, to many of us it probably portrays images of restriction, small portions, never enjoying your food, eating a lettuce leaf, never being able to eat out. When really the definition of diet is ‘the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats’, therefore surely your diet should be the food you eat every day to sustain a healthy life, not something you do over a short period and this is why we believe the motive8 Nutritional Plan is a winner as it’s designed to be lifestyle, a lifelong eating plan. 

I’ve picked two diets to review – not only because of their current celebrity status, but also because they do promote sustainability…is it too good to be true? Read below and decide yourself.

Dukan Diet – low carb, high protein
http://www.dukandiet.co.uk/
In a Nut Shell:
Although this diet boasts you can lose 4-9lbs in 7 days, this diet is aimed at permanently stabilising your weight. It’s a 4 Phase Diet: Attack Phase, Cruise Phase, Consolidation Phase and Stabilisation phase. The first two designed to lose weight quickly and the last two to ensure that you’re set up for life so no yo-yo after diet weight gain. It works on your “True Weight” which is unique to Dukan and is based on gender, age and other factors such as bone structure and heredity.
Pros
• No counting calories
• You can lose weight quickly – 4-9lb in the first week
• Food Lists (100 “allowed foods”) and over 800 recipes – all available on line
• Exercise is highlighted as a non-negotiable rule

Cons

• You can lose weight quickly – 4-9lb in the first week – Yes, I know this is in the list above, but is losing 4-9lb in one week seriously that healthy and believe us this will NOT all be fat tissue.

• Some foods are classed as Forbidden with some food groups removed completely during different phases for example ALL carbs are cut during the first phase, introduces them as vegetables only during the second phase, then adds them in the last two phases as wholegrain pasta and bread. Bread and pasta we here you all shout ‘YES’! but these are not healthy carbohydrates so we would recommend to stay clear of these.
• I found it quite unclear how long each phase lasts as I believe it’s done on a per pound lost rule, but I could be wrong!
• The exercise that is promoted isn’t a plan as such – it’s 20min walks, using the stairs, walking the dog etc. I did find some smaller print which stated that “You are recommended to take other exercise that you enjoy such as aerobics, cycling, swimming, dance and fitness classes and so on.”

My View:
Let’s face it, the concept of high protein and low carbs is not new. We see this in Paleo and Atkins. The concept of fewer processed foods, reduced salt and sugar is of course good for you, but should we be cutting out food groups entirely? I also question whether you honestly get all your nutritional and fibre needs from this diet oat bran is a non-negotiable addition.

VB6 – Vegan before 6pm
http://markbittman.com/book/vb6/
How could I not cover this diet as I’m vegan ALL OF THE TIME!
In a Nut Shell:
For breakfast, lunch and day time snacks your diet will be Vegan – no meat, dairy, poultry, fish, seafood or eggs. After 6pm anything goes – in moderation, however Mark Bittman suggests to eliminate processed and refined sugar “white foods” (pasta, pastry, chips etc) and alcohol. The focus is on changing your lifestyle to be healthier and sustainable long term, not just weight loss.

Pros:
• No calorie counting
• Promotes healthy eating during the day
• Flexible approach to “diet” and provides opportunity to “try vegan”
• Supports exercise as vital to health & wellbeing
Cons:
• Not available online as this is in Book Format
• Assumes that a Vegan diet is a healthy one, which is not necessarily correct- unless you have excellent knowledge of how to have a balanced vegan diet this will not work for you.

• Could potentially encourage binging after the hours of 6pm

• Eating anything after 6pm? We don’t really promoting eating carbs too close to bedtime as this can lead to weight gain in some individuals.

My View:
Surely this is another stance on reducing diary products for health reasons, the promotion of Low GI carbs, and the appropriate amount of lean meat and fish – it’s not rocket science, but is a very strange way to do it. To be a bit vegan, is like being vegetarian and eating fish or chicken – it’s like trying to attach a label to just a different way of eating. I don’t honestly understand it, but love the promotion of trying Vegan!

To Summarise:
The reason why every year we have a different list of types of “diets” is because they are fads. People try them and then stop, try something new and repeat the process over and over until they find something they can sustain – and that something isn’t always healthy! We know that different approaches work for different people but try not to over complicate things and just eat a balanced, healthy diet which is low in processed foods and you won’t go wrong.

I had the pleasure of seeing Jillian Michaels live tonight and she let us all into the secret that has made her the house hold name she is. She said that the most successful and most sustainable diet is:
Eat Less, Move More, Use Common Sense (especially regarding the contents of the food you eat)
http://www.jillianmichaelslive.com/

Further Reading
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/healthyeating/11325369/What-will-the-most-popular-diets-of-2015-be.html
http://www.look.co.uk/fashion/the-2015-diet-trends-you-need-to-know-about
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/top-10-most-popular-diets-review.aspx