This diet will work but it won't be much fun

This diet will work but it won't be much fun

Eggs, cottage cheese and an Orange Dream Protein Shake are part of the Crack the Fat-Loss Code’s carboydrate depletion cycle for women. (RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR)

DIET: Crack the Fat-Loss Code: Outsmart Your Metabolism and Conquer the Diet Plateau (McGraw Hill; $20.95)

CREATOR: Wendy Chant

CREDENTIALS: She is a certified personal trainer and holds a bachelors of science in medical and nutrition science.

CELEBRITY EDGE: None

CLAIM: The human body developed to resist starvation and store any extra energy as fat. That's why it's so hard to lose unwanted pounds. But Chant says it's possible to reprogram your body to burn fat by outfoxing your metabolism. All you need to do, she says, is to cut back, then alternate the amount of carbohydrates you take in every day. Chant promises dieters will lose up to 25 pounds in eight weeks by following her strict regimen.

PROGRAM: A week of low-carb living, dubbed the Carb-Deplete Cycle, kicks off this four-phase diet. In these first seven days, dieters eat according to the strict plan, which cuts out all fruits, starchy vegetables and anything made with grains. Next, dieters switch to the Macro-Patterning Cycle, another strict eating plan that alternates the number of allotted carbs per day, which is supposed to trick the body into burning more fat. The Accelerated Fat-Loss Cycle, used when the body weight reaches a plateau, and the Maintenance Cycle, which dieters rely on for life, round out the plan.

SIDE NOTES: There are rules for the Carb-Deplete Cycle. Some are simple: keep track of what you eat, eat every three to four hours, limit portions to the size of your fist. Others are stricter: stay away from fruits and fruit juices, avoid alcohol, beware of hidden carbs in condiments and sauces, eat only from the allowed list of foods. Oh, and be sure to eat one serving of broccoli every day to ward off constipation, a side effect of a high-protein diet.

ALLOWED (Carb-Deplete Cycle): Eggs and egg whites, protein shake, cottage cheese, fresh fish, lean beef, canned tuna, turkey and chicken breast, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, celery, cucumber, lettuce, mushrooms, radicchio, radishes, spinach, mayonnaise, flaxseed oil, olive oil, cheese, butter.

PROHIBITED (Carb-Deplete Cycle): Absolutely everything else. Even any other vegetable and no fruit.

EXPERT OPINION: According to Helene Charlebois, a registered dietician in Ottawa, Chant's basic premise for her diet is sound. Our bodies are designed to conserve and preserve energy, she says, which in our modern-day food environment can lead to obesity.

"We are cavemen," she laughs. "Our bodies have not changed that much, our DNA has not changed that much in the last 10,000 years. But our environment has changed and we're very good at storing all those extra calories to use later."

Chant sets out five key components to her diet plan: eat so you protect muscles, level out blood sugars, create an energy deficit, produce heat and manipulate glycogen stores in your liver and muscles, which is called micro patterning.

The theory is, says Charlebois, that by micro patterning glycogen stores, you are working to deplete muscle glycogen to force your body to dip into its fat stores. There is some scientific evidence this works, she says, but not enough to make it a proven diet theory.

Charlebois says the diet is geared to someone who is already converted, someone who has committed to losing weight and eating healthy. The diet is too complex for a beginner, she says. Days and food types are labelled by letters – all part of the fat-loss code – and it takes a lot of flipping back and forth through the book to figure it all out.

Still, she says, people will lose weight and even 25 pounds in eight weeks is absolutely doable on this strict plan since dieters are taking in way fewer calories than normal.

EXPERT VERDICT: "It's complicated, but it's got good, sound advice. But you shouldn't be on it forever."

OUR OPINION: An extremely strict, extremely regimented diet plan. You will lost weight. But you won't have any fun.

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