Who Won the Good Diet Book Guide? ; WE WEIGH UP THE BEST SELF-HELP OPTIONS IF YOUR NEW YEAR’s RESOLVE IS TO FLAG
By KATE REW
Who won the good diet book guide?
IT’S a month since the start of the new year and this is when keeping up the dieting resolution gets really tough. The initial enthusiasm is beginning to wane and you may need a little help – which is where a diet book comes in.
Hardcore diet and exercise plans such as David Kirsch’s might work miracles for celebrities with lots of time and money on their hands, but they are tricky to fit into the schedule of the average “civilian”. Others, such as India Knight and Neris Thomas’s idiot- proof diet, are essentially low-carb, which allow you to eat meat, cheese and cream, while the most up-to-date diets, such as The Food Doctor Diet, are based around the glycaemic index, keeping your blood sugar and energy levels constant. Here KATE REW presents London Lite’s roundup of the latest bestsellers to help you decide which to buy and which to bin.
THE FAT SMASH DIET
Dr Ian Smith (Vermillion, Pounds 6.99)
WHAT IT IS: A 90-day programme by the doctor from US Celebrity Fit Club.
Phase one involves eating barely anything (nine days of fruit and veg) while phase four (maintenance) allows wine and pizza “in moderation”. You’re supposed to “smash” bad habits such as comfort eating.
IS IT DOABLE? A book for dieters who don’t like to read. You’ll certainly get through it, but will you be able to stick to phase one? It’s hard.
NUTRITIONALLY SOUND? The nine-day 10lb weight loss is too quick for most doctors but after that it’s routinely sensible and involves regular exercise.
WORTH TRYING? Yes
THE FOOD DOCTOR DIET CLUB
Ian Marber (DK, Pounds 14.99)
WHAT IT IS: A fourweek diet plan from the UK’s most sensible nutritionist.
Marber has created 29 days’ worth of menu plans. There are daily vegetarian and meat-eating options and lunch for the office.
IS IT DOABLE? Yes. Everyone will be copying the format of this book next year as it’s so easy to follow. The shopping takes time but once that is done you have everything covered. The food is low- glycaemic, filling and delicious. His 10 testers lost 13lbs each in 30 days.
NUTRITIONALLY SOUND? Full marks.
Sustainable, healthy and menu broadening, with knock-on benefits for your skin, sleep, mood and energy levels.
WORTH TRYING? Yes
THE FAST FOOD DIET
Stephen Sinatra (John Wiley, Pounds 9.99)
WHAT IT IS: A diet plan that helps you lose weight while eating McDonald’s.
Dr Steve Sinatra, a nutritional and psychological therapist, has created a six-week eating plan purely from places such as Burger King, Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts. The claim: cut 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week.
IS IT DOABLE: No. The book is rammed with US-only options, and when you pop into KFC for your “tender roast chicken sandwich” are you sure you won’t come out with chips?
NUTRITIONALLY GOOD? Have you seen Supersize Me? It’s high on nasty, processed additive-heavy foods, with barely a dressing-free salad or vegetable side-dish.
WORTH TRYING? No
THE ULTIMATE NEW YORK DIET
David Kirsch (McGraw Hill, Pounds 14.99)
WHAT IT IS: David Kirsch is a personal trainer who has worked with the likes of Liv Tyler and Heidi Klum. This eight-week plan promises to lose up to 14lbs in two weeks by eating well, taking supplements and walking 3-5 miles a day.
IS IT DOABLE? At a push, but few of us will have the discipline of the women Kirsch teaches.
NUTRITIONALLY GOOD? It’s uber-light on calories (around 1,000 a day) which many nutritionists say leads to a metabolism crash.
WORTH TRYING? No
THE DUVET DIET
Jane Worthington (Rodale, Pounds 9.99)
WHAT IT IS: A sleep-more and weigh-less programme.
Recent research has found poor sleep can increase your appetite and decrease your metabolism. This has food plans that aim to lose 2lbs a week, but its real strength is pointing insomniacs, night- time worriers, smokers and drinkers towards better Zzz’s – which should mean they get healthier and thinner naturally.
IS IT DOABLE? Yes, if you can alter your pre-sleep habits.
NUTRITIONALLY GOOD: The food doesn’t sound as delicious as other plans, but it’s healthy.
WORTH TRYING? Yes
ULTIMATE GI JEANS DIET
Rosemary Conley (Arrow, Pounds 6.99)
WHAT IT IS: Another bestseller from the queen of ” nononsense” diet and exercise.
It’s not modern or trendy but Conley is the Delia Smith of weight loss: you know that her programme will work.
IS IT DOABLE? 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day is
practicable and likely to lead to a weight loss of a stone in eight weeks, but the lack of pictures and reliance on old-school exercise lack sex appeal.
For meat eaters the food sounds good but vegetarians have few recipes.
NUTRITIONALLY GOOD: Yes, and pretty straightforward.
WORTH TRYING? Yes
HOW THE RICH GET THIN
Dr Jana Klauer (Headline, Pounds 12.99)
WHAT IT IS: The secrets of “Park Avenue’s Top Diet Doctor”. Dr Klauer’s clients have enviably lean bodies and BlackBerry-addicted lifestyles. They also exercise for an hour a day on an empty stomach and consider mineral water a “snack”.
She tells them to eat complex carbs and metabolism-boosting calcium from dairy products – and drop a size in three days.
IS IT DOABLE? If you can find “the tsarina’s oyster and caviar martini” or steamed snow peas for lunch, yes. The problem with staying thin the A-list way is that few of us get to sprinkle caviar on egg-white omelettes or nibble on diamonds when we get hungry.
NUTRITIONALLY GOOD? It’s perfectly reasonable – provided you rent a suite at Claridge’s.
WORTH TRYING: Pah!
BEFORE
Sharing diet secrets: Neris Thomas, left, and India Knight before they lost 10st between them, above right. Their slimming story is told in a practical idiot-proof guide
AFTER
NERIS AND INDIA’S IDIOT-PROOF DIET
India Knight and Neris Thomas (Penguin, Pounds 14.99)
WHAT IT IS: the story of how the authors lost 10st between them, which included buying flowers not cakes, and taking up knitting as a diet aid oh, and some menu plans.
IS IT DOABLE? Yes, it’s a high-protein, low-carb diet that allows for a glass of wine at the end of the day. The food is the kind many Londoners are already likely to eat, such as smoked salmon bagels for breakfast and diet-friendly restaurant choices.
NUTRITIONALLY GOOD? Yes, and practical, although the very latest research favours “good carbs” (like the Food Doctor’s diet) rather than low carbs.
WORTH TRYING? Yes.
(c) 2007 Evening Standard; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.