The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet: Could YOU be Addicted to Carbs?
Dr. Rachel Heller and Dr. Richard Heller, who are both MD's, created the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet and book by the same name. The plan has been around since the 1990's and has plenty of devoted followers who believe in its tenets. As the title implies, the diet encourages low carb eating like Atkins and several other plans, but it has a unique twist. It allows one meal per day to consist of anything that you want to eat, including sweets, desserts, treats, potatoes, bread, etc. So, what is the theory behind such a libertarian plan for fat loss? Read on.
The Basic Premise
The Hellers believe that nearly all overweight people are addicted to carbohydrates. They state that the majority of folks do not metabolize insulin properly, which leads to surges and drops in blood sugar, which in turn leads to cravings and binge eating. It is undoubtedly true that many people in developed countries eat more grams of carbohydrates than their bodies can burn up as energy, given the sedentary lifestyles that are so widespread. When people become accustomed to eating large amounts of sweet, starchy foods, it can be a difficult habit to break. Whether or not such a problem can be considered true medical addiction is debatable. However, the Hellers have devised a plan to help people with these tendencies, however they are labeled.
Before starting on the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet (CAD), you are asked to take a quiz to help you determine if you fit into the addict classification. You are asked questions like:
- "Do you sometimes eat even when you are not hungry?"
- "Do you sometimes have trouble stopping when you begin to eat snacks, sweets or junk food?" and
- "Do you feel very sluggish, almost drugged, after a large meal?"
Affirmative answers to these and other questions will lead you to a discussion of will- power versus biology. The doctors state that high insulin levels account for the almost unbearable cravings that many people experience and that they should not blame themselves for a perceived lack of self-control.
The eating plan provides for two high protein, low carb meals each day, but for the third "reward" meal, any food is permitted. The only rules then, are that you must eat a balanced meal with protein and fiber, as well as carbs, and that you should finish eating no more than one hour after you start. The idea is that if insulin levels are kept low all day, and the carbs are consumed along with protein to help them metabolize more efficiently, your body can still be in a fat loss mode.
The Upside
Many dieters swear that they are less hungry when following the CAD plan because protein foods tend to fill them up and stop cravings. They say that a breakfast of eggs will keep them satisfied all morning long, whereas a cereal and toast breakfast will have them craving more food hours before lunchtime.
The CAD plan does a lot to combat the monotony that often comes with dieting. Almost anyone can do without sweets for a meal or two, especially if they know they can eat without guilt once a day.
The diet plan offers a balanced selection of foods from many food groups, and should give users who follow it plenty of choices that are packed with nutrition. Cutting back on sugar and starch can hardly be called a bad thing in any circumstances, and if the CAD plan helps you do that, even if it is just for two meals a day, progress has been made.
The Downside
There is still a debate in the medical community about the effects of insulin on cholesterol level. The CAD diet does not severely restrict red meat or saturated fats because it theorizes that having a stable blood sugar level will control cholesterol. This remains clinically unproven, and people with known cholesterol problems will want to monitor their levels carefully.
The diet is quite restrictive for two meals a day and allows no snacks at all. It says that you must go without eating for several hours at a time in order to allow your insulin levels to stabilize and your metabolism to speed up. There is quite a long list of forbidden foods on the CAD plan that you have to avoid, that is, until you get to your reward meal. It seems that people might tend to over-do at that meal after being so strict all day, and end up consuming more calories than they would have if they had had some high-quality snacks throughout the day.
The Bottom Line
If you decide to give CAD a try, you will probably not do yourself any harm. The books are well written, and the website for the diet is helpful. Eating lean protein and high fiber vegetables like the plan recommends is a smart idea at any time. You may even find that the reward meal helps you to stay motivated and stick with the program.
In my opinion, however, a more sensible approach is found in the Fat Loss 4 Idiots plan. It is an internet-based system for fat loss that allows you to pick your favorite foods from a list, which are then combined into meals that will help your body become a fat burner. There is never any need to count calories or weigh your food, and you can eat as much as you like. After following your individualized plan for eleven days, you are allowed three free days, which help you avoid putting your body into starvation mode and slowing your metabolism. They also do a lot to help take away the drudgery that sometimes accompanies dieting. I have followed this plan myself, and know that it works. So check it out here.
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