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400 Calorie Fix - new fad or a dieter's dream? The Rachael Ray Show has the answers
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The 400 Calorie Fix is Prevention Magazine's newest diet promotion and it's getting a lot of publicity. The book isn't even available yet, but Prevention Magazine's editor-in-chief appeared on Rachael Ray yesterday to announce the release of the book and answer questions. One guest on the show says she lost 6 pounds in just two days! The question on a lot of people's minds is - does this diet work long term or is it just another fad?
The idea behind the 400-Calorie Fix diet is that you eat four 400-Calorie meals each day and follow an exercise program. This is a total of 1600 Calories daily, which should provide you with enough food to help you feel full and satisfied, yet reduce your caloric intake enough to help you lose weight. A healthy caloric level is just one of the apparent pro's of this diet plan. It also allows you to eat real food and, as long as you don't exceed the caloric guidelines for each meal, you can eat whatever foods you want. The downside is that this means you do have to read labels and count calories, at least to some extent. Some people may find this difficult, but paying attention to what you're eating and learning what's actually in the foods you're eating is a good start for any healthy eating program, whether you're trying to lose weight or not.
Another challenge with this program is that because you can theoretically eat any foods you want, you could potentially choose to eat all foods that have lower nutritional value. For example, you could eat the following and still be within the four 400-calorie meals:
Meal 1: Starbucks Tall, non-fat peppermint white mocha (370 calories, 11 g fat, 58 g sugar)
Meal 2: Wendy's Jr Cheeseburger & Kids size Coke (390 calories, 16g fat, 28 g sugar)
Meal 3: KitKat and 16oz Coke (414 Calories, 12g fat, 77g sugar)
Meal 4: TacoBell Burrito chicken Supreme & Diet coke (390 Calories,12g fat, 5g sugar)
This menu would meat the requirements of four 400-Calorie meals. However, it provides 51 grams of fat (mostly saturated) and whopping 168 grams of sugar, which is about 3 times the level of sugar that should be included in a healthy diet. Additionally, this diet example above would be severely lacking in key nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and vitamin C.
However, the diet book does provide suggestions and recipes for healthy choices. If a person were to follow the suggested food options and recipes, they would likely acheive the goal of reduced calories and still have a healthy balanced diet. If you follow the food suggestions and recipes, you will also feel more satisfied because the recipes and food suggestions are high in fiber and protein, which naturally make you feel full and satisfied longer.
If you choose to try this diet, be sure to follow all of the recommendations and use a little common sense in your choices. Include lots of fruits and vegetables (at least 5 servings per day) and foods high in fiber and low in the "bad" fats (saturated and trans fat).
For more information about this diet, visit prevention magazine.
To watch the Rachael Ray episode, visit the Rachael Ray Show website. You can also pre-order a copy of the book from this website.
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