Week 11 & 12 ~ Eat Yourself Slim

Eat Yourself Thin by Michel Montignac

The Right Carb, Right Fat Diet

As per information on book, Dr. Montigac was the first nutritionist in the world to introduce the glycemic index concept to the weight loss world.  Since he launched his first book in 1986, he remains on of the foremost experts on the glycemic index.

The Montignac Method is the leading concept in the diet world.  Truthfully, I never heard of him until I read of his passing in 2010, did a little research, book the book and waited for an opportunity to fit it in.

Carbohydrates are chosen according to their GI (glycemic index).  The lower the GI the more significant the weight loss.

Fats are chosen on the cardio criteria knowing that some fats lower risks and even help weight loss.

There are only (2) Phases to this diet - Phase I to lose the weight and Phase II for Maintaining your weight loss.

Basic Main Principles of the diet:

• Eat until you are full, without limiting the amounts that you eat or counting calories, but do not overeat
• Eat three meals a day at specific times and never skip a meal
• Avoid eating between meals, occasionally a snack is acceptable in late afternoon, as long as it helps you eat a lighter dinner.
• Your menu should be varied, beans (legumes), wide variety of veggies and mix up the meat, poultry, fish and dairy
• Your food must be balanced incorporating all three fundamental nutrients; proteins, carbs and  fats on a daily basis.  Every meal must have some protein and carbs
• Breakfast should have  a good carb and NO FAT
• Lunch should have proteins , good fats and be a low GI 35 or less
• Dinner cane be identical to lunch, but lighter with few fats (low GI 35 or less)- this especially important if dinner is composed only of carbs (GI not higher than 50) but with no fat added otherwise the carbs can be as high as GI 50.
• Limit consumption of saturated fats (in the form of meat, fatty cold cuts, butter and whole dairy products) – opt for fish fats, olive or sunflower oil and skim milk products
• Avoid ALL sweetened beverages
• Do not drink more than one glass of wine (125ml or 4-/12 oz)…..My kind of diet!! Or you can have beer (350ml or 8oz) at lunch or dinner
• Okay to drink weak or decaffeinated coffee and tea
• Eat slowly in a relaxed area.

For Phase I, handy menus are broken down for each meal:

Good Carbohydrate-Rich Breakfast Menus

Protein-Lipid Breakfast Menus

Balanced Very Low GI Carbohydrates (Lunch & Dinner)

Carbohydrate Dominate Meals that are Fat Free

Carbohydrate Dominate Meals that are Rich in Fiber

 

These diet menu/meal plans are straight forward. 

 

Meal Examples:

 

Protein Lipid Breakfast: Fresh carrot juice, raspberries, soft boiled eggs, lean smoked ham, lettuce, tomato, weak tea and milk

Balanced Lunch with Low GI: Tomatoes and mozzarella, grilled chicken, green beans and cheese

Carb-Dominate Dinner Fat Free: Homemade Vegetable Soup, whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce, fat free cottage cheese

 

A key to reducing the absorption of glucose is

 

Fiber & Protein Content in the food we choose

 

Cooking Time - example given: If you are cooking lentils and they overcook, normally the GI is 22 and when lentils are overcooked the GI can jump as high as 70.

 

Industrial processing (stuff you buy off the shelf at grocery store) - such as refined flour (breads, etc) have a high GI and causes the body's insulin response to jump.  The insulin response causes the body to store the fats contained in the meal.

 

The foundation of the Montignac Method is watching the GI level of foods we take in.  Weight gain and obesity is caused by hyperinsulinism. Carbs with high GI levels are the main cause. 

As with most diets, Exercise is part of the plan.  This diet promotes prolonged periods of exercise at a steady pace.  Stating that one hour of continuous exercise is much more effective than 30 minutes of exercise three times a week.  The breakdown of burning fat: When beginning intense xercise, your body takes glycogen from you muscles for fuel.  After 20 minutes, the body takes a combination of glycogen and stored fats for energy. Once you hit 40 minutes, mostly fats are being burned and that is when you are starting to burn up stored fat.  IN all cases of exercise - start slow and build up your endurance, never just jump in and do it - you do not want to injure yourself to the point where you can not do anything. 

I personally choose walking as the stand-by exercise, a good pair of sneakers is all you need and it's free - no costly gym member ship needed!!

The Montignac  Method holds out the promise of returning your body back to it’s normal functioning health, you will never need to count calories or exercise excessively. You can reverse weight loss failure. All by eating normally, not restricting your amounts and consuming healthier foods.

 ***DO NOT DO ANY DIET WITHOUT TALING TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST ***