Jun 9th, 2009
Dripping with scorn for those grasping at straws
Someone asked me the other day if I had heard of the Flat Belly Diet; a new diet book put out by the editors of Prevention magazine. I hadn’t heard of it before but could guess just from the title that it was likely another wanna-be fad diet. The person who asked me, of course, had a significant pot belly and so at least he has the motive to buy the book! I gave my usual spiel about how there is no strong research indicating that weight loss can be targeted and certainly not by following a “Flat Belly Diet”. I think I should have moderated the scorn in my voice because the person asking got a little defensive. But really, a diet whose ultimate design is to magically target belly fat? How do people fall for these things? Weight loss is weight loss. If you are going to lose weight, and a great proportion of that weight is around you abdomen, then it stands to reason that any weight loss is going to come from the largest source. It’s all about proportions people!
Anyway, I looked it up today and it appears to be a fairly adequate diet. Not super restrictive or specialized (ie: it’s not high-pro / low carb). It’s basically the Canada’s Food Guide in my opinion with attention to portion sizes, healthy fats, increased fruit and vegetables, and balancing the food groups (though their sample meal plan seems lacking in dairy). Altogether it appears to create a caloric deficit; which of course is the ONLY way you can lose weight.
In summary it appears to be just another company putting a spin on common sense in order to make money. The Canada’s Food Guide is free, people. FREE! “But Ed, this comes in the form of a book, not a pamphlet!” Well, if you want to cart around a book instead of an easy to carry pamphlet go for it (I’d like to see you put the book on the fridge with a magnet). “But this has a user friendly website with tools to help coordinate and track weight loss!” Hey, that sounds great! Good thing the Canada’s Food Guide has a helpful website too….
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php
2 Responses to “Dripping with scorn for those grasping at straws”
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I know the point that you’re trying to get across is that it’s silly for a company to be making tons of money on a book that’s basically Canada’s Food Guide, but people should also remember that the CFG is NOT meant to be a weight loss tool – the recommended servings in each food group were written with SEDENTARY Canadians of average height and weight in mind. The CFG itself has a few flaws, like the fact that it doesn’t distinguish between flavoured milk and non-flavoured milk in the dairy products group (it just tells you to watch out for the fat content), but I do agree that it’s a good starting point for people who are trying to lose weight in that it stresses proper portion sizes and sort of the balance you are looking for in a healthy diet (more plant foods, less meat)
Yeah you make a fair point Vincci. While it’s true that the CFG was not designed as a weight loss tool, from my experience so far as an RD it effectively WOULD be a weight loss tool if people prescribed to it’s portion sizes; especially with meat and alternatives. Cutting down to a 2 1/2 oz serving alone would illicit a meaningful drop in daily caloric intake in my opinion…
Overall though, my post was indeed just a rant on people who waste money