The Express GI Diet for Busy People
Written by Rick Gallop
Colour-codes foods according to glycaemic index; recommends pulses, seafood and oatmeal. Typical day's menu: porridge, fruit yogurt and almonds, lean sliced-ham sandwich with grainy mustard and salad, orange-cranberry bran muffin, oriental salmon with leeks, fresh berries tossed in lime juice and low-fat crème fraîche.
Tester Neil Allcock, 44, is a management consultant who lives in south London. He is 5ft 6in (1.68m) and weighs 12st 9lb (80.2kg).
A lot of people are more obese than me, but when I look at those weight charts, I'm definitely in the overweight section. And if you carry too much weight, you feel unhealthy and it slows you down. I put weight on in my early 30s that I have never managed to shift, and it has always annoyed me. I have tried GI diets before: I like them. What appeals is how they educate you into new and better ways of eating.
Ambition To lose around 14lbs.
Week one It's early days, but going well. The menus are genuinely nice - last night we had scallops in black-bean sauce. The challenge has been to have the right foods in the pantry - you need to change the ingredients you usually use. It's basically about getting rid of anything sugary or carbs, and substituting them with lots of salad, vegetables, black beans. Good news: I've lost 6lbs.
Week two The book is very specific about what you can eat, and sometimes it's actually over-specific. Food is zoned, and there are some anomalies. For example, this week I learned that, while Colombus eggs are in the middle, OK zone, regular eggs are in the red, no-no zone. I can't quite see myself asking the bloke in the sandwich shop whether the eggs in his egg-mayonnaise sandwiches are Colombus or regular. But I've lost another 2lb.
Week three One problem with this diet, like most others, is that if you eat out - which I do about three times a week - then it's hard to know what you're eating. Most restaurants don't give you a GI index on their menus. I lost a couple more pounds.
Week four Another 2lb lost, so that's a 10lb (4.54kg) loss in all, and I'm pretty pleased.
Verdict I'm sticking to the diet. It's quite a complicated one - though the book does attempt to simplify it - but it does work. It takes you away from processed foods. It's not expensive to follow, because you're basically trying to cut out processing and pre-packaging - and more supermarkets have a GI rating on their foods, which makes it even easier.
Expert's view by Sue Lloyd, registered dietician
This an update on Gallop's 2003 GI Diet. In the past few years, the concept of low GI foods - which are slow to be digested and therefore raise blood sugar slowly - has lost favour with dieticians because it is more complex than is presented here. Low GI foods can change to high GI foods with cooking or ripening, as with bananas. Low GI foods, however, tend to be high in fibre and overall the principles of this diet are those of healthy sensible eating and the red (high GI foods) and green (low GI foods) sections of the book provide a useful guide to the user.
Rating: 3/5 stars
The Wine Diet
By Roger Corder
Designed to achieve a healthier diet, with the food and drink you can't live without. Red wine and even chocolate are still OK. Typical day's menu: muesli with milk, grated apple and dried cranberries; lentil, spinach and feta salad, natural yogurt, peach, salmon with watercress tofu sauce, baked tomatoes, new potatoes, green beans, glass of red wine.
Tester Keysha Davis, 34, is a writer. She lives in London. She is 5ft 4in (1.63m) tall, and weighs 10st 7lb (66.68kg).
I had a baby 18 months ago, and - surprise, surprise - unlike all those superstars and models, the weight didn't drop off afterwards, other than a small amount while I was breastfeeding. I've never really been on a diet before, but I feel I should try something now or this extra weight is going to be there forever. I like the idea that you're not being deprived, which this diet seems to emphasise.
Ambition To lose around a stone.
Week one The idea is that you have a glass of red wine each evening with your meal, which has been a novelty and I have enjoyed it. You can still eat plenty of food, but in moderation - the watchword of this diet. At the end of the week I was thrilled to find I had lost 3lb - which is encouraging.
Week two The challenge is having the right food to hand in the house, and avoiding takeaways. This week I did pretty well, but there was a disappointment: I lost no weight!
Week three Drinking a glass of red wine every night, whether I feel like it or not, has got very boring. And it feels really faddy: I have to force myself to drink it, and if I've had a busy day it makes me feel even more tired. And when I weighed myself, it was the same reading as last week.
Week four I am feeling really disappointed: I still haven't lost any weight. One of the odd things about this diet is that it doesn't recommend any more exercise than usual - it's all down to eating in moderation, and it just hasn't been enough for me.
Verdict It wasn't all bad. Corder does make a passionate case for healthy food, with lots of fruit and vegetables, and I'll continue with some of that. And there's evidence quoted on why the red wine is helpful: it's just that it didn't ring true for me. It didn't deliver.
Expert's view
This says that red wine, particularly young red wine, is high in healthy chemicals known as procyanidins. Corder notes that in countries like France, where wine is part of the daily diet, there is evidence of health benefits associated with wine drinking. However, the population of France eats a different diet to that of the UK - the French eat more fruit and vegetables than us. This book presents evidence to suggest that having between one and two units of alcohol a day can help protect against coronary heart disease, but, according to the UK Food Standards Agency, this is only thought to be true for men over 40 and for women after menopause. In summary, the Wine Diet advises us to eat a healthy sensible daily diet and suggests the moderate drinking of wine as a way of promoting health.
SL
Rating: 1/5 stars
The Whole Grain Diet Miracle
By Dr Lisa Hark and Dr Darwin Dean
Claims the low-carb diet is over, and that eating whole grains is the scientifically proven way to lose weight. Typical day's menu: low-sugar, whole-grain cereal with skimmed milk and banana, two oatcakes with peanut butter, an orange, three middle-eastern meatballs with whole-wheat pasta and tomato sauce, salad with low-fat dressing, grilled salmon with barley, leeks and fennel, steamed asparagus, two scoops of sorbet.
Tester Sharon Wallis, 47, is a primary school teacher who lives in Letchworth in Herts. She is 5ft 5in (1.65m) tall and weighs 15st (95.25kg).
"Every time I go to the doctors' surgery they say the same thing: lose weight. Being overweight is the first thing I think about every morning. It doesn't feel like 'me'. I worry people think I'm less intelligent than I am because of it. When I had twins 11 years ago: I ate out of boredom, and I never lost the weight I gained. Now I'm worried that if I'm still like this when I turn 50, I'll be like this forever, which makes me sad. The whole grain diet appeals because it's about eating wholesome, filling food so you don't need to snack. My real weakness is that I get very hungry around 4pm and nothing seems to satisfy me. I'm going to try to get round that with bananas and oatcakes.
Ambition To lose a stone
Week 1 The idea is to add whole grains to whatever you're eating, so you keep your blood sugar up and stop yourself getting hungry between meals. I've been adding grains to all my food. I'm very enthusiastic about it, and I think it's working. I've lost 3lbs.
Week 2 Still happy. The main thing is being organised: you have to make sure you have all the whole grain you need in the cupboard, and you're half way there. I'm the sort of person who usually rewards herself with chocolate here and there, but I'm finding I don't miss it. And another 2lb has gone.
Week 3 This week I lost 4lb. I'm eating a lot of lentils and things like vegetable soup, to which I add grains to fill me up. The only downside of all these grains is that they do go through you very fast, and they can cause wind.
Week 4 It's definitely working. I've lost another 3lb, bringing my total weight loss to 12lb (5.44kg).
Verdict: It does what it says on the box: you don't get hungry, you do eat healthily and you do lose weight. I've still got a long way to go but I'm really pleased with myself so far. The recipes are good, and I haven't found myself starving between meals."
Expert's view Similar to the F2 Plan, this encourages us to eat whole grains and so to benefit from the nutrients including the phytochemicals that they contain. There is no doubt that eating whole-grain food is beneficial to our gastrointestinal tracts and that they make us feel full after we have eaten. However, the evidence on phytochemicals is not so clear. While there seem to be some antioxidant benefits to such a diet, more scientific work needs to done to prove exactly which phytochemicals are beneficial to us. This book contains an interesting and detailed guide to the panoply of whole grains and encourages improved health and weight loss through sensible advice.
SL
Rating: 4/5 stars
Drop a size GI Diet: Fast, Easy, Forever
By Joanna Hall
Claims you can lose 10lb and look years younger, using easy-to-follow GI principles. Typical day's menu: energiser porridge, salad of spinach, feta, mint and pine nuts, four dried apricots, four walnuts, French-style chicken soup, omelette with tomato and fresh basil, New York lemon cheesecake with raspberries.
Tester Marion Ryan, 45, is a business coach who lives in Tipperary. She is 5ft 4in (1.63m) tall, weighs 11st 12lb (75.29kg) and is a size 16.
"I've had a weight problem all my adult life, but before I had my son 11 years ago I had managed to get down to around 8st 5lb and I loved it. Then I met my husband, fell in love and had a child which all conspired to pile the weight back on. I don't think there are health concerns around my weight - although I do lumber a bit when I run now - but there are definite energy issues. Inside, I feel full of enthusiasm and drive and zest for life, but outside, I'm afraid I maybe look a bit sluggish. I want to change that. I don't want to count the calories, which is why I like this diet. I want to get into a healthy eating regime that will stick.
Ambition I would like to drop a dress size over the next month.
Week one I'm not weighing myself, but I already feel less bloated and more energetic. The diet doesn't allow me any potatoes or rice, and that's tough for me because I love both. Hall does say brown rice is OK, but she doesn't give any recipes that include it. I have found it strange buying ingredients I wouldn't normally touch, like fennel. But the recipes are delicious.
Week two Exercise is integral to Hall's plan, but I'm finding it difficult to fit into my life. You're supposed to walk five days out of seven, and also do special exercises for flexibility and strength. I'm just about there with the walking, but I'm finding it hard to find time for the other exercises.
Week three I had an unscheduled weekend away, and ended up eating almost nothing because none of the food where I was staying fitted with Hall's plan. It made me realise how inflexible the diet is.
Week four My clothes are definitely feeling looser, so I know it's working. But I'm looking forward to the month being over.
Verdict The book says you can lose a dress size in six weeks, but I am down to a size 14 after just four. I feel better for it, and I have to admit I have hardly been hungry at all. But it's complicated, and some of it - the exercise regime especially - feels a bit overwhelming.
Expert's view
Hall guides users through a change not only in their diet, but also their lifestyle. Hall asks the users to review their inner feelings, increase their exercise, and engage in a strict low-calorie diet. The diet is based on eating large amounts of fruit and vegetables, low levels of carbohydrates and low fat with lean meat. Essentially this is a low-carbohydrate diet with a touch of GI diet. This is not an unhealthy option but it is very restrictive. For example it imposes a moratorium on eating carbohydrates after 5pm. Existing research does not single out carbohydrate intake in the evenings as being problematic for weight gain or loss. This weight-loss diet will help the user lose weight, but it may leave you feeling hungry.
Rating: 3/5 stars
The Duvet Diet: Sleep Yourself Thin
By Jane Worthington
Claims that the healthier your sleep pattern, the more control you'll be able to muster over your weight. Rules include a regular bedtime routine, a warm bath and camomile tea or warm milk to ease you into a slumber. Typical day's menu: high-fibre cereal and semi-skimmed milk, banana, canned salmon in brine, two slices of wholemeal bread with margarine, salad, pot of Weight Watchers creamed rice, cheesey potato, pumpkin and sweet potato bake, steamed veg, strawberries, three dates, skimmed-milk Ovaltine.
Tester Posy Brewer, 27, is an actress who lives in Richmond, Surrey. She's 5ft 6in (1.68m) tall and weighs 11st (69.85kg).
"I seem to pile on weight if I eat even a carrot. I love fruit and vegetables, and I eat loads of both, but am still overweight. I am diabetic, too, which means I have to steer clear of cakes and biscuits but I seem to be surrounded by friends who are skinny and eat twice as much as me.
In the industry I work in, your weight affects your confidence. Maybe partly because of this I'm doing a lot more voiceover work at the moment. But I'd like to do more TV, film and theatre, and slimming down would help. I have always had bad sleeping patterns so I would like to try this new approach.
Ambition To lose around 10lbs.
Week one I have enjoyed the book. It has some good tips on how to deal with the emotional aspects of overeating. I have cut out caffeine completely, which has been hard at times, but I'm glad I persevered. I'm also really trying hard with the pre-bed routine of a bath and herbal tea, instead of working on my computer until 11pm and then falling into bed. I have lost 2lb, which seems quite good.
Week two I've followed the diet in exactly the same way, but when I weighed myself I discovered I had put 2lb back on. I don't think I've over-indulged, so it's a bit of a downer.
Week three No weight loss this week either. But I'm feeling healthier, which has to be a good thing. I'm drinking loads of water, which the book says will fill you up - and, of course, it's a lot better for you.
Week four Depressingly, my weight hasn't changed. I know I'm not managing to do everything the diet recommends. I can't manage 30 minutes of exercise a day - there just isn't the time for it - and I haven't managed to cut out alcohol as the diet recommends. I did have one really good night's sleep, which was fantastic: but I'm not sure whether that was because of the diet, or because I was so exhausted.
Verdict This diet is a bit too much of a hotch-potch. There are some good parts but it doesn't have a comprehensive overall philosophy. I'm disappointed. I really hoped I'd manage to sleep all night with the bedtime routine, and maybe lose weight as a result, but that hasn't happened: my weight is the same, although I'm sure that's partly because I've not followed the book to the letter. I have taken away a few good habits, like cutting out caffeine. For me, though, it's not a winner.
Expert's view
This is a low carbohydrate diet harking back to the days of Atkins. There is some evidence to suggest that there is a link between having enough sleep and being able to lose weight, however much of the evidence suggests that people sleep better once they have lost weight. The dietary principles of the Duvet Diet are sound with the exception of reducing carbohydrate intake in order to lose weight.
SL
Rating: 0/5 stars
The Japan Diet
By Naomi Moriyama and William Doyle
Claims that it will "revolutionise your eating habits in just 30 days by learning to savour your food. Long-term weight loss is promised. Typical day's menu: muesli with berries and fat-free natural yoghurt, small glass of apple juice, sushi with brown rice if possible (no added salt or soy sauce) cucumber and pomegranate side salad with yoghurt dressing, Thai green chicken curry with jasmine rice and pak choi, one pear, six fresh lychees, 1/2 toasted whole-grain bagel with peanut butter and banana.
Tester Lakhdip Nagra, 25, is a management consultant who lives in Kent. He is 5ft 4in (1.63m) tall and weighs 14st 4lb (90.71kg).
My weight has been up and down over the years. At university I put weight on with too much convenience food and not enough exercise but then I went to live in Edinburgh,had a much healthier lifestyle and got down to around 12st 7lb. Now I'm living back at home, and we eat a lot of traditional Punjabi food, which on its own is probably quite healthy, but when you mix it with the convenience food, it's not good. Being overweight slows me down: I've got less energy. And I also like to look good.
This diet appeals because I like fish, and I feel I could eat more of it. I also like the main principle, which is that eating is about quality rather than quantity. The idea is that you really concentrate on what you're eating, and really enjoy it.
Ambition To lose around a stone.
Week one According to the Japan Diet you have to take time away from your desk to concentrate on your healthy lunch but there's a culture in my office of eating at your desk, so that's been difficult. I've tried to find a colleague to come out and eat with me. I've found that being away from my desk is energising, and gives you a new perspective on what you're doing. I've lost 6lb.
Week two This week has been trickier. My girlfriend has been staying from Edinburgh so we've been out for meals. The book recommends cutting down on portion sizes, and that helps a lot. I've also been trying to eat a lot more slowly, as the diet recommends. My digestion is better as a result. I haven't lost as much weight this week - around 3lbs.
Week three A fairly dramatic result this week - down another 6lb. I've been in Newcastle for part of the week, and it has made me realise how spoilt I am living in London. It is definitely easier to get the high-quality food this diet requires in the capital.
Week four I have lost another 2lbs, which brings my weight loss down to 17lbs (7.71kg) and I'm really pleased.
Verdict I'd highly recommend this diet. The lifestyle changes are all sensible stuff and you really are likely to take them on board. There are things I won't ever do again, like eating in front of my computer.
Expert's view
The Japan Diet is an interesting variation on the "healthy eating to lose weight" theme. Moriyama suggests that an increased focus on the preparation, quality and savouring of food is an excellent way of engaging with our food intake. This coupled with decreasing sugar intake and increasing fish, fruit, whole grain and vegetable intake, while eating regular meals is the core of the diet. The principles in the book match precisely with the principles of UK Department of Health recommendations for sensible healthy eating. However, it should be noted that the traditional Japanese diet contains a large number of high salt and preserved foods which are not encouraged in the UK diet. The book addresses this issue and in summary the diet has much to recommend about it.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet
By India Knight and Neris Thomas
Written like a diary by two friends who wanted to lose 10st between them in a year. Emphasises the importance of our emotional relationship with food. Typical day's menu: supplements (such as multi-vits, psyllium, chromium, fish oils), smoked salmon and cream cheese, cheese and vegetable omelette, roast lamb (portion no bigger than the palm of a hand), stir-fried shredded cabbage and broccoli.
Tester Amie Cameron, 26, is a regional training manager for Tesco who lives in Worksop. She is 5ft 3in (1.60m) tall and weighs 11st 2lbs (69.85kg).
"I used to walk to work but then I moved home and now I drive, so that's cut half an hour's exercise every day. I have recently rejoined a gym and I feel fitter, but I'm not losing much weight so I think a diet is the answer. I think I'll be pretty committed to sticking to it - I'm getting married soon, and I really want to be slimmer for that! This diet appeals to me because you so often hear people on diets saying they can't eat this, or they can't eat that. With this one, as long as you stick to certain food groups you're basically OK to eat as much as you want.
Ambition Ideally I want to get down to 9st 7lb but as I've only got a month, a stone is the most I can hope for.
Week one One of the hardest things for me is that this diet is about cutting out carbs, including some things you'd never think of as being carbs - like carrots. You can go back to them later on, but I've missed them this week. I have eliminated a lot of the things I eat out of my diet, and it didn't feel as if all the stuff that has gone was unhealthy. Perhaps because of that, I've been quite ratty at times. On the up side, I've lost 3lbs - I'm pleased, but I know my weight fluctuates through the month so I'm not convinced yet that it's all down to the diet.
Week two You can't drink any alcohol on this diet. I haven't found that too difficult, as I'm not a big drinker anyway. But I haven't lost any weight, which wasn't great news.
Week three Neris and India won't let me eat cereal or bananas for breakfast, and I really miss them. Also, I can only have a couple of cups of tea and coffee. On the whole, though, it's not a miserable diet. I don't feel bad on it. I didn't weigh myself this week, so I have no idea how much I've lost.
Week four They recommend you drink two litres of water a day. It seems an awful lot, but I do feel much better for it - my skin was really dry, and I can see the difference. I've got into a routine of keeping a bottle by my desk at work and refilling it. I have lost about 6lb (2.72kg) - not as much as I'd hoped, but definitely a step in the right direction.
Verdict This is definitely a book aimed at women. If you gave it to a bloke, he would probably just laugh. A lot of it is about the emotional relationships women have with food, and is about understanding why you comfort eat and using the knowledge to lose weight. But not all women have huge emotional issues with food: I don't think I do, really. But I liked the honesty, and there are a lot of laughs. One of the things I will carry on with is their idea of keeping a journal so you can record how you're feeling about food and about your weight. You can also use it to work out if there are patterns about the food you're eating and the way you're feeling.
Expert's view
The Idiot-Proof Diet takes the reduction of carbohydrates to the extreme. It consists of three phases. Phase one of the diet advises the avoidance of pasta, potatoes, anything containing wheat, fruit and legumes. This stage of the diet lasts two weeks with some fruit and whole-grain flour being introduced in phase two and more carbohydrates being introduced in phase three. The book emphasises throughout that this low carbohydrate intake is not for the short-term, but for life. In phase one, the reader is also advised to buy a large number of vitamins and minerals including 1000mg tablets of vitamin C. The reference nutrient intake of vitamin C is 40mg. A dose of 1000mg is 25 times more than the reference nutrient intake and is not advised as it can cause dangerous complications like kidney stones. This type of diet is not a balanced and healthy sensible eating diet, despite the fact the authors both lost weight, and users should be advised it may not be good for their health.
Rating: 1/5 stars
The F2 Diet
By Audrey Eyton
Writer of the best-selling F-Plan Diet, Eyton has formulated a "faster, more effective" version that promises no-fuss tactics to banish hunger and dissolve fat. Typical day's menu: half a grapefruit, bowl of high-fibre cereal with skimmed milk, greenish banana, probiotic drink, large bowl F2 soup, two slices wholemeal toast with low-fat hummus and tomatoes, an apple, wholewheat pasta with tomato sauce, green salad, vanilla ice cream with berries.
Tester Carolyn Day, 54, a former civil servant who took early retirement last year and is now studying at home. She lives in south east London, is 5ft 6in (1.68m) and weighs 13st (82.55kg).
My weight problem kicked in my mid-30s: by the time I was in my 40s I was at my heaviest, at around 14st, and I had joined a gym and been on various dietsI suppose it's down to the fact that I haven't got a huge amount of discipline. If there's a box of chocolates in the fridge, I have to eat the lot.'ve chosen this diet because I like the idea of eating a lot more fibre. As the blurb on the book says, on a high-fibre diet you will shed weight faster than on any other diet with the same number of calories.
Ambition I'd like to lose between a stone and a stone and a half.
Week one There are loads of recipes in the book, and I'm enjoying the choice. Eyton recognises that you might have a problem resisting the temptation of biscuits and chocolate, especially in the early stages, and lists the fat content of various types of these, which I've found useful. I'm not into weighing myself, so I don't know how much I've actually lost.
Week two One of the best things about this diet is you don't feel you need to go hungry or feel deprived of anything. Alcohol is the biggest no-no, but I am not missing it too much.
Week three I have had a lot more energy since I started the diet. I think it's partly due to exercising more. I'm going to the gym about four times a week, and am aiming to burn off between 600 and 700 calories each time.
Week four The day of reckoning, and I've lost 10lb (4.54kg), so I'm down to 12st 2lb.
Verdict I'd give this diet eight out of 10. It gives you a wake-up call about the effects of a high-protein diet on your colon, and explains how a fibre-rich diet will be beneficial. It's easy to understand, and I felt very motivated by it. I've got two more stones to lose to get to my target weight, and I'm carrying on: it's working for me, and I'd recommend it.
Expert's view
This is an updated version of Eyton's earlier F-Plan first published in the 1980s. It encourages you to eat a high-fibre diet to satisfy hunger and therefore reduce your calories and weight. This book, as with the original F-Plan diet, provides sensible advice that can help people lose weight if followed.
Rating: 3/5 stars
· Sue Lloyd is a registered dietician.
