Weight Management

Founded by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, Russia and the UK.

An elimination regimen that helps you detoxify your body and allow it to heal itself. You remove foods that your body is having difficulty digesting, eliminate damaging gut flora, and replace those foods with others that are high in nutrients and give your intestinal lining a chance to heal. According to Campbell-McBride, healing your gut will drop toxicity levels in your body and, in turn, improve brain function and a range of disorders. This could be a natural treatment for people who have Allergies, Autoimmune Illness, Severe Digestive Issues/Gut Problems, Arthritis, Fatigue, Hormonal Problems, Neurological Conditions, Learning Disabilities, and more. Dr. Campbell-McBride has published several books on the subject.

Founded in 1981 by Dr. David, a scientist at the University of Toronto, and his colleagues when they published a list that ranked foods according to how each one affects blood sugar levels.

The Glycemic-Index (GI) is a system of assigning a number to carbohydrate-containing foods according to how quickly and how much each food increases blood sugar/glucose levels. “Good” carbs—from bran cereal to many fruits and veggies—are lower on the glycemic index and are central to this dietary approach to lose weight and improve blood-sugar control and heart health.

“Good” carbs (foods low on the GI scale) are digested slowly and tend to release glucose slowly and steadily so you feel fuller longer, and your blood sugar and metabolism don’t fluctuate unpredictably. In contrast, “bad” carbs, such as white bread and instant mashed potatoes, are quickly digested and released into the bloodstream, spiking blood sugar and making you feel hungry sooner.

The Glycemic-Index looks simple. All you need to know is where different carbs fall on the 0 to 100 Index:

• You fill up on low-GI carbs (55 and under)
• Eat smaller amounts of medium-GI carbs (56 to 69)
• And occasionally nibble lightly on high-GI carbs (70 and up)

Lists of carbs in each category are available online, or you can mine a database from the University of Sydney, which operates a GI-testing laboratory. Besides referring to these lists as needed, there’s no fussy weighing or measuring. But you’ll have to devise your menus yourself. The GI only ranks foods containing carbs, so meat, fish and poultry, for instance, don’t have GI numbers. You’re on your own in deciding how much your diet should include.

At breakfast, go for cereals made with oats, barley or bran; at lunch, eat your sandwich on whole-grain bread; and at dinner, toss up a salad instead of baking a potato.

Developed in the 1990s by behavioural psychologist, Lawrence Stifler, President and Founder of HMR Management Corp.

This is a weight loss system and lifestyle-change program that reduces calories with HMR meal replacement products, along with added fruits and vegetables. HRM meal replacements include low-calorie shakes, meals, nutrition bars, and multigrain hot cereal, and are delivered to your door. You get three meals, two snacks, and dessert each day. The program incorporates group coaching and online support with an aim to learn healthy sustainable lifestyle strategies, including physical activity and healthier eating habits. Costs can be $169 US to $252 every two weeks, plus the fruits and veggies that you purchase at your grocery store.

Many people are considered to have had influence in popularizing Intermittent Fasting including Dr. Jason Fung, MD—a Canadian, Toronto-based nephrologist (a doctor that specialized in treated diseases of the kidney) and world leading expert on Intermittent Fasting; Dr. Krista Varady, Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois, Chicago; Mark Mattson, PhD, Neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins; Martin Berkhan, Nutrition Consultant and Personal Trainer with a Bachelor of Medical Sciences and Education and creator of Leangains.com; and Michael Mosley, former Doctor, BBC television journalist, presenter of television programs on biology and medicine in the UK and Australia.

Intermittent Fasting is an eating plan that switches between fasting (not eating food for a period of time) and then eating again. It’s best if done on a regular schedule. Some research has shown that intermittent fasting is a way to manage your weight and prevent—or even reverse—some forms of disease.

There are several different ways to do intermittent fasting but it’s more about when you eat rather than exactly what you eat. It’s also about the period of time in which you don’t eat. Fasting for a certain number of hours each day and only eating during specific times can help your body burn fat.

One common method of Intermittent Fasting is to only eat during an 8-hour period and then fast for the remainder of the 24-hour period. (e.g. eating from 11am to 7pm only, and fasting the rest of the 24-hour time period). Of course, if you’re trying to release weight, common sense dictates that during the period when you’re eating, it’s a good idea to avoid high-calorie junkfood, lots of fried foods, treats, etc. and generally ‘stuffing your face’ with unhealthy foods. Optimally, you want to be enjoying good, nutritious food.

Another method of Intermittent Fasting, sometimes called the 5:2 Approach, is choosing to only eat one meal a day (perhaps limited to 500-600 calories) for 2 days of each week, while continuing to eat your normal number of meals for the other 5 days.

Another method of Intermittent Fasting can include going without food for whole days (e.g. 1, 2, or 3 days). This kind of fasting should definitely only be done after consultation with a qualified Medical Practitioner. Going too long without food could be dangerous. And, if your goal is to release weight, you don’t want your body to be given a ‘starvation signal’ which might encourage it to start storing more fat in response. Some people report increased energy and clarity after fasting this way…and others have more difficulty with this practice.

Again, if you’re going to experiment with any of the Intermittent Fasting options (especially extended periods of time fasting), please consult a qualified Medical Practitioner.

Originated in Melbourne, Australia in 1983 by Jenny Craig and her husband, Sidney Craig.

This method of weight management focuses on managing caloric intake, fat, and portion sizes. The emphasis is on pre-packaged meals, specific recipes, healthy eating, and active lifestyle, and behaviour modification. Personal consultants will help you choose the plan that best suits you and will support you throughout your journey with them. You eat three prepackaged meals and two snacks per day as well as up to five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables and nonfat dairy equivalents. Costs approximately $20 US for a ten-week membership or $359 US for a one-year membership. To purchase Jenny Craig’s food, prices range from $84 to $126 US per week.

First popularized in the 1860s pamphlet, “A Letter On Corpulence” by an overweight Victorian funeral director, William Banting, who had lost about fifty pounds in less than a year. He received the “diet” advice from ear-surgeon, Dr. William Harvey—reported to have been a friend of Charles Dickens with whom he co-founded the Great Northern Hospital for indigents. Dr. Harvey had discovered this information from Dr. Claude Bernard, a Parisienne scientist and vivisectionist (a now-controversial form of study)—someone who performs operations on live animals for the purpose of experimentation or scientific research. Dr. Bernard was known for his discoveries of the role of the pancreas in digestion and the glycogenic function of the liver, along with playing a role in establishing the principles of experimentation in the life sciences and becoming one of the founders of experimental medicine.

In 1923, R. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic in the US designed what is now knows as the “Classic Ketogenic Diet”—90% fats, 6% proteins, and 4% carbs. It was originally primarily used to reduce seizures in pediatric epilepsy patients. This concept has evolved over the years but remains a low-carbohydrate, high-fat regime that has also been used by endurance athletes, body builders, patients with neurological disorders, and people who just want to lose weight.

Emphasizing weight loss through fat-burning, the Keto diet is designed to force the body into a state of ketosis, in which it breaks down fats instead of carbohydrates for energy. Carbs are our default energy source, but when you don’t consume any, the body goes into a fat-burning state to stay alive. The focus is on removing excessive sugar and carbohydrate consumption. Approximate dietary breakdown of a daily keto diet includes:

• 5% calories from carbohydrates, including ow-carb, non-starchy vegetables, and small amounts of leafy greens. The keto diet excludes carb-rich foods like grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables.
• 20% of calories from protein, such as meat, eggs, and cheese.
• 75% of calories from fat, such as oils, unprocessed nuts, butter, and avocado.

Some people report feeling less hungry while following a keto plan because fatty foods take a longer time to break down in the body. When done properly—and in alternating cycles, the Keto diet can offer health benefits including weight loss, improved cognitive functioning, reduced inflammation from high blood sugar, slowing the spread of various cancers, and reduced sugar addiction.

There are several versions of the Ketogenic Diet, including:

• Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD):A very low carb, moderate protein, and high fat diet. It typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs.
• Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD):Involves periods of higher carb refeeds, such as five Ketogenic days followed by day high carb days.
• Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD):Allows you to add carbs around workouts.
• High Protein Ketogenic Diet:Similar to a Standard Ketogenic Diet, but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.

Familiar “names” in the Keto or Low Carb world include:

Atkins, Modified Keto, Paleo, Noom, South Beach, and Wildfit.

Some Potential Risks of Keto:

Staying on the Keto diet long term without cycling in periods of whole food carbs may have some negative effects, including risks of the following: low protein in the blood, extra fat in the liver, kidney stones, micronutrient deficiencies, and blood acidity.

Please consult your medical professional if you choose to follow a keto plan for longer than three weeks.

‘Raw foodism’ has its roots in the 1800s when one of the first proponents, Swiss-born doctor Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, claimed that eating raw apples helped cure his mild case of jaundice. He then conducted a series of experiments testing the effects of raw food on human health. Dr. Bircher-Benner  later opened a clinic in dietetics to teach his methods. This diet continues to evolve and grow.

This way of eating typically involves food that hasn’t been cooked, processed, microwaved, irradiated, genetically engineered, or exposed to pesticides or herbicides. About 75% to 80% of what raw foodists eat each day will be plant-based foods never heated above 115°Fahrenheit/46°Celsius. Very few people follow a 100% raw diet.

Most followers are vegan, but some choose to consume raw animal products, such as raw (unpasteurized) milk, cheese made from raw milk, sashimi, raw fish, and certain other kinds of raw meat. Raw foodists claim that cooking obliterates most of the vitamins in food and nearly all of the immune-boosting plant nutrients.

Most people who follow the Raw Food plan consume only half the calories they would eat on a cooked diet and therefore this might be a good method for losing weight. 

To follow this plan you need to ensure that you always have lots of fresh vegetables and fruit on hand, along with seeds, nuts, and sprouts. You can add flavour to your food with condiments like cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, raw virgin coconut oil, and raw coconut butter. It is a good idea to include fresh-squeezed vegetable juices and herbal teas. Lots of raw foodists invest in quality dehydrators, food processors, and blenders to help food prep and variety are more interesting and easily achievable.

(This brand was bought out by Nutrisystem in 2017. See above for Nutrisystem info.)

The 4-Hour Body diet was created by Tim Ferriss, an investor and author of several bestselling books including The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Chef. The book, The 4-Hour Body, originally published in 2010, is a combination of weight loss tips, personal stories, and discussions about Tim Ferriss’ health and weight loss journey, and what he recommends to people.

The 4-Hour Body diet claims that eating lean protein, legumes, and non-starchy vegetables can lead to rapid and significant weight loss. The diet requires you to eat the same foods every day to simplify meal planning—mainly animal protein and eggs, legumes, and non-starchy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and asparagus. You eat as much as you like of any of the foods that fall into the approved groups. You are directed to pick three or four meals that you prefer and repeat them for the duration of the program—eating your first meal within an hour of awakening, having lunch during the early afternoon, a smaller second lunch in the early evening, and then dinner in the late evening. Each meal is to be spaced about four hours apart.

Fruit, with the exceptions of avocados and tomatoes, and refined “white” carbohydrates are restricted on the diet. However, you are also encouraged to binge eat anything you want in whatever quantities you desire one day a week. The diet plan should begin at least five days before your designated binge day. For example, if you choose to binge on Saturday, then you should start the diet on a Monday. The idea is to give yourself ample time to acclimate to the diet before you indulge in whatever you want for a day.

The following five rules are key to the 4-Hour Body diet plan:

1. Avoid “white” carbohydrates: includes all bread, white and brown rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, tortillas, and any fried food with breading.
2. Eat the same few meals over and over again. To do this, you can mix and match from a limited list of ingredients: lean chicken, beef, fish, or pork; eggs; various types of legumes; vegetables that are limited to spinach, mixed cruciferous vegetables, asparagus, peas, broccoli, and green beans. Legumes are essential since they are calorie-dense.
3. Don’t drink calories. The program calls for drinking “massive quantities of water,” plus as much unsweetened tea, coffee, and low- or no-calorie beverages as you want. Aside from two tablespoons of cream in your coffee, milk, soft drinks, and fruit juice are not allowed. The diet also allows up to two glasses of red wine per night.
4. Don’t eat fruit. Tomatoes and avocados (which are technically fruits) are acceptable, but no other fruit is allowed unless it’s on a “cheat day.”
5. Take one day off per week. Ferriss recommends choosing Saturday as what he calls your “Dieters Gone Wild” day. By making himself a little sick on binge foods one day per week, he says he won’t want to consume them on the other six days. He also claims that dramatically increasing caloric intake once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate doesn’t drop. However, there’s no real medical evidence to support this assertion.

Created in 1985 by the US National Institute of Health’s National Cholesterol Education Program as part of a heart-healthy eating regime, these guidelines have been updated in 2002 and in 2013. TLC has been officially endorsed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). It is intended to be a long-term plan and the goal is to minimize blood levels of total and “bad” cholesterol to keep arteries clear and optimize heart health.

In addressing diet, exercise, and weight management, TLC recommends eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. High soluble fiber is important. Some lean meats are permitted. TLC says to limit high-fat and cholesterol-rich foods like fatty cuts of meat, dairy products, egg yolks, and processed foods to stick within the recommended daily amount, which helps maximize results.

The main guidelines for following the TLC diet include:

• Eat only enough calories to maintain a healthy weight.
• 25–35% of your daily calories should come from fat.
• Less than 7% of your daily calories should come from saturated fat.
• Dietary cholesterol intake should be limited to less than 200 mg per day.
• Aim for 10–25 grams of soluble fiber daily.
• Consume at least 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols each day.
• Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every day.

(See Plant-based above)

Pioneered by Penn State University Nutrition Professor, Barbara Rolls, author of The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet. This is an approach to eating that divides food into four categories:

• Very low-density—non-starchy fruits and vegetables, non-fat milk, and broth-based soup.
• Low-density—starchy fruits and veggies, grains, breakfast cereal, low-fat meat, legumes, and low-fat mixed dishes like chili and spaghetti.
• Medium-density—meat, cheese, pizza, French fries, salad dressing, bread, pretzels, ice cream, and cake.
• High-density—crackers, chips, chocolate candies, cookies, nuts, butter, and oil.

This program helps you figure out a food’s energy density, cut the density of your meals and make choices that fight hunger. You would focus primarily on very-low- and low-density foods, have smaller portions of medium-density foods, and minimize high-density foods. Every day you would eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, a couple of snacks, and dessert.