Here comes the crash
So you overstuffed yourself on lechon, again, over the holidays. Not to worry, because it’s what you put in yourself between the New Year and Christmas — not Christmas and New Year — that matters. Every January is a chance to try (and fail, and try) all over again. Here’s a roundup of popular current diets that have worked for many in losing weight and keeping it off. None of them are easy, but remember, no pain, no loss!
Gluten-Free Diet
What it is: Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and other grains. People with celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, are required to cut out gluten for life, but regular people have also benefited from the diet, citing less fatigue and gastrointestinal problems, stronger immunity and better weight control. While “gluten-free” products are gaining popularity on supermarket shelves, gluten is found in most of life’s little pleasures, like bread, pasta, pizza, cookies and beer.
Who’s on it: Tennis champ Novak Djokovic’s amazing winning streak has been attributed to the diet. Gwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham, Rachel Weisz and Zooey Deschanel, not all of them gluten-sensitive, are vocal proponents of gluten-free living.
Baby Food Diet
What it is: A return to your pre-chewing years, with 14 portions of pureed food every day, followed by a normal dinner. Baby food is mostly veggies and fruit and comes in portion-controlled jars. Will result in quick weight loss but is not a sustainable diet, because you won’t want to subsist on mashed bananas for very long. Celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson calls the diet the “TA Baby Food Cleanse” and claims it will “eliminate toxicity, break bad habits but still have your digestive system going.”
Who’s on it: Jennifer Aniston, Lady Gaga, Reese Witherspoon
Bea Alonzo Cohen
What it is: No injections, no pills…no exercise? The Cohen program is based around the belief that obesity is a medical condition that can be controlled by hormonal balance. Your eating plan is individually tailored based on your blood test results, but not to be confused with blood type. Unlike many popular diets, it is not a high-protein or low-calorie diet, but also promises rapid fat loss without the loss of muscle. You will be required to eliminate refined sugar, alcohol, milk and bread, however.
Who’s on it: Local celebs Bea Alonzo and Judy Ann Santos have shed pounds on this program.
Snooki and JWoww HCG Diet
What it is: Basically, your body thinks it’s pregnant and releases stored fat for energy using the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone which is produced in pregnant women to nourish the fetus. While on the treatment of HCG drops, you may eat as much as you like for two days to build up reserves, then for the following 23-40 days, a strict 500-calorie diet is implemented. A weight loss of 1-2 pounds a day will be seen, and despite the low-calorie intake, there is no starvation because the body is naturally being fulfilled. Works for men, too, and no they won’t grow manboobs.
Who’s on it: Jersey Shore’s JWoww and Snooki, Britney Spears.
Kate Middleton Dukan
What it is: French women don’t get fat because they’re on the Dukan Diet, apparently. Developed by French nutritionist Pierre Dukan, the protein-based diet consists of four stages: Attack, where you rapidly lose up to three kilos in a week eating as much as you want of 72 protein-rich foods; Cruise, where 28 vegetables are added to the menu and weight loss slows to one kilo a week leading to your True Weight; Consolidation, where the focus is on prevention of weight gain and fruit, bread, cheese and starchy foods are gradually reintroduced, and finally the Stabilization phase, where you can eat normally with only three rules for the rest of your life.
Who’s on it: Kate Middleton went on Dukan and lost two dress sizes before her wedding to Prince William.
