I forget why I’m reading this book now (someone must have recommended it to me) but the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet has an interesting twist on the usual “low carb is best” mantra of alternative diets. It boils down to this:
1) Eat 2 very low carb “Complementary meals” per day. E.g. 3-4oz of protein + 2 cups of salad or low carb density veg.
2) Every day eat a “reward meal” which can consist of anything you want, without limit. Obviously it’s best if it’s a balanced meal, but if you want frois gras on crackers, a 1lb steak with roast potatoes, and 1/2 a chocolate gateaux, all washed down with a bottle of wine, you can.
3) The gotcha is that the reward meal has to be started and finished within 60 minutes (including any booze). They believe that this avoids a “second wave” of insulin that’s normally released 75-90 minutes into a meal.
4) Also there’s absolutely no snacking and no carbs throughout the rest of the day, not even half a sugar in your coffee. Everything gets saved for your reward meal. After all, you can have anything you want, it’s always less than 24 hours away.
I might give this a go for a month and see if it works. I can imagine that after 2 weeks of having a reward meal of a whole chocolate gateaux, smothered in a litre of ice cream, the novelty might wear off and you start eating more sensibly. 😉
