Diet Smart Review

BACKGROUND

Diet Smart is a diet plan designed by Barry Sanders who authored the book “The Diet Smart Plan”. It is based on the idea that dieters may eat any type of food that he wants for as long as the total number of calories he consumes in a day does not exceed the amount allowed for his weight.

In his book, Sanders categorically stated that he is not at all concerned with the proportion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates for as long as the allowed daily total calorie intake is not exceeded by the dieter. This means that he imposes no food restriction, a feature that most dieters look for in a diet plan.

Sanders classified foods in several categories. “Free Foods” refer to a wide variety of vegetables, beans and mushrooms. Dieters can eat as much as they want of free foods since these are not included in the count of calories. “Basic Foods” are a major part of the dieter’s daily menu. Potatoes, rice, lean meats and fruits are classified as basic foods and they are calorie-counted.

“Single Portion Foods” are those that dieters are allowed to consume only once in a day. Steaks and ice cream fall within this category. “Modified Foods” are those that are considered “low-calorie” such as milk and yoghurt. Lastly, “Limited Foods” are those that are not prohibited but must be consumed as rarely as once a week.

The Diet Smart plan is based on three guiding principles. First, the dieter must be able to consume a daily calorie intake equal to eight times his body weight in order to lose weight. This calorie count must increase to as much as 11 times as soon as the body starts losing weight and gets closer to its desired weight. Secondly, the dieter must eat at least five times in a day. It is better if he could eat up to six times in a day. Lastly, the dieter must weigh himself in the morning and in the evening. This keeps the dieter focused on his goal.

PROS

1. Dieter can eat anything he wants, making it an appealing diet plan

2. Focuses not on food restriction but calorie limit

3. Does not encourage starvation

4. Eat five to six meals a day

5. Simple and easy to follow diet plan

CONS

1. Calorie conscious but not concerned with detailed aspects of nutrition

2. Requires long-term commitment

3. Allows eating unhealthy food

4. Plan lacks structure

5. Knowledge on calorie count of food is required

CONCLUSION

Though Diet Smart plan does not follow sound principles of nutrition, it has over the years been very appealing to dieters since a lot in the past have experienced and reported weight loss under this program. The fact that it has no food restrictions also make dieters attracted to adopting this program. It should be noted however that an unstructured plan like Diet Smart may not work for everyone.

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