The Cheat to Lose Diet

"The Cheat to Lose Diet" by Joel Marion (former Body for Life champion) offers a new spin on an old weight loss downfall--cheating! By allowing yourself a "cheat day" you actually trick your body into burning fat instead of going into starvation mode and stalling out your weight loss. The concept is simple and it is backed up by studies listed in the reference section of the book. Check out the program basics and see if this is the right diet for you.

Diet Basics

The Cheat to Lose Diet is based on the manipulation of the fat-burning hormone leptin. Leptin levels are normally high when a person eats a normal healthy diet. This results in a high metabolism which allows the body to burn fat effectively as energy. However, when a person limits her intake of food through a low-calorie diet, leptin levels drop dramatically. According to Joel Marion, leptin levels can drop as much as 50 percent after only one week of restricted calories. This slows the metabolism because the body thinks it is starving, effectively stalling any weight loss that may have been initiated by the diet.

This diet tricks the body by bypassing that survival mechanism through "strategic cheating." Just when your body gets ready to shut down its fat-burning furnace to prevent starvation, you give it just what it wants to keep those fires burning. More food! After your cheat day you go back to another week of healthy dieting, eating a calculated plan of high- and low-glycemic foods.

The Cheat to Lose Diet is divided into three sections: Priming, Core and Maintenance. The book also provides 12 weeks of menus as well as about 100 recipes.

Glycemic Index

In order to follow the diet plan successfully, you need to understand glycemic index. Foods on this diet are selected based on their glycemic index. The glycemic index is the measurement of how quickly carbohydrates enter your bloodstream.

Low-glycemic foods gradually enter your bloodstream. They allow you to feel full longer and help stabilize your blood sugar levels. High glycemic foods enter your bloodstream quickly, giving you a rush of energy initially, but later cause a "crash" that leaves you feeling drained and exhausted.

Priming

Priming may be the most difficult part of the program. The author says that most people lose somewhere between 7 and 12 pounds during this initial three weeks. Week one is a reduced-carbohydrate diet. Week two is when you eat low-glycemic-index foods. In the third week, you eat high-glycemic-index foods up until your first cheat day.

On your cheat day you can eat anything you want. The only rule is don't eat so much that you are miserable. Eat until you are comfortably full. Then eat again when you feel hungry. Whatever food you have been craving during the week can be enjoyed now.

Core & Maintenance

You will continue into the Core phase until you are at your goal weight. According to Marion, you can expect to lose about two pounds and two inches each week that you are in this phase.

Each week of the Core phase begins with two days of low-carbohydrate eating. Gradually, you will increase your amount of high-glycemic foods until your cheat day at the end of the week. You repeat this simple process each week until you reach your goal. Then you enter the final phase, called Maintenance. Maintenance is your lifestyle for as long as you choose to follow it. It is what keeps you at your desired weight.

Exercise

Exercise is also important for this weight-loss program. Joel Marion recommends cardio-interval training for 18 minutes a day. He also recommends strength and resistance training. When exercise is included with the diet, you can expect its effectiveness to triple, according to the author.