With
Body-Rx, Dr. Scott Connelly enters the weight loss arena with
what is probably the best diet program I have seen in some time.
Of course, Dr. Connelly arrives with near-instant credibility
-- not only is he a M.D., but he's also the main man behind
Met-Rx, a highly successful sport and weight loss supplement
company recognized for their quality formulations (browse
our Met-Rx inventory here!).
With
that said, let me get to fundamentals of the Body Rx diet plan...
i)
No calorie counting. Sounds odd, doesn't it? After all, calorie
counting is something you expect to do on any diet. But calorie
counting is one of the real drawbacks on any diet -- it's tedious,
boring, and downright impractical. According to Connelly, caloric
intake actually has very little to do with weight loss or weight
gain. The type of foods you eat, and the metabolic responses
they stimulate within the body are the contributing factors
(he calls this "nutrient partitioning"). Connelly's
absolutely right, of course -- eating well, eating plenty, and
eating often is a surefire way to prime the metabolic furnace.
Conversely, restricting calories only serves to slow the metabolic
rate as well as threaten lean body mass.
Note:
Calorie counting becomes important when your diet is lacking
in quality. When a large percentage of your daily calories come
from "less than optimal" sources, extra calories WILL
be deposited as fat. On Connelly's Body Rx diet however, it almost impossible
to over-consume calories (the bulk of your food intake will
come from lean protein, and low G.I., high fiber carbs). But
if you stop in to Burger King to order a "double whopper
with cheese" you may be interested to know you are about
to consume 1100 + calories!
You
want fries with that?
ii)
Weight training: In Body Rx Connelly advises: stay off the treadmill. Again,
research bears him out -- aerobic activity is a very inefficient
method of burning extra calories. Additionally, aerobic activity
often sacrifices as much lean tissue as fat, so your metabolic
rate drops as you lose a combination of both fat and muscle.
Weight training, of course, builds lean muscle, which increases
both caloric requirements and the metabolism.
iii)
Increased protein consumption: In my article on this site, "Much
Ado About Protein" I discuss how recent research correlates
increased protein intake with weight loss, thermogenics, and
fat burning. Increased protein intake is a huge part of Body
Rx -- lean protein consumption (chicken, turkey, lean beef,
whey protein, etc.,etc.,) should comprise a major part of each
meal.
iv)
Eat well, eat often: Small, balanced meals every 2-3 hours keep
blood sugar levels balanced, cravings eliminated, and energy
levels on an even keel. 6-7 small meals is a very important
part of any successful weight loss plan, and the foundation of Body Rx.
v)
Avoid fructose (specifically the high fructose corn syrup used
in so many processed foods): According to Connelly in Body Rx,
fructose is a metabolic poison, and a "negative partitioning
agent". Again, Connelly is correct -- recent research indicates
that fructose is indeed a bad idea. In fact, Arizona State University
research headed by Dr. Mike Pagliassotti indicates it is fructose
that is the main ingredient behind the problem of insulin resistance.
Over-consumption of fructose often leads to obesity and Syndrome
X - hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Fructose use
is widespread in the food processing industry -- you'll find
8-10 teaspoons in a can of pop, and plenty even in processed
white bread.
Only
one problem... why doesn't a guy who is so dead set against
fructose find a suitable sweetening alternative (he recommends
sucralose and aspartame in the book), for his own supplement
line? Must of this supplements do contain plenty of fructose.
vi)
Increase fiber content: A dieting no-brainer, fiber increases
satiety, lowers blood sugar levels, and may even contribute
to colon health and lower cholesterol levels. I've written more
about fiber here!
Bottom
line on Body Rx?
What
I like best about Body Rx is its downright simplicity -- in
my opinion most diets are inherently impractical and complicated
-- a far bigger contributor to dieting failure then usually
acknowledged. In Body Rx, foods are divided into 3 categories...
i)
Red -- foods to be avoided (sweets, and fatty foods in general)
ii)
Yellow -- foods to be eaten ONLY in moderation (moderate to
high rated GI (glycemic index) carbs for the most part).
iii)
Green -- foods you can eat to your heart's content (low GI carbs
and veggies, lean protein and so on).
So
eating is simple -- avoid "red" category foods, eat
small, infrequent servings of the "yellow" foods,
and "pig out" on the green foods. :-) Forget all about
calories. Wonderful!
This
diet is very easy to follow, and it will work. All in all, well
worth purchasing and following. You can find Body Rx at Amazon.com...
As an alternative, check out my own diet, The Ultimate Fat Burning Diet Primer, click here!
